Anyone Familiar with Kayak Pools ?

[philgu]

Hope I'm posting in the right spot....

I'm looking at buying a used Kayak pool, the seller says it's an on ground, but from looking at kayaks web site, it seems they have a different deffinition of on ground than most. I called a local dealer, and they were only interested in selling me a new pool. They said Kayak does make an on ground that can be submersed, but wouldn't verify if the used pool I was looking at was or not (even though they sold the pool). My yard has a 3 foot slope, so I have to dig in

Here's the link to the pool I'm looking at, can anyone verify if it's OK to be dug into the ground ?

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-home-garden-On-ground-swimming-pool-W0QQAdIdZ59961572

I'm going to drive out and have a look tomorrow, and will try to get more pictures, If there is anything I should be looking for, please let me know.

Thanks in advance

 

[thelma]

I have a Kayak Pool that's three years old, but I don't think they can be buried. All my documentation says you can't backfill around the bottom channel or against the water walls. I originally thought it could be buried, but my installer said, "no."

I also have a slope in my yard so I had the installer dig into the slope and build the pool below the level ground. That way one side of the pool deck was level with the highest point of the ground. It looks buried, but there's a pathway underneath where all my equipment is installed. (I attached a pic)

[attachment=1:10hkipnp]pool1.jpg[/attachment:10hkipnp]
[attachment=0:10hkipnp]pool2.jpg[/attachment:10hkipnp]

As for what you should look for......just from the picture I don't see a main drain. My pool has two main drains and my local building inspector said we had to have them. I'm not sure if traditional above ground pools in my area need one, but mine was the first on-ground he'd ever seen. You should also check the structure of the pool itself to make sure the walls are warped or anything.

If you buy it, are you going to build your own deck around it or use kayak decking? One piece of advice about the kayak decking......it gets HOT. Overall I'm satisfied, but it's something my installer and the company doesn't tell you.

Good Luck and if you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer what I can.

Thelma

 

[Guest]

Thelma, your pool looks real nice. I have an older Wilkes partly-AG pool that will someday need replacing, so I'm looking around a little. Did you consider any other manufacturers? How was cost? Thanks,
Sue

here's mine: replacing-repairing-an-above-ground-pool-t7947.html

 

[thelma]

Thanks Sue. I like your pool too. I'd never heard of a Wilkes pool, but it looks similar to what I have.

I chose my pool after estimates and consultations with several in-ground pool builders. I'm a first time pool owner and to be honest, building an in-ground pool where I live scared me a little. My property is VERY rocky and full of boulders. After reading the fine print about how much it would cost to remove the rocks I started looking at other options.

I hadn't even heard of an on-ground pool until I found out about Kayak. I met the local contractor, went out and saw his work and felt it was the right choice for me and where I live.

As for the cost, it was reasonable for my part of New York State where building an in-ground pool is VERY expensive once you add in a fence and landscaping. My pool with the deck, fencing and landscaping cost as much as building a simple liner pool without adding in the patio, fence and landscaping.

All in all, I'm a happy camper. You should meet your local dealer and check them out. If they're confident in their work, I'm sure they'll send you out to meet some of their customers. My builder sends people to my place all the time. There's always someone snooping around my yard. :-D

Thelma

Thelma, your pool looks real nice. I have an older Wilkes partly-AG pool that will someday need replacing, so I'm looking around a little. Did you consider any other manufacturers? How was cost? Thanks,
Sue

here's mine: replacing-repairing-an-above-ground-pool-t7947.html

 

[philgu]

OK, so I had a look at the pool, it looks pretty nice, and in good shape. the construction seems to be a Aluminum, or possibly Galv steel bottom track, and the rest seems to be just pressure treated panels, with at 4x4 or 4x3 support brace every 2 feet. the pool was maybe a couple inches in the ground all the way around other than at the one corner, it was dug in maybe a foot at the most. I'm very tempted to buy, I'd love to be in the pool owners club, and have something to put in my siggy, but I have a feeling I'd regret digging this in a few years from now. Can anyone confirm either way ?

Oh and Thelma, you're right, it's odd that there isn't a mian drain at the bottom. I thought all Kayaks had those

Thanks again

 

[Jamm999]

As far as I know Kayak pools have always had at least one main drain in the bottom (older models) They now have two. My inlaws Kayak pool is 20 plus years old and is still in excellent condition. If the walls are plywood they will probably need to be replaced, Most Kayak pools came with an aluminum deck. The minimum is a two foot walk around. This is due to the tension system they use to keep the walls straight, there is about a three inch wide steel band that is arched to keep tension on the side walls. Any other parts of the frame are aluminum including the bottom channel. They are an excellent pool, I couldn't see your pictures so I can't tell if something looks incorrect.

 

[tremendez]

Hi Thelma, your pool looks great. I was scheduled to have a kayak rep out to my house today and he canceled until tomorrow. I hate to ask but would you mind giving me a ball park price of what you paid for yours? We are looking at 16X33 or larger also
do you have an suggestions as to what we should get if we purchase the pool?

Thanks

Rob!

 

[cjd3060]

tremendez - we purchased a Kayak a couple of years ago. We paid just under 15k for the pool and install. We selected the 12x24 with a deep end. We had them burry it in our sloped backyard. It turned out good, but that price didn't include any additional work that ended up needing to happen to finish it visually. They weren't very clear on that part of the installation quote.

We did lots of checking and they seem to last if you take care of them. A traditional in ground, with our very uneven back yard was +40k. So this ended up working well for us.

 

[kwdreams]

tremendez - we purchased a Kayak a couple of years ago. We paid just under 15k for the pool and install. We selected the 12x24 with a deep end. We had them burry it in our sloped backyard. It turned out good, but that price didn't include any additional work that ended up needing to happen to finish it visually. They weren't very clear on that part of the installation quote.

We did lots of checking and they seem to last if you take care of them. A traditional in ground, with our very uneven back yard was +40k. So this ended up working well for us.

That seems like a great price since I was just quoted 24.8k for a 12x20 with no deep end!!!

 

[cjd3060]

We found that there was tremendous wiggle room in the pricing. We did not have any options beyond the deep end. The extra decking and fencing all increased the price significantly. We were flexible on the install date and walked away from the deal a couple of times... each time, we got closer to the final price. I think it helped that they knew we were talking to other builders too.... and, I think the pool market was pretty soft when we purchased.