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SOLD! - Mariner Express with bow, stern, and day hatches - $1700 USD

drahcir

Paddler
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Messages
689
Location
North Idaho (Sandpoint)
I have one kayak too many and wish to sell one of them, my Mariner Express. The Mariners ceased production around 2007 and remain famous for their hull design which needed neither rudder nor skeg and handled rough conditions very well. This has certainly been my experience. They are sought after, but very hard to find.

These kayaks typically had no front nor rear hatch, so (for safety) one needed to stuff float bags in bow and stern. However, John Abercrombie in Victoria remodels such kayaks and mine has front, back, and day hatches with fiberglass bulkheads - very professionally done. This particular kayak has the sliding seat, allowing you to adjust trim while underway. See descriptions, specifications, and testimonials for the various Mariner kayaks at http://www.marinerkayaks.com/

This was the kayak of my dreams; so why sell it? Unfortunately, I have a bad lower back which restricts my reach and torso rotation. I cannot roll this kayak consistently, whereas I can roll my other kayak quite easily. I can include a 2 piece Greenland paddle and a nearly new neoprene spray skirt.

The kayak has a red deck, white hull, and built in paddle keeper for a spare paddle. Photos can be provided to interested parties. The kayak is located in Sandpoint, Idaho, USA.
 
I'm the proud owner of the Mariner II (and the "uncle" of the Excel) that John remodelled this way - and I can attest that his workmanship is first-rate and that the Mariners are top-notch boats. If I weren't already just a few too many kayaks deep into a collection (!), I'd snap this up in a heartbeat. Great boat with a much-needed "renovation", great price.
 
I'll be in Nanaimo from Sept. 22 through Oct. 1 for some kayaking. I can bring the Mariner with me if anyone wants to try it. If there is someone who wishes to buy it, I could leave it behind on Oct. 1.
 
This Mariner Express, now freshly weighed, comes in at 60 pounds.
I think it's always a good idea to actually weigh boats oneself. It's common to find quite a difference between advertised weights and actual reality - some brands (not Mariner) are known for that....
Just for reference: I have a glass Express with aft bulkhead and Mariner rear hatch but no forward bulkhead or large forward hatch or day hatch (or the added deck structures to create those hatch recesses), and a foam seat and lightweight backband. That boat weighs 50 lbs.
The sliding seat will add 5 or 6 lbs over the foam seat (the glass bucket seat is heavier and the footpegs and rails are heavier also). So, add on another 5 lbs for the two extra bulkheads (day hatch and forward bulkhead), 3 added deck recesses and the two hatches and covers and you get up to 60 lbs.

Mariners are strongly built. They were all vacuum bagged with roving and woven fabric - no mat or scrim and not a lot of excess resin, so it's not 'excess' weight.
I've heard of a (new) kayak that split when pulled over a log on the beach when loaded with gear; another 'high end' boat which cracked when banged into a rock with no water in the boat....needless to say, neither was a Mariner!
 
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John's tales of broken boats resonated here. Many years ago, I rehabbed an Eddyline single which had been oilcanned in 6 foot plunging surf ... the deck repaired at Eddyline. I acquired it from the guy who oilcanned it, and discovered the coaming was loose, and that the hull/deck seams were separating over the center third of the boat. I eventually repaired it, and paddled it a couple seasons.

Eddyline, in those years, was known for lightweight layups, which made for easy to carry boats, but too light for surf over a couple feet. Swells, no problem.

Mariner boats had the reputation for being very strong. I asked Matt if they could be broken in surf and he replied, any glass boat can be broken in surf, under the wrong circumstances.
 
Thanks drahcir.
Sounds like your boat is a bit heavier than my XL at 56lb (Kevlar, sliding seat, rear bulkhead) so it unfortunately fails one of my criteria. :(
Anyone have a kevlar Express/Elan with a foam seat and rear bulkhead? Light grey?
 
An Elan would have been my first choice but my feet were too big. They are only a USA size 9, but by the time I put on my paddling shoes which just fit over my dry suit socks, I am approaching the size worn by basketball stars.
 
Anyone have a kevlar Express/Elan with a foam seat and rear bulkhead? Light grey?
Mariner Elan: Lovely boat, but not that common on the used market, at all. There were only a few hundred made, and folks tend to hold on to them, it seems..anbd they sell at a premium, like the Coaster. And in kevlar/carbon? And with rear hatch and bulkhead? And in a specific colour? Well, it never hurts to ask! :) I just found a glass one without hatches or bulkheads, with a hanging seat,in off-white.
An Elan would have been my first choice but my feet were too big. They are only a USA size 9, but by the time I put on my paddling shoes which just fit over my dry suit socks, I am approaching the size worn by basketball stars.
Yes. With the Elan or with my Thomasson-designed Frej and 9.5 shoe size, I need to pay attention to my footwear. Neoprene 'creek shoes' are needed, and then it's 'ouch,ouch' across the shells and barnacles at the beach. Sometimes, I'm willing to make sacrifices!:)

Really, the Express has almost the same feel in wind and waves as the Elan and doesn't have the foot size restriction for most folks. You can also get the sliding seat in the Express - which is handy. The Elan's low deck and narrower beam suits lighter and shorter (or 'short waisted') paddlers better, and makes layback rolling a bit easier,too.
It can be a tight fit for bigger people. The Express can handle a gear load better and is a great boat overall, in my opinion- almost the perfect 'all purpose' boat.
 
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This is a great buy - I still watch the 'Mariner kayak' for sale ads in the US and used (very used in some cases) 'stock' Mariner Express boats seem to be advertised in the $1500 USD range. Some of those boats have no hatches or bulkheads, and no sliding seat; some have the 'factory' rear hatch and bulkhead. Mariner Express boats were never made with front hatches and bulkheads, and never had day compartments and hatches.
To modify an Express by adding 3 bulkheads and hatches, I'd probably charge more than $1500 USD - and only if I was 'in the mood' for such a job!
 
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