Cetus owners opinions

If there are any Cetus owners out there, do you think you might post some comments on the boats. What do you like and not like about the boat? I am very close to buying one and would like to hear what owners feel about the boat. Feel free to email if you do not want your comments made public. Thanks!

Cetus
I purchased a Cetus last summer.

I do not have enough experience with it in really rough water or surf to give a thorough review, but can comment as follows:

It is a fast boat- 5 mph is relatively easy to maintain. When you really push it it just keeps going faster without hitting a wall.

It is a very easy boat to paddle. My 130 lb wife really likes to paddle it as it takes very little effort to move and feels very light on the water.

It is highly maneuverable. It really is a lot of fun to play with as it responds quickly and easily to any paddle input.

It is a great roller. I have been surprised at the boat pulling me up on rolls with poor technique that would not work in other boats. This is probably due to its really strong secondary stability. The primary stability is really good too.

The boat takes some small bit of attention to keep it going straight with the skeg up- easy to do once you get used to the boat, but at first if you did not pay any attention at all to its heading you can find it veering off. I also found it a bit difficult to keep it going straight surfing down steep wind waves- this may be due to the very small skeg it has. The skeg system works really well in all other respects.

The boat can carry a lot. It feels very secure in rough water loaded or empty. It does feel a bit like it rides high on a wave passing under it, a bit unsettling until you realize it is still stable that way.

The seat seems high, but I could see no reason to lower it after paddling it. The thigh braces are thin and high- it really needs padding added there to get good contact with the boat. The day hatch in front is really handy, I use it all the time. My fiberglass boat also feels lighter to carry than you would expect. First class construction, absolutely dry hatches.

If there is anything like a do all boat, this would come as close as anything I could imagine.

It is fun to paddle straight as it really glides along. It is also fun to play around in it.( and it must look good too from all the comments I get when I am in it!)

Hope this helps,

Peter

Cetus LV availability?
Does anyone know if the LV model will be showing up on North American shores this year?

Cetus
Hi tvcrider

Ben Lawry, P&H fame, lent me his Cetus for a month. He also allowed me to let several members in kayak club I belong try it out for several days. It is unbelievably stable. I had it out in the Cumberland sound, wind was twenty to thirty, waves were two to three ft. You could take a nap. At 6.5 mph it starts rising out of the water (wall). I have limited skeg time and would rank myself a novice with skeg boats (paddle a QCC 700 with rudder).

Have two buddies in the club would already own P&H boats. One has the Quest, which he wants to sell and get the upcoming low volume Cetus. The other has the Capela (sp?) and needs to save up his money but also wants the Cetus.

Tom Monohan, Up the Creek Expeditions, located in St. Marys Georgia just got a Cetus. His email address is tom@upthecreektrips.com

Email him if you’d like.

Good luck!

Franklin


Cetus LV
TVC,



Shhhhh… Keep the LV quiet or they’ll all want one. :wink:



BTW: Yes, later this year.



See you on the water,

Marshall

The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

www.the-river-connection.com

Cetus LV Volume?
Any word on the volume of the Cetus LV? Will it be a @20 Gal. smaller as in Quest/Quest LV?

Probably much smaller
The quest is a huge boat. I cannot imagine anyone who feels comfortable paddling that boat moving to a Cetus LV. The standard Cetus feels like an LV Quest to me when comparing deck height.

Quest LV - Cetus
I paddled a Cetus for a day followed by a Quest LV for a day on Muscongus Bay this past July.



Though I liked the Cetus much better than the Quest LV, the Cetus felt like a much bigger boat. In particualr it seemed very beamy at the hips and the cockpit was large.



I liked the Cetus, but it seemed awfully big to me. I think a Cetus LV might be a better fit for an average sized male paddler.

Once it’s in…
I’ll let you know the skinny (pun) of the LV. Till it makes it’s appearance I’m not guessing.



See you on the water,

Marshall

The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

www.the-river-connection.com

bill - here’s a link:
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=701422



This was a discussion I recall from some time ago. In the thread it also references a blog with more opinions on the cetus.



Good luck! The bay is trying to freeze here but the wind won’t let it. I’ve been out on the water once since we paddled, and finally heading to the pool this weekend…

Thanks Tim… I read this one a while
back in my search for info. I have the boat in my garage and wheeled and waxed it last night almost back to new (I will be buying the demo if I like it). If I can stand the fit and like the manners and rolling effort, it will be added to the stable. Call me if you come down. We are trying to go out this Sunday, but it is frozen almost everywhere down here. Too much moving ice for me to get out in a new boat in. Hopefully one of the rivers will clear out enough to go.

Paddled the Cetus today. WOW!
Did eight miles today on the St. Clair River and was very impressed with the boat. 28 degrees with winds wsw 5 to 10 mph, cloudy, ice flows were pretty consistant but very manageable. Awesome day on the water, crystal clear water, waterfowl, and one very smooth boat. The Cetus is fast and smooth. It feels almost numb to the water, as in no noise, turbulence, bounce, anything. It just plows through the water with a beautiful flow. Much more stable than I expected, you can really lean into it even with a 240 lb torso heavy paddler. It likes the skeg, but I forced myself to paddle without it on the way back. A stronger torso motion helps to keep it on track. I did not find it to be the super edger that most people called it, it edged like most other boats I have paddled. At the end of the paddle I got it upside down and worked some rolls. It rolls fine, but not a ton better than my current boat. I was tired and my brain hurt from the freeze. The footroom with my size 13 mukluks was aweful, I took them off half way through and used my neoprene socks with a wool pair over them. Problem solved! I went from no room to plenty of room. Man did I like this boat! My GPS showed at least a one mph gain in general and a sprint of 8.3 mph. For a more relaxed paddle, the skeg must be introduced. The water was too flat to judge it’s performance in waves/surf, but it was so impressive in all other regards I think I answered the majority my questions today. So much for saving some money.