-- Last Updated: Mar-20-06 10:28 PM EST --
The Q boat.
Weight and length is comparable to the Outer Island. Wonder how it compares otherwise. Anyone with real world experience with these two boats?
Paul
Huge differences. Ok, just huge!
The cockpit area is as big or bigger than an Eclipse. A friend sat in one and was swimming in it. My bud is just shy of six foot and probably outweighs me by sixty pounds. The Outer Island fits me perfect without any padding needed. So the fit is way different (plus the coaming differences). The back deck is higher on the Qajariaq, and it’s hard chined. Honestly, I can’t think of another boat to compare it to. Think of it as an Acuta sized for a norse god I guess.
bah, that’s not Anas anything…
The Q-boat is the Q-boat and it never should have been associated with the Anas Acuta. Heck the lines are extremely different and the only thing that’s similar is the hard chines. I love the Anas Acuta and I think it’s the most beautiful production boat out there but I can’t say the same thing about the Q-boat. I’ve never paddled it although I sat in it a few times. The boat is gigantic and it didn’t feel like it would roll very well. The Outer Island would take it to school in that department. The whole Q-boat seemed like the end result of too many design compromises.
Hey! don’t blame it on design…
… compromises.
The original design intent sounded good. A longer faster Anas. That Q-boat was destroyed by marketing’s attempt to mainstream it and sell more of them (which seems likely to backfire). Same reason the market is flooded with voluminous boats with big cockpits.
I’m waiting for a company to come out with something around 18’ long - 20" beam - 10-11" foredeck - 6-7" rear deck. 5 kt cruise, reasonable handling in rough, great roller. Preferably ocean cockpit (and symmetrical or swede - no fishform!). An open water day paddler. Is that really such a radical spec? Would it really be that hard to sell?
Something almost exactly like this:
http://www.thomassondesign.com/edoc/enjord.php
I’d sell my fleet for a composite/commercial one if it performs as described. I’d build it if I had a ventilated shop to do so, or might design one of my own then. Odds are I’ll have a garage/shop before any NA manufactures do something like this.
what do you call it than?
Like you said, the original concept was sound. However they didn’t keep the Acuta’s lines, they added way too much volume, added a keyhole and then labeled it the Anas Acuta HV? That sounds like a lot of compromises to me from the original design intent.
As for what you’re describing, doesn’t the new ocean cockpit Outer Island fit the bill?
I was thinking the same thing.
An ‘06 OI would hit every point except it’s 21.5" wide and I doubt the cruising speed would be 5kt. You’d have to get the whole 18’ at the waterline or go to +18’. Maybe something from Nelo?
Anas HV
I paddled the Q boat twice at the Sweetwater Symposium and found it to be a fun boat to paddle and turn. The boat likes to surf and I was able to control direction on small waves. The boat rolls easily although the OI may be better at this. The construction is typical Brit but the new ones may come in 5# or so lighter. I am 6’ and the cockpit fit was good for a keyhole.
OI - not for me
– Last Updated: Mar-21-06 1:51 PM EST –
At least not based on my brief flat water demo (I'll certainly try it again sometime).
It's a really pretty boat from the side. Probably the nicest lines commercially available. Deck heights are good, outfitting & comfort OK (and easily modified anyway) - and should be great with OC. The love ends there.
OI seems wide forward of the cockpit to me. It may be small compared Brit boats and other Impex like the Force 4 , but many of those seem super fat to me. I am forever corrupted/biased by my QCC, surf ski and swedeform SOF. Once you get the max beam at your hips, and a narrower catch up front, that bulge forward of the paddler just seems wrong.
It paddled well enough, stability very nice and predictable. Felt like it would be more fun with some texture to the water. Speed did not feel particularly impressive. Applying power I could feel it begin to dig into a higher drag range at a lower speed than I'd expected. Again, I'm used to a QCC 700 and a 19'8" x 19" SOF (efficiency of which has made me lazy) so many quite good and reasonably quick sea kayaks still feel a bit slow.
Also found it hard to turn, and leaning/edging did little to change this. This surprised me a bit as I normally paddle boats with longer waterlines. I'd kind of assumed others' comments about this quirk were coming from the perspective of people in more "playful" hulls (that I generally don't like) - so I expected to be fine with this aspect of the OI. But it really was stiff.
The OI just ended up making me appreciate my 700 more (a comment that may irk Brit and "Greenland" loyalists - but my 700 is smaller up front, faster, and will turn circles inside the OI). So much so I dusted it off (SOF has been getting the attention lately) and took it out the next day to confirm. The 700 (generation 2 cockpit location - with seat moved to forward gen 3 location), with 1" less beam, 1-2" lower foredeck, and 3" lower aft deck would rock! Again - this describes the Njord pretty well.
Don't get me wrong, the OI is nice, and it should be obvious that my comments reflect some pretty high expecations and biases toward certain things. If I were traveling and it was a rental option I'd be a pretty happy camper. But the only thing it really offers me is a decent low rear deck. As much as I like that - I wouldn't buy a kayak for that alone.
Bottom line is I see it as just another somewhat heavy sea kayak. Certainly of the better options currently available - but I don't see it really offering anything an Explorer (or maybe LV) hasn't been doing as well or better for years.
Did I mention it's pretty?
how about the Silhouette?
That’s the boat I ended up choosing over the OI. It’s fast, turns better than the OI, and it rolls nearly as well.
BB Aral
Sounds like you might think the Betsie Bay Aral might be a decent compromise…hard chines, small cockpit, 20.5" width, 34lbs, 18’, relatively low back deck with a low front deck…
Have you tried one? You might like it Mikey…
Scott
love how Betsie’s paddle but…
Unfortunately, despite a low rear deck, the high coaming doesn’t facilitate rolling. A Betsie with a recessed coaming would be a true thing of beauty.
greyak, what about the qaajaaq 512?
i too would love a commercial machine that can cruise and roll, composite of course and how about around 25-27 pounds?
luckily at Sweetwater i got to roll Freya’s qaajaq ss—yep i fit in it and it is a rolling machine but at my weight it sunk too much, G.Stamer suggested the same companies model 512…just thought i would mention Waterfield Kayaks though you probably know about them…the 512 is my current boat of want.
qaajaaq 512
Yep that is a beauty and it fits somewhat into what I have been looking for if it is large enough to fit my 200 lb 6 ft frame. I really like the take apart option for air travel but I see on the Valley site that this is an option for their anas acuta and other boats also.
I just won’t buy a boat unless I demo it and I don’t plan on taking a trip to Japan any time soon.
Paul
take apart option
In addition to Valley, NDK and Kajak-Sport offer this option.
weight with take apart
How much is the weight affected by the take apart option though? It is already a heavy boat! But I guess you have to accept some drawbacks for the practicality when travelling.
Paul
I’ll demo Silhouette if I get a chance
I didn’t like the feel of the Legend I tried - but that was when first trying longer skinnier sea kayaks. Could have been me - could be that somewhat unsettling Foster uniqueness. I’ll definitely demo one next opportunity (maybe Charleston id I go up). 13" deep and beam carried forward still makes it bigger up front than my 700. If they chopped the deck 2"…
For me to buy a new sea kayak it’s going to have to be VERY special/unique though, not just capable/nice. Specifically it will have to outperform the World’s only QCC 700 outfitted Brit style - with precision control skeg, foamed bulkhead foot rest - and seat moved for better thigh contact and better layback (as good the Pintail or better now! - No true full flat layback, but quite easy/comfortable to roll). Speed, comfort, handling all very hard to beat - and I’m not willing to give anything up except maybe big hatches and some more weight!
BBK
I’ve paddled a Recluse -specs more to my liking than other BBKs. It was OK, but didn’t do much for me. Hull form is too simplified and costs it speed and agility IMO. Slower and more sluggish than I expected - and stability was, for lack of a better word - a little buggy. OK, just not as smooth/refined as I’m used to.
Not bad, but I think I’d build my own S&G before I’d buy one, and if I have to work with epoxy I’d probably skip to strip to get past flat panel limitations.
Very cool boats
but too short, too slow, and I’d never fit. Too much the dedicated rolling machine/small persons boat.
Check this site: http://unold.dk/paddling/php/wordpress/?p=14
Note the small hatches added just to get enough foot room!
If they’d make one 19’ x 19" with 10" foredeck and 6" rear I might get excited.
I can add…
…that Michael who is test paddling the Anas Acuta HV on those pictures in the end thought the boat was too big for him. Now he’s talking about a Nordkapp LV. Personally I’d prefer he got a Rumour so I could play with it.
/Peter