Boat Advice Needed

[wdwlodge]

Looking at a couple of older(dad is too cheap to pay for a newer model)boats to get my newbie offspring into a boat with more play. Do not want completely sacrifice river running ease.
He is currenly in an Eskimo Kendo which he can handle pretty well (roll, surf, ferry, eddy out, etc)

He is 14, 5'10", and about 140lbs

Considering the following posted on this site:
2001 Dagger ID 6.9

I would welcome any words of wisdom.

Mark

[BEubanks]

I haven't paddled that boat, so no wisdom there. The Kendo is a good river runner, though the outfitting is not nearly as user friendly as more recent US made boats. His size should make several boats work. I'd say to look for boats a little shorter, a little wider, and that fit him well. Try to paddle before you buy. A test "drive" reveals a lot about comfort and handling. The Jackson Fun series attempts to capture that blend of river running and play. Others will have more experience with different models, so I'll defer to them on additional recommendations