I just sold a Fathom, so I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Forget about buying a new P&H if it’s not in someone’s USA showroom right now…I just canceled my order for a new Aries 155 last night, after waiting more than a year for it, and still no reliable information forthcoming (ordered Sept of last year). I’ve been hearing it was built and “on the dock” for six months, but I think it’s all bull at this stage. The overseas supply chain is well and truly f’d, and will remain so for the foreseeable future, it appears.
Dang…sorry to hear about the situation with P&H David.
But please tell me the reason you sold your Fathom. I am just guessing, but it seems to me that people don’t sell kayaks they truly love, so please tell what made you decide to sell it.
Eddyline dealer here on Long Island said she has 35 on order and sold. Wait after they get those is 1.5 years. Same with her Hobie line and other line no product to sell. If you’re looking for one new you best not delay.
My wife decided to quit the hobby, and she had a very nice glass Valley Etain that was a good upgrade from my Fathom. So, free higher performance boat! I kept the Fathom as a loaner boat, but when I placed the order for the new Aries, decided to sell it since the Aries and the Etain could do anything the Fathom could do.
Advantages to the Eddyline products in general:
Lighter than poly boats
Prettier than just about anything else on the water. That finish…
Better bang for the buck compared to the European boats
American made
Disadvantages about Eddylines in general:
Prettier than just about anything else on the water. You really cringe when it’s time to hit the rock gardens.
Fixing the tri-laminate won’t be as straightforward as fixing a glass boat.
It might sound silly, but you’ll feel a teensy bit of snobbery from the higher-end boat owners, if that bugs you.
I hated their skeg design. The use of sharkbite fittings for their cable sheath caused me no end of issues, although I’ll admit it was easier to repair than the P&H cable. Still, I had to repair it a lot more.
Their hatch covers aren’t quite as watertight as the Valley’s.
Their seats, while very comfy, have unusually high backrests for a sea kayak. Ditto for the rear deck on the Fathom. No layback rolls in that boat for me. I can lay almost flat on the back deck of my Etain.
Disadvantages to the Fathom specifically:
The Fathom has a huge cockpit with a lot of hull above the waterline. This is actually what drew me to it initially, since I felt confined and claustrophobic moving into a sea kayak from my rec boat. However, once my skills and confidence caught up with me, I found that same volume to be a downside. For reference, I’m 5’10"/180lbs/31" inseam.
I have the 17.3 Étaín. Which one do you have? I am relatively familiar with working on the Étaín skeg and find it straightforward. Valley hatch covers (including the Étaín) are well known for 2 facts:
they fit very well and generally protect the associated hatches
they degrade swiftly and need replacement
Valley has known about the degradation problem for some time; perhaps they have addressed this by now. There are other vendors whose hatch covers fit.
If you need spare parts for your Étaín, you can contact the Kayak Academy in Seattle (owned by George Gronseth).
I have the 17.3 as well. I have no issues with the Etain’s skeg operation, but if it ever needs to be replaced, the cockpit end is glassed in, so that’ll be a nightmare.
I’ve had no issues with the Valley hatch covers to date (boat is ~5 years old). I hit them with 303 periodically, inside and out.
I use Riverside Kayak Connection when I need Valley parts. Laura has always rocked my world, though the overseas supply chain problems will likely start making her life miserable, if it hasn’t already. I actually purchased spare hatch covers last year, just to have them. The vertical mounting strut on my seat cracked on one side last year and she had a seat in stock and got it to me in record time. I was glad to see that Valley had significantly upgraded the design of that part when I got the new one. Hopefully I won’t see that problem again any time soon.
My 17.3 has the removable deck pod, which was ultimately discontinued. I generally don’t care for deck pods because they can intrude on my leg space - I want the ability to straighten out and relax my legs on longer paddles. That said, this deck pod is quite shallow and does not compromise my leg room. Earlier I had the classic Cetus, whose deck pod was in my way.
Ditto. We lost the deck pod in the first year of ownership and were never able to replace it. I use that space to hold a bottle of Gatorade, although it’s obviously gone if I roll. It ends up filled with water from the drips off my Greenland paddle.