Hi all,

I'm looking to buy my first used kayak. Seller says there's some areas with faded color due to the sun. It was stored outside, under a tarp, but the tarp was torn.

Is there any way I can determine how damaged it is? what would normally happen?

My guess is that those areas could become brittle and break.
Would cracks or holes in such a situation be repairable?

Any other advice what to look for before buying?

thx

As plastics are exposed to UV, they will fade and become brittle. Cracks are able to be repaired through plastic welding (pretty simple and cheap) but if you are welding to another area that is also brittle, it will be a losing battle.

That said, just because it has a little fading doesn't necessarily mean that it has got to a point where it would be brittle.

I know some people have little choice on where they can store their yak, but personally I would look for someone who took better care of it than that. If he didn't even notice a tarp tear over a period long enough to fade the plastic, what other things could he have neglected.


If you are buying used, ALWAYS take it out first for a test run. Before putting it into the water, open up all hulls and verify that it is dry. After a test run, reverify that it is still dry. Can't stress that enough

Unless you plan to run the rocky river rapids I wouldn't be too concerned. Have seen lots of kayaks that have been stored in the sun for years (including my own) and have seen only one that I was concerned about. It was starting to crack in straight lines running parallel to one another along bottom of hull. If the kayak is a major manufacturer and the price is right, I'd say go for it.

Or if you are still concerned I'd ask seller if he would allow you three Albert Pujols type swings on hull with a baseball bat.

Are there pictures you could post? I wouldn't be concerned at all if fading was on top/deck area. What kind of kayak is it? Was it stored on side? hull up? Give us something to work with.

If say those two post answered it pretty good.

Any fading indicates that it has aged faster than a non-faded yak. Yes, it will be more prone to failure sooner, but really hard to say what that would be. Storage outside also means it has been exposed to full temp extremes so the shrinkage/expansion of plastic can work to create additional stress points on a yak. A yak stored in an enclosed area will most likely have seen temps that were moderate or at least moderated. I have a 16 year old yak and while I worry about plastic degradation, it has always been stored in a garage or shop and still looks decent except of course the normal scrapes/wear and tear -the plastic is still resilient, not hard/brittle.

Personally, I would pick a 10 year old yak that was properly stored and still had good color vs. a 5 year old stored outside/faded yak all other things being equal. But that's only my opinion and not knowing the age of the yak, extent of fading/damage and price, hard to say if it's an ok deal.

AeroAgg is dead on with demo'ing it and looking for water in the hull. Likewise, Iconn has good questions if you can supply the answers/pics - maybe we can help with the decision. You didn't say where you lived or where the yak was...maybe if someone is close enough, they might even ride along for a look-see.