Valley's Discontinuing A Lot of Boats

May be true about motorcycles …
… and cars … and many other British made items. But where can you find better made or designed sea kayaks?

Many Years Ago
I was bumped off a flight (jet) and had to fly on some old puddle jumper prop plane over the Appalachians. I was comforted to see “Rolls Royce” printed on the engines.

End of an era? How so?
How is it the ‘end of an era’? (unless we’re just talking about the specific boats being discontinued)



If you mean it in the broader sense, which you seem to, Valley doesn’t seem to be going out of business, though it is possible that they’ve hit a bump in the road. Or they may simply be trying to be more efficient/focused. It’s hard to say.



Even if Valley were somehow eventually to go under/get bought out, that would hardly spell the end of the Brit boats. P&H, Rockpool, Tiderace, North Shore, NDK, etc. all seem to be doing reasonably well.



It’s far too early to write an epitaph for the Brits, if that’s what you meant.


I know NDK had issues with QC
as did Valley for a short time. But there is serious garbage coming out of Confluence these days, leaky hatches, blown bulkheads. Glad I have my 11 year old 'Kapp, 20 year old NW Sportee and 22 year old Mariner Express. Hopefully, Eddyline, Feathercraft, Folbot, Impex and some other small companies survive a bit longer

Lots of places, of course
Or were you joking.

Might have been a
Short Brothers - made in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Brothers

Better made?
Have you ever looked closely at their fiberglass and Kevlar work?

I can name a dozen companies in the US, eastern Europe and china which the Brits can’t match

Sorry

Really?
Don’t hold your breath

Well, yes …
… Just got back from paddling my Nordlow. And compared to the 5 other boats I’ve owned, 4 made in the US, one in China, I’d say the workmanship and quality of construction surpasses any boat I’ve ever owned.



Same can be said for the other Brit made boats I demo’s before buying the Valley.



I’m not saying no one else makes great boats, but Brit boats have been the gold standard for many years, and from what I’ve seen, there is no decline in that regard. So just saying I don’t get where you come up with such a statement.

Said “maybe” …
… Did not agree. You may want to respond up the thread to any perceived slam on Brit made products.


Gold Standard?
Nonsense. There are certainly boats made in Great Britain that are good quality and there are good designs. But there are a wide variety of boats not made in Great Britain and/or not Brit designed that are as good if not better in design and construction quality. You need a wider experience.

Such as?
Not saying their are not boats as well made or designed as the classic Brit boats, but curious what you consider to be better?

Matter of opinion, but …
I have a QCC700x that is both design-wise and quality-wise at least the equal of any Brit competitor. The boats now being built in Thailand are probably the best quality boats ever in terms of build. I don’t mean to be snarky but there are so many boats out there that compete well against traditional Brit boats that it seems a no-brainer to recognize that.

They really not similar at all
I’ve paddled both and they’re completely different boats.

Just one?
QCC …never met one live and in person, so I can’t comment on build. Design is, as you say, a matter of opinion … and personal taste.



OK let’s stipulate the QCC is, as you say, the equal in build quality to any of the aforementioned Brit boats. Is this only because build quality of such Brit boats as NDK, Valley, P&H, etc have declined, so much so that it now allows QCC to equal them? That’s what sparked this sub-thread.



Or have these Brit boats maintained their quality, and others like QCC are rising and can now match them?



I don’t believe anywhere in this entire thread does anyone say Brit boats are unmatched in build quality. But I don’t think even you can say they have not earned a reputation of being among the best in that regard, and have long been the gold standard by which many if not most people measure built. You are doing so when holding QCC up to that level.



The comment I responded to was that Brit boat build and design is in decline. Given all the great builders and designs, I don’t see that. That’s not saying there are not other great boats out there, or that other places are not rising when it comes to design and quality of build.



So QCC may be equal to the build of my Valley, but I can’t imagine any boat could be better built. And not because Valley is a Brit boat, but because from a build quality perspective, I can’t imagine what would constitute better. So if QCC can build to that level, the same could be said of QCC.

To confuse matters further…
What of Brit boat makers like Tiderace, who design their boats in the UK, but then have them made in those Thai factories you admire so greatly?



Seems like at least one Brit boat maker then has “probably the best quality boats ever in terms of build”, to quote you.


You asked for an example
And I gave you one. QCC has always been known for quality construction. And as you say, you know nothing about them.

A "Brit made boat"
is not a Thai made boat. The issue was originally posed as quality of British built boats.

of course…
…but that wasn’t the angle I was getting at.



In this era of globalization and outsourcing, does it really matter if the Brits are master craftsmen, or second-rate?



In terms of local jobs in the UK, yes, it certainly does matter, but from the point-of-view of their customers (us), do we really care if the boats are built in the UK or Thailand, so long as the design is awesome and the quality of the build is high?



Just seems like the whole ‘don’t buy a British kayak, the quality is crap’ argument loses some of its teeth when you have British companies like Tiderace out there, globalizing freely, and not to the lowest common denominator either, but rather to exacting standards, by all accounts.



Now, if ppl want to quibble over whether NDK is still turning out crappy, quality-inconsistent boats, that’s fine, they’ve kind of earned the xtra scrutiny via past sins. =]


Agreed…
“But there is serious garbage coming out of Confluence these days, leaky hatches, blown bulkheads.”



Two Tempests, one Zephyr and an Alchemy all arrived with issues that required attention before the boats could be considered sea worthy. My Nordkapp puts 'em to shame with respect to the quality of the components as well as the attention paid to proper assembly.



Many manufacturers have had a spell of troubles here and there. Sweeping generalisations claiming superiority of one country of manufacture over another seldom reflect reality and are certainly subject to change.