aquanaut HV vs capella 173 vs Explorer H

Advice
#1

Aquanaut HV vs Capella 173 vs Explorer HV

  1. tracking
  2. surfing
  3. speed
  4. rolling
  5. comfort
  6. stability
#2

For a start try…
http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/

#3

Aquanaut HV = Argonaut
Same boat.



Are you certain you need boats at this high volume?

#4

HV
Maybe, I know the regular explorer is a little small. I have not tried the regular aquanaut or the Capella 169.

#5

Your asking about SUVs and not sports ca



  1. tracking… All sea kayaks track well or can be made to with the skeg or rudder. This should not be a parameter, ever.


  2. surfing… No HV kayak is made to surf for that matter very few sea kayaks will surf really well.


  3. speed… The boats you mentioned are meant to be paddled loaded, so the speed is up to you.


  4. rolling… HV boats are not designed to roll.


  5. comfort… This is where a HV really shines.


  6. stability… Also shines here, sometimes however only when loaded as designed.
#6

HV boats not designed to roll.
i’m thinking of a harsh rebuke to this comment, but methinks you just didn’t think that one through. any closed cockpit kayak is designed to roll.



also, HV is a matter of perspective, based on your size and what other boats you are comparing them to. none of the boats mentioned are truly HV boats.



HV boats:



CD Expedition

CD Solstice

Seaward Quest, half their lineup

Kayak Sport Vivane

Necky Tahsis



and on and on. most of these boats roll easily, first hand experience.

#7

rolling… HV boats are not designed to
All the mentioned boats ARE designed to roll.

#8

Need for HV
The Aquanaut has lower decks than the Explorer but a wider area coaming. P&H boats tend to have higher decks than the equivlaent Valley or NDK boats.



Unless you weigh over 225, it is unlikely that you need an HV of these boats.

#9

I should have said…




That they are not specifically designed to roll. All kayaks will roll. My thoughts were that HV are more slanted toward gear haulers than play boats.

#10

some much more difficult than others
The orignal list of Brit boats all roll well. The subsequent list of CD & Seaward boats are much more difficult to roll.



I think ease/suitability of roll is a real difference between many Northwest American/Canadian design boats and Brit design.

#11

HV kayaks
The NDK Explorer H.V. has “bumps” in the deck for more leg room. Otherwise, it is identical to the Explorer and handlers and rolls the same.

#12

Explorer vs Capela

– Last Updated: Aug-10-06 8:40 PM EST –

I can speak from experience in owning both an Explorer and Capela. Lets start by letting you know I stopped using the Explorer because, while it is a joy to paddle, it is too small for my size 10 Muck boots and, even in the so called HV set up, hasn’t the room for the kind of trips we take (300 – 400 nautical miles in Southeast Alaska twice a year, and a number of shorter trips as well) The skeg-box and the day hatch bulk-head reduce the rear storage capacity dramatically. It won’t hold squat in front of the pegs and the forward hatch barely has the spread for our shotgun, even with the folding stock.

I used it as my touring boat for three years and my wife used it for the last three as her touring boat. I bought a Solstice GT for touring and am so pleased to be able to move my toes. We sold the Explorer this summer after a trip from Ketchikan to Haines, because we were so tired of hauling it up and down the beaches and waiting for her to put the puzzle pieces together in loading the kayak. Weight is 75 lbs in the “expedition” lay-up we had. And, we use either OR dry bags (1s &2s) as well as the occasional WxTex 5. Nothing larger than a 10 liter bag in the lot.

I had an HV for a summer as a test boat, and while it may be larger it is no more comfortable.

As for the Capela. Nice kayak with more volume but shorter than the Explorer which makes it slower. I played with one for a few days in Resurrection Pass in Washington, and bought one later, kept it for a couple of years. It has that same skeg box issue as the Explorer, but, in my opinion, not as good of a kayak.

So, the Explorer is a great paddle and fun to play in the surf. Both the HV and the Explorer are rollable, but why do you want to roll a kayak anyway? I prefer to stay in my kayak in rough water rather than get wet pretending the wave action will change within a few seconds that it takes to roll. Learn to brace.