I'm looking to buy a 2nd Outback for my wife

And to save some money I'm thinking of a used one. I found one on Craigslist and the guy said he had it for two years and the guy he bought it from he thought had it for 3 years. So I'm guessing this is around a '05-'06 or so. How different is this one from my 2010 model? He says it's in excellent shape and has a sail kit. Do the older Outbacks have the holes to plug the wheels in? Is it the V2 setup like I have in my '10 or will I need to upgrade to use turbo fins? He said it's the white one. It's about a 90 minute drive to where he's located so I'd like to get any info I can. Any help would be appreciated.

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I bought one about that year for my wife, used. The hull is different from the 2010. She only weighs a 115 and was not heavy enough for the kayak. It has a deeper hull and takes weight to get it deep in the water and not be tippy. I had to sell it and get her a new outback, which is perfect for her. Check the hull and let you wife compare it to your 10.

Most likely if it is a 05 or 06 it has the old rudder design. It doesn't twist and stow like the new ones and can create a problem when moving it around with one person. The drive can be upgraded to the V2.

It has the hole for the cart.

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I'm right 98% of the time. The other 3% I don't worry about.

If you're going to buy used, keep your options open. I'd consider a Revolution too. My wife loves hers, and the slightly sleeker hull might make up for power differences between you and her. If she's stronger, you could always use the Revo.

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Just a follow up; we looked at the Outback and it was too old. We got a line on a 2010 Adventure that the guy said had never been in the water that he wanted $1550 for it. But at the last minute he changed his mind and decided to keep it. So we went down to the shop where we bought my Outback and picked up a new Revolution for my wife. Like my Outback we ended up spending over $2800 by the time we got out the door with the sail kit, wheels, turbo fins, and a few other goodies. She's a happy camper and she'll be retired at end of the year (I retired five years ago), so we'll get lots of use out of both kayaks. We live about 100 yards from Alamitos Bay in SoCal so we'll be wheeling them over there all the time. I always prefer new anyway.

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Congratulations! We bought our boats new too... at the time they both seemed like a lot of money, but I've never missed that money. We love our boats, and it's great to be able to go out together. Have fun with them! (and congratulations on your wife's upcoming retirement!)

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