http://www.lunchboxcollections.com/canoe-kayak/
What is a good price for a Kayak and/or Canoe?
I've really started to become interested in watersports as of late, but I have no previous experience with them. With that said, I've been speculating about getting either a canoe or kayak, but I do not know what is an appropriate price range for either. I would prefer not to get ripped off.
Also, I know, like all things, quality can affect price, but is there really that much of a difference when it comes to quality with these products? Thanks! 
Huge difference. Think of it like cars... is there really a difference between a Kia Rio and a Porsche 911? You bet there is. Which one would you rather drive?
There are 3 kayaks in my family, and 2 canoes.
See if you see the difference between 2 of the kayaks:
http://kayaker.com/new/products/boat.asp?type=discontinued&ID=100
and
http://www.qcckayaks.com/kayaks/model.asp?model=q500x#
Top boat is called a "recreational" kayak, made of plastic. It weighs 58 pounds. Huge cockpit, wide, stable; it's made for inland lakes, slow moving rivers, and is a great beginner's boat. It's 13 1/2 feet long, and 27" wide, and it only has 1 sealed storage compartment, which means if you capsize, the whole front end of the boat will get VERY heavy and full of water. It's relatively slow, but fun for a lazy day paddle or float trip. It's not for open ocean at all, and not for whitewater.
The bottom boat is a performance sea kayak, and is made of kevlar with a gel coat overlay. It weighs 47 pounds. It's got two massive storage compartments that are water tight, one at each end of the boat. If this boat flips, you can right it, and get yourself back in. The two end compartments keep it at the surface of the water. This boat is 16 1/2 feet long and 23" wide. It's fast, and very efficient - you can use a boat like this for cardio workouts, and I regularly leave other boats in the dust. It's carrying capacity (with the hatches) allows me to go camping for a week or more at a time. The cockpit is smaller, so that you can wear a spray skirt on it to keep large splashes / waves from filling the cockpit, because of this, this boat is ocean friendly, as well as large lake or river (think Lake Michigan or the Mississippi). Not for whitewater.
I bought both boats new, the Perception was $550.00 on sale; it's now discontinued, and probably available for $300.00 used. The second boat was around $2700.00. Materials, construction, hull design, and outfitting all have a big influence on the boat cost.
Same thing goes for canoes. You can get a plastic canoe at Dick's sporting goods, it will float, it's really stable, weighs a ton, and you can probably stand up and walk around in it because it's so barge-like. You can also get a canoe that is made of a kevlar or royalex lay-up, it's more responsive to your paddle strokes, is light and easy to transport, and is more fun to paddle.
Just based on materials of a boat alone: what are you more likely to put on the car and go to the water with - the 95 pound barge or a 50# lay-up?
Please note: there are plenty of great low-priced boats. Just picking out the recreational kayak I bought - I test paddled 6 different models in that price range, and had a really hard time getting many of them to turn - I felt like I was lost on an ice berg and couldn't control them. There are lower priced boats that will work better for your size / weight, and there are some that you'll hate. The best way to figure out what you want is to test paddle a boat at a dealer, or try renting a variety of boats before buying. See what works for you. The problem with big box stores like Dick's or Gander Mountain is that they carry only 1 or two brands of paddle craft, they carry the lower end models, and there's nowhere to test paddle them.
Check out the links below, there's so much info to read up on - paddling is really fun - but unfortunately many people buy the cheapest boat they can find without ever test paddling it, and because of the boat they've selected, end up hating paddling, and don't realize why.
Good luck!
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 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC PIN P15 CANOE KAYAK FLATWATER $14.99 Time Remaining: 6h 19m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 CANOE KAYAK HAT LAPEL PIN AN151 $3.50 Time Remaining: 2d 40m |
 2008 Beijing Olympic Pictograms Pin Canoe Kayak slalom $4.99 Time Remaining: 2d 41m Buy It Now for only: $4.99 |
 CANOE KAYAK FRANCE HAT LAPEL PIN PINS BB331 $4.00 Time Remaining: 2d 3h 55m |
 SYDNEY 2000 SPORTS PIN CANOE KAYAK COIN SERIES $9.95 Time Remaining: 2d 19h 42m |
 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC PINS COLLLECTION V CANOE KAYAK $55.99 Time Remaining: 5d 8h 9m Buy It Now for only: $55.99 |
 US Canoe Kayak Team Alanta Olympic Pin NEW $2.95 Time Remaining: 7d 13h 4m Buy It Now for only: $2.95 |
 Beijing 2008 Olympic Games CANOE KAYAKING 5 Pins set RARE $30.00 Time Remaining: 7d 18h 56m Buy It Now for only: $30.00 |
 Kayak Olympic Pin 1996 Atlanta USA Canoe Kayak Team $4.55 Time Remaining: 7d 20h 14m Buy It Now for only: $4.55 |
 2008 Beijing Olympic China Mobile Sponsor pin CANOE KAYAK FLATWATER $6.50 Time Remaining: 12d Buy It Now for only: $6.50 |
 CANOEING CANOE KAYAK pin TID 1975 $27.70 Time Remaining: 12d 13h 21m Buy It Now for only: $27.70 |
 Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Canoe Kayak Pin $12.99 Time Remaining: 16d 3h 23m Buy It Now for only: $12.99 |
 CHAMPION USA KAYAK CANOE HAT LAPEL MEDIA PIN 59 $5.99 Time Remaining: 16d 9h 9m Buy It Now for only: $5.99 |
 Canoe Kayak Amigo Mascot 10th Pan Am Games Olympic New $1.95 Time Remaining: 16d 12h 17m Buy It Now for only: $1.95 |
 2008 Beijing Olympic China Mobile Sponsor pin CANOE KAYAK SLALOM $6.50 Time Remaining: 16d 19h 12m Buy It Now for only: $6.50 |
 Russian Olympic Pin MOSCOW 1980 Misha Bear KAYAKCANOE $3.00 Time Remaining: 17d 10h 41m Buy It Now for only: $3.00 |
 SUPERMAN MAN STEEL US CANOE KAYAK TEAM DC COMICS PIN $6.39 Time Remaining: 24d 16h 5m Buy It Now for only: $6.39 |
 Izzy Canoe Kayak Olympic Team Pin New $1.50 Time Remaining: 24d 21h 45m Buy It Now for only: $1.50 |
 Canoe Kayak Centennial Olympics 1996 Atlanta Olympic Pin New $3.50 Time Remaining: 25d 20h 42m Buy It Now for only: $3.50 |
 Canoe Kayak Olympic Pin Badge Barcelona 1992 USA Fundraising Collection $7.00 Time Remaining: 26d 19h 16m Buy It Now for only: $7.00 |