I have not paddled for about 10 years but used to paddle on rivers and lakes a lot in fast touring kayaks. I have moved next to the sea and I've decided to buy a sea kayak and start again. I just saw a used Point 65 Whiskey 18 for sale and wonder if anyone has any views on this as a boat? or indeed any suggestions of what might be a good one to look for? thanks.

27, I don't know if this is any help at all, but if there is indeed such a thing as a Whiskey 18, Nigel Foster might have had something to do with its design. I'm looking at a picture of a Whiskey 16 in the Point 65 N brochure; they don't show an 18.

I was told by a factory guy (not Point 65 N) that all of those boats are built in China. Silly me, I thought they were a product of Sweden. That is neither here nor there, but it might be something of interest to you.

I know I'm going to commit a mortal sin, but I can't help myself. If I were you and looking for a new sea kayak, I would go to nckayaks.com and take a look. These boats are built in Tacoma, Washington and are just super. I always caution people to read very carefully how the people at Novus Composites describe their boats. Their boats are specifically designed for distance cruising, not so much for such things as rock gardening. NC boats are very high-end and are sold only factory direct. This keeps the price competitive.

My other advice would be to try out as many kayaks as you can, but be aware that first impressions are not always a very telling gauge. Learn about constucion details, materials etc.

Good luck.

Yes they do make an 18 and yes Nigel Foster designed it.

Be careful when buying a used Point 65 since initially they had quality problems (I believe they were built in Romania or somewhere similar before switching to China) and the older ones are still floating around (pun intended). Anyway, I had a X-Lite that I purchased new at a used price - go figure - that had a few problems, but after I fixed the leaks and such it was a great little boat that tracked like a dream, but was somewhat of a tank (55+ in fiberglass at 15'5). The rudder was removed (never worked) and the skeg cable soon detached from multiple places from the hull rendering the skeg useless. As luck would have it nether were needed since the hull has such a deep V and the chine so hard. I recently sold the boat, but my plan was to have Sterling Fiberglass remove the skeg and skeg box making room in the stern for more gear. Also, at least in the X-Lite's case the boat was VERY tippy if you don't have excellent balance starting out make sure you have a good roll and a dry suit before venturing out of warmer waters. With that said, I actually miss the little guy and its comfortable cockpit, (oh yea, the back band support snapped too), large hatches and layup that would make any Brit proud. Hope this helps.