I am curious about how this boat handles and what version of Nordkapp it is. the add has np but also hm what ever that means.
The built in hull skeg is different from the Nordkapps I have seen.
Looks like a HMC HM stands for hull modified {built on skeg} the C stands for a slalom cockpit. The keyhole cockpit debuted with the Jubilee {about 1998}
Supposedly the Nordkapp HM tended to leacock under certain conditions. Nick Crowhurst evidently removed part of the built-in-hull skeg and added a Karitek skeg. This led to better handling.
I have no personal experience with this boat and am relying on hearsay. Hopefully others with first hand knowledge will respond.
This model of Nordkapp is the fastest of the Nordkapp series. it’s a straight line kayak. When the Jubilee was introduced this was addressed by adding aprox 2 inches of rocker in the stern. Works fine for the HM but for HS it was a little too much rocker for the targeted design. The H2O took a about 3/4 of an inch of rocker out and helped for the HS model {the HM was no longer produced} This model {pre-Jubilee} is also the most tender for the unskilled.
The HS {hull “standard”} turns better than the early HM. But you lose gear capacity with the skeg box etc. I have a HM Jubilee . it turns a lot like the older HS , with no loss of space for the skeg box. The Jubilee also had some volume added to the hull just aft of the cockpit so it isn’t as touchy. My wife paddles my old HMC {1993} and she likes it, I like my HM jubilee. The H20 is the latest model and incorporates many of the features I like . For day paddling , I believe that a Nordkapp LV in Kevlar {light weight } would be nice.
@castoff said:
I am curious about how this boat handles and what version of Nordkapp it is. the add has np but also hm what ever that means.
Tsunami Chuck has/had one of these. Should ask him about it.
I think ten years or more ago, I paddled the Nordkap as loaner from Chuck. We launched from Sausalito, went out through the Gate and out to the Marin headlands, in 5-7 swells. Did not remember a lot of wind either way. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the boat. It did what I wanted. Didn’t have any issues with stability or directional control.
FWIW. I am/was 5’3" @140 and didn’t have a load in the boat.
sing
Thanks for the input y’all. It’s much appreciated. I am 5’10’ and 185. I have heard that added weight like camping gear helps since these were originally expedition boats. Is this true?
@sing said:
@castoff said:
I am curious about how this boat handles and what version of Nordkapp it is. the add has np but also hm what ever that means.Tsunami Chuck has/had one of these. Should ask him about it.
I think ten years or more ago, I paddled the Nordkap as loaner from Chuck. We launched from Sausalito, went out through the Gate and out to the Marin headlands, in 5-7 swells. Did not remember a lot of wind either way. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the boat. It did what I wanted. Didn’t have any issues with stability or directional control.
FWIW. I am/was 5’3" @140 and didn’t have a load in the boat.
sing
Chuck had a HM Jubilee, not this older version. He had the same one I do {mine is a 3 piece too} The Jubilee was {IMHO} a nicer version. {I would guess np means no paddle}
Years ago, bought an HM (my 2nd kayak). tracks well (obviously), difficult is quartering seas.
I used to joke that it would take me the width of Lake Superior to turn it.
For a long time the Nordkapp was THE expedition kayak. I paddled the HS (no skeg, late 1980’s) and it weathercocks substantially, but it improved my skills to correct. Initial stability is a bit low for a sea kayak (but is very stable compared to most skis, K1s, etc). A good friend of mine, Doug Gilliland still uses his Nordkapp HS. It’s a timeless design, albeit not without its flaws (like all kayaks). It becomes more stable when loaded.
The HM (with the molded fin), “tracks like a train”. It has a reputation to lee-cock (bow blows downwind in severe winds) .
Oddly, my Nordkapp developed blisters (osmosis) and dealer allowed me to choose a different kayak. I switched to an Anas Acuta in 1990 as it was better suited to Greenland techniques.
A good history of the Nordkapp is at https://www.ukseakayakguidebook.co.uk/nordkapp/art_nordkapp.htm .
Greg
In '84 I purchased a Nordkapp HS from Ken Fink at Poseidon Kayak Imports in Walpole, ME. I was a novice kayaker back then and knew little about ocean kayaks, so I spent a couple hours on the phone with Ken discussing Valley boats. He steered me away from the HM stating, like Greg did, that tracks like a train and is difficult to turn.