20 years of paddle camping
35+ years of backpacking…always the limiting reagent is freshwater either to be carried/paddled or found and treated/filtered…I can do a multiday paddle camp in a CD Kestrel 120 using only the hatch in the rear…it boils down to whats more important to you.
In hiking terms the more gear the more comfortable the camping experience and the more painful the hiking experience…less gear is more ground covered. For me I like 15-20mile days on the trail. End the hike, set up the hammock and asleep by ‘hiker’s midnight’ ----9pm----
For paddling it’s much the same, slow steady paddling all day long, seeing as much as my eyes can absorb before I loose the light.
HYOH=hike your own hike
PYOP=paddle your own paddle
don’t get me wrong.
I would buy one instantly if available right now.
Part of me wants it to stay the original Anas Acuta though…dunno why.
Paul
wonder how long
it woudl take to put one into production?
OK Paul
that is two of us willing to buy right now…surely VAlley will move on this just for us 
Suz, never answered you questions
plastic? for the pricing and availability and to provide a true/proven design to the growing Greenlandic paddlers
black? because the is the accepted color for Greenland style boats
I’ve seen a lot of colors
Black plastic, in sun, on rack - not so good maybe
somebody up late?
While black would be really really cool looking, I would have to agree that unless made out of that shiny new plastic stuff like Hurricane Sports uses it would probably dent/oil can in a heartbeat and that would be really really depressing.
hey Kris. On the pintail. Does the seat need to be cut out or can it unbolt? I am asuming the seat pans are similiar.
Paul
Black Was Not A Deliberate Choice…
– Last Updated: Jul-30-06 5:25 AM EST –
if we're talking a native craft since it's seal skin. Beside black in the artic sun is different that black down in our climate and in man made poly.
I suggest for, smaller paddlers, you don't have to wait for a poly Anas Acuta. There is already a similar "G-style" poly boat in the EMC episea. The boat is 14'2"x20"x11"(deck height). It's way cheaper than what Valley would ask for a "poly AA." You just need to take the plastic seat out of the Episea and custimize a foam seat and masik.
14' may be short if you going on point a to b type paddle. But for playing waves and rock gardens, it's actually a better length.
sing
what a cool little boat!
problem is that I am 6 ft and 195 ± 5.
epitour is 25 inch beam so no go.
damn Sing! frustrated now.
Paul
Coaming and seat all one piece
See Bnystroms pics on this. He has an album showing the removal of an Anas seat here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/73091998vmLBqH
me too
I removed the seat from mine as well.
http://www.kayakwisconsin.net/Acuta-seat-replacement.html
what about the AA?
If you’re a backpacker (and not too large) the AA would do fine.
i noticed in derrickam’s photo
that even after seat removal in the anas (and new seat installed) that it looks hard to actualy lay back on the rear deck…saying that i dont think the anas is a rolling machine, or was/is that obvious to everyone—distant knowledge type of thing?
rolling machines
The Anas was copied from a hunting boat. while I have seen a few people do hand rolls in one, I don’t think it’s primary purpose was to paddle 20 yards off shore like my Strand boat and invert.
I want the the Anas for the ocean. plain and simple. I want high rocker, playful and lively to be adjectives that I use and yes I do want to roll back up when i exceed my own skill sets in waves but am not concerned as to whether I will ever get an elbow roll out of it as i woudl expect to eventually get with the Strand boat.
Paul
Sing, question on the Episea…
How does it roll? Like a rolling qajaq or simply like a sea kayak? Can you get a full layback on it or does the back deck get in the way?
layback
Actually that picture was the beginning of testing it. I was trying it without any padding other than the foam seat. In the end I put another 3/4 inch foam bit under it to lift it up. Now it’s good. With the original seat a layback is fairly easy. After I lowered it a bit you do need a little arch. But that depends so much on each person’s flexibility. It’s certainly not an SOF. But on the other hand, for a fibreglass boat it rolls like a dream. The AA is not hard to hand roll at all. With the AA I can “sweep” up with one hand while the other lays across the back deck. For me that’s a tough roll in many fiberglass boats. I can hand roll my Explorer but I have to slide forward (in the cockpit) and “slap” up. Anyway, for what it’s worth I think the AA is a really nice roller and laybacks are fine. I think sometimes it looks more painful than it really is. :-))
any seal as long as it’s black…
FWIW, sealskin, depending on natural variation and processing, can be white, to black to red/brown to yellow.
It seems that brown is the most common. Black and white are often used for formal wear or for special purposes (e.g. white for ice camouflage, etc). Nowadays, most Greenlanders paint their kayaks white, black or grey. Rolling kayaks are usually, but not always black. I have never gotten a good answer about why this is. Maybe they just look more sinister that way…
That said, I agree with Sing that while a black kayak can be comfortable in Sisimiut Greenland, you might bake in hotter climates. I wouldn’t want a black Anas Acuta in Florida…
Greg Stamer
considering it’s 100f
here in Wisconsin today I’m not sure it’s a good idea here either! I know someone who’s got a black one coming. At least he’ll only bake half the year.
Yeah, but your water’s not 90
Ever roll in soup? My SOF turns into a greenhouse in the sun - and with the water so hot, no amount of rotocooling helps much.
Probably telling me something - as when it gets like this the bacteria levels skyrocket too. The little brown/green floating junk (algae/filth) dotting my canal offer a similar warning. Low O2 levels = health risk. Many local parks reporting high bacteria levels recently - same thing every year. This is in the salt water areas - I don’t want to even think about the lakes.
Height of Summer here has me cutting back on paddling (because of heat/humidity/hydration issues) - and rolling (due to water quality). My 15+ milers are out, and just doing an hour or so after work a couple times a week. 5 miles or so, with few or no rolls. My commercial boat with it’s bigger cockpit and higher decks I can paddle with skirt open is seeing more regular use again too.
only thing to do
get out on the ocean!
no canals, no lakes, no bays…
Paul