# Do you let strangers borrow your kayak?



## waterdonkey (Apr 8, 2011)

FastFXR said:


> I've seen numerous 'let-me-borrow-your-kayak' requests on here...and while I have several, I'm more than reluctant to let a stranger 'borrow' a $1K piece of gear...but I'm not entirely undecided.
> 
> Do you loan out your babies? To strangers? What about damage? Do you just let someone drive off without any guarantee of return?
> 
> Again, just curious here. Not looking for hits, but answers as I see lots of these threads and they have me curious.


I think this is a great idea for whitewater travelers ...especially international...


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## rivervibe (Apr 24, 2007)

The friends I like to keep are people who I have deemed trustworthy, and if they were a boater, I'd probably let a friend borrow a boat. If I don't know the person, at the most it would be a situation in which I was on the water with them. 
I will add though, that a conversation that I had on the Buzz last summer resulted in me borrowing a boat for a couple of days from a person with whom I had only shared a few private messages. I had just inquired about a particular kayak and she just offered I give it a try. Folks with this attitude are some of the best ambassadors for the sport and often remind me to try to be more trusting.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

I've lent boats to people known and unknown. with and without accompaniment.


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## mkashzg (Aug 9, 2006)

Kids are more important than kayaks and boats are not worth 1K once they leave the shop. I have lent several boats after a short conversation over responsibility and expectations and have never had a problem.


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## GoodTimes (Mar 9, 2006)

I've lent my boats to various friends over the years and have always been happy to do so....

I lent my LL CR250 to an acquaintance that was just getting into kayaking, seemed like a solid dude, I rarely paddled the boat anymore...and Pueblo is a fairly small town when it comes to the kayaking community. I never got my boat back....tried repeatedly to get the money from the kid (kept telling me he sent it)....moved to Idaho and I never heard another word. I asked my buddy Bob at the Edge to keep an eye out for him because (apparently) he's a big snow boarder too.

Sucks, I liked that boat...and was willing to sell it to him dirt cheap. Lesson learned.


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## salsasean (Apr 20, 2005)

Good Times,
Sorry to hear that. I have been lent a boat twice in NY when I have been there without a boat. Both times by complete strangers that I met on their version of the buzz. Both times I returned the boat with beverages and both times everyone happy. Once I paddled with the person, once without. I would lend a boat to a stranger.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

I would.

Damn, Good Times. Sucks to hear that. 
I would think your experience would be the exception. River karma is too important to screw up.


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## Don (Oct 16, 2003)

*Try mine*

I encourage people to try mine. It's a give back to gaining a paddling buddy and I've usally tweeked the outfitting or did something to make it perform better.


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## GoodTimes (Mar 9, 2006)

Yeah, it sucked...but to be honest...I don't think it has or would deter me from loaning my gear again...boat or otherwise. 

The lesson learned would be to set the expectations better...I told him "you can use the boat for awhile and let me know if you want to buy it"....I contacted him a couple/few weeks later, he said he liked it and would get me the money. It never came and I tried a few more times before moving to Idaho...each time he said he sent it and it must have "gotten lost in the mail". I asked him to take the boat to The Edge where Bob could either sell it for me or keep it safe until I could pick it up. Never happened.

Oh well......


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Offer up a $50 reward/bounty for the boat's safe return to you. :lol:


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## LSB (Mar 23, 2004)

Never do
Unless I'm paddling with them


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## Wiggins (Sep 26, 2009)

Most of my boats spend too much time dry in my garage. I loan boats out to people I know and don't know all the time. I figure it is a good way to help people pick up the sport. If I ever get burned the boating community is small enough I'll be able to locate the boat, and cops are a tight enough community that recovering it shouldn't be an issue (especially since I mark all my boats discreetly to ID them as mine).

Kyle


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## FastFXR (May 22, 2012)

LSB said:


> Never do
> Unless I'm paddling with them


Thanks--that's a good idea. I just can't imagine giving a stranger $1K and assuming he'll come back.


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## deepsouthpaddler (Apr 14, 2004)

I wouldn't be that excited to loan out a boat to someone that I absolutely did not know at all. 

BUT... in the world of kayaking, especially in the class IV/V range, its rare to meet people that don't at least have common acquaintances. If a traveling boater wanted to borrow a boat, and we had mutual acquaintances, I wouldn't hesitate. Experienced paddlers know its a karma thing, and are usually willing to help out, as they know the odds are they could need help shortly. Its sort of the team spirit of helping each other out.

I also wouldn't have a problem loaning out a playboat or a mankboat. Loaning out a creekboat without a crack in it for folks to run down colorado mank is another story though. I would hesitate to do that unless we had an agreement that a busted boat would be replaced.

I did loan out my mankboat to a friend once... who swam, and completely destroyed said mankboat. It wasn't worth much, so I didn't worry too much.

I also loaned out a bunch of scuba gear to a buddy who left all the shit on the beach in mexico after a lunch time buzz kicked in. 

I guess the moral of the story is... don't lend out anything that you can't deal with losing. The other moral of the story is that you can never have too many mankboats.


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## thecraw (Oct 12, 2003)

I do it for a living. Some people are really good at getting them back... Others... you gotta chase down. You know who you are!!!


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

I let people paddle my boats all the time. As long as they don't break it then it's all good.


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## kclowe (May 25, 2004)

*Yep*

I have loaned out my boats to several people. I am usually with them, but not always. If you loan your boat out, make sure you are very clear when you tell them "DONT PEE IN MY BOAT!". I'm not sure why, but some beginners get told that if you have to go, then just pee in your boat. So gross! Some of them don't understand that it is a joke. A really bad one. I wish people would stop saying that.:-|


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## Pizzle (Jun 26, 2007)

Thanks for all the loaner boats! Got one in the backyard about to depart on a Grand Canyon trip in a few days. Thanks Craw!


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## Flying_Spaghetti_Monster (Jun 3, 2010)

I only do if they are with me.


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## PinkyF (Aug 15, 2012)

I let people borrow stuff all the time. SOmetimes I am there, sometimes I'm not. I've lost some stuff, but usually people bring me their spare stuff to and the gear gets passed around and it's a pretty neat thing. I've had some wrecked stuff, but we fix it up over a few beverages and all is good in the world again. (All the stuff i loan out is inflatable style rafts, kayaks, etc). Usually it's my boating buddies outfitting their girlfriend or brother, etc. 

My only fear would be some type of accident. I wouldn't hesitate to loan stuff to out of towners as long as they seemed "reasonable"... 

hope this helps, 
Brenan


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## streetdoctor (May 11, 2012)

Nope, had a guy from here actually steal a my shirt, oakley glasses, helmet bag, and shoes. I left it in his truck. Called him to come pick it up and he wouldnt answer or return my calls. He was moving back to GA (I think). This was after we paddled together 3 or 4 times.


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## leif (Jul 11, 2009)

I lend boats out all the time (not quite for a living, but not just as a hobby). With strangers, I try to make sure that they're not doing anything too dangerous. I usually try to paddle with them, but it's not always possible. I had one or maybe two older boats get completely destroyed, but no really bad experiences.

If anyone is curious about fluid boats, give me a pm.


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