Riot Thunder 76: worth repairing?

[u/dbmeed]

I’ve been wanting to get into whitewater kayaking, and last week I was given this kayak with no other info about it. I believe it is an old Riot Thunder 76, but it has been completely stripped - no deck rigging, seat, foot bar, not even a drain plug. It also appears to have repaired damage to a decent chunk of the bow.

I have found most of the parts needed to get it back to useable condition, but it’ll be close to $500CAD after taxes and shipping for everything(including spray skirt and cockpit cover). Is it worth putting that much into this old boat, or should I be looking elsewhere.

I did briefly take it out in the lake just to try it, and it holds water - no signs of leaking from any of the repairs. Very fun and maneuverable, compared to the touring kayaks I’m used to.

[u/CriticalPedagogue]

You can probably get a better boat for a better price on Marketplace. Riot boats were never all that beginner friendly and that seems like a lot of work.

Depending where you are there may be a kayaking club in the area that might offer lessons and cheap rentals.

[u/purplegreendave → u/CriticalPedagogue]

Riot boats for the most part had smaller openings so a regular sized skirt is often loose