I happened to peruse the P&H website today and noted there is no mention of the Corelite (polyethylene)160 and 166 models. The four composite Capellas are described, but not the 160 and 166. I wonder if these popular kayaks have been discontinued.
suspect a website issue
several pages including the new Delphin are broken, but the Capella RM 160/166 are still listed under the Kayaks menu, as well as on the Customizer page.
Thank you
It seem odd to me. Thanks!
Not really, but sort of
For 2012, the poly Capellas will no longer be built under the P&H brand, they are being moved into the Venture line. There will be some de-tuning done and the price will be adjusted to reflect a more basic model.
for folks looking for an entry level sea kayak, this is a good thing. the Capella will become very price competitive with domestically produced models.
valley must be happy
VCP should be jumping up and down by this decision, especially if PH decides to dumb down their plastic boats.
If any of the top line manufacturers are listening - isn’t it time to produce a good quality narrow hull in plastic? Say, Avocet LV in plastic, or something like Pilgrim, Pilgrim Expedition, TideRace x-cite-s?
capellas
Capellas are now under the Venture Kayak Brand - and offered in a single layer plastic - at $1499. Venture currently offers some great touring designs (Easkys) as well as our performance day touring “Flex”. The Capellas will complete the range offering a great all around sea kayak - and a great price - from Venture Kayak
RE: Valley
– Last Updated: Sep-20-11 4:52 PM EST –
New paddlers want boats that feel very stable, go straight easily, and feel fast. When possible they would also like them to turn without edging. The Cetus/Scorpio series does all of this and the Etain is Valley's attempt to compete in that market.
Adventure Kayak's review of the Etain: "With good carrying capacity, tracking, and initial stability this boat is a great choice for paddlers who want a dependable and more user-friendly expedition kayak." Compare this to Sea Kayaker's summary regarding Valley's last attempt at a more user friendly expedition length boat, the Aquanaut: "Fast yet maneuverable...a top choice for adventuresome intermediate-to-advanced paddlers."
"De-tuning" seems to be a long term trend. (The Etain is less demanding than the Aquanaut which is less demanding than a Nordkapp.) Some refer to this as "dumbing down" the boats. Valley's recent models include the Avocet LV and Nordkapp LV. So, Valley is not abandoning dedicated paddlers while trying to recruit more new and novice paddlers.
As long as the boats are capable, if they seduce more paddlers to improve skills then it is all good.
I hope
that they retain the P&H seat and that they don’t have grooves running along the bottom.