Looking at a used Necky Narpa for a first boat. I am 6'/205 looking for flat water lakes and rivers day trips. I seem to fit the boat well, first impression of condition is good. Any thing special to look out for? Asking $700 for the boat,skirt,AquaBound paddle,paddle float, and some roof gear.Sounds a little high to me...

After many years of kayaking, I have a little different philosophy about "first boats." I think before one buys their first boat, they should do a little soul searching and decide to what degree they are committed to the sport. So how does one get to that point without making the initial plunge? I suppose if you're lucky, you might have a generous friend with a loaner, or you could do the rental thing. If you're in the right location you might have dealers that allow demos, or you might attend free demo days.

My point is that no matter how you decide you are going to do it, when you are pretty darned sure that you're ready to go all the way, why not get your dream boat. Why waste a lot of time and effort learning in a boat that you're not going to keep? I'm not saying you should necessarily go all the way and get your ultimate super boat, but that any boat you buy should be one that is a keeper; one that you will always look forward to your next adventure in and not one that you paddle because you don't have something better.

None of this in any way is meant to disuade you from consideration of the Narpa.

Bob, my take, as usual, is different from Magooch's. If you like the look and the price of the Necky Narpa, I say--buy it, then paddle it a lot; get used to it; get used to paddling it; get used to how it handles; get used to all kinds of paddling in the boat--with the wind, across it, against it--long trips, short trips.

Have fun, go paddling, learn about open water and its opportunities and its dangers and hazards and how to paddle safely. In the PNW, you should make sure to hook up with safe, responsible, knowledgable sea kayakers who know what they are doing. Then maybe you'll either want another boat, or you will decide to keep the Narpa. Few kayakers stay with their first boats, so how are you to know now what your dream boat is?

As I said, nothing in my post was meant to talk you out of considering the Narpa. However, I still believe that it is prudent for any first time buyer to do a lot of looking, sitting in and test paddling of as many boats of the type that suits your fancy. Familiarize yourself with the different materials boats are built from and what to look for to discern quality. I also believe that one should understand something about the differences in designs. Whether, or not to go with a rudder, a skeg, both, or none at all. You might even want to know what fish, Swede and concentric designs refer to and something about chines.

If you are going to invest in kayaking, it's all the better to know as much as you can about it.

Magooch is 100% correct about the desirability of learning/knowing as much as you can about boat design, materials, rudder vs. skeg vs. neither, etc., etc. And of course it's great to be able to try out boat after boat after boat until you find the one that's just right for you..... But as a practical matter, there is no substitute whatsoever--none--for the new paddler interested in sea kayaking, to getting into a decent boat of whatever material, fish-form/swede-form, rudder, skeg, whatever--and going kayaking for weeks and weeks and months in that boat, and figuring out what it is about you, sea kayaking, and the boat, that you might want to change or improve or delete. Over my almost 30 years of paddling sea kayaks, I've had several sorts of the craft--rudder, no rudder, narrow, wide, fiberglass, wood, longer, shorter. I've enjoyed every boat I've had, because I've enjoyed sea kayaking. It's not really about the boat, though having a boat you like is good; it's about learning about open water paddling--its joys and special challenges. Once you have put in the miles in the cockpit of whatever sea kayak you start with, you'll be better equipped to fine-tune what it is you are looking for in a boat for the long haul