Very little rocker, actually
There is very little rocker, less than Tempest, Zephyr, Nordkapp, etc. The maneuverability is due to the flat bottom and when edged, the ends release nicely. But if you look carefully, it’s almost entirely flat from front to rear between the bow and stern raise points - very little rocker.
Fore and aft on seat channel?
My Samba has two wingnuts - one in front of the seat which when loosened, allows the seat to be moved fore or aft on shore or while on the water. The second wingnut is on the backband and has to be removed completely to raise or lower the band.
Are there two knobs at the base of the seat on your Samba and Raven? (BTW, George, congrats on the Raven!)
Knobs and seats
Actually, you might be right about the single knob on the Samba, I was going by memory. As you say, there is another knob to raise or lower the backband. I like this system as the backband moves with the seat, and you use the cinch cord to adjust the angle.
But I did go out and check the Raven – definitely two knobs on the rail, fore and aft, that hold the sliding seat in place.
Video of Seat Movement
– Last Updated: Oct-22-14 6:11 PM EST –
See it here: http://youtu.be/q5VmP5gUkSU
I spoke with Eddyline, but as expected, no immediate solution. It's not terrible when I paddle, the actual shift is not big enough to upset my balance, but it was enough to catch my attention and it probably is not good for the seat/rail in the long run. The scraping and squeaking noises you hear are fairly realistic and not exaggerated by the camera.
Did you send it to Eddyline?
The video? That much play in the back just doesn’t seem right.
As to the noise, my Samba seat creaks a bit when I paddle, but nothing bothersome.
Yup
Emailed it and we are discussing options. It isn’t a big deal and can be fixed, but I think having a rear knob from the factory would be nice.
Video Paddling (long and boring)
A quick video from paddling the Raven in some wind and waves. I don’t get these often where I live, so when the forecast called for a gale warning and 5’ waves, I had to take a couple of hours off work :). Not a gale and the waves were more like 3’ as it turned out, but still bumpy enough to be interesting.
http://youtu.be/bX7050UPc9I
It took me a while to figure out how to best steer the Raven on the waves so I can link runs. Needs s strong edge to the inside of the turn, weight transfer forward, and a solid stern rudder to release the stern. Very reassuring stability and goes where I want it in any directions with little correction needed. Likes some skeg when the wind is from behind and you just want to relax. Without skeg is better for active paddling to maintain maneuverability.
Cut my hand carrying it - the cockpit rim is sharp…
Boat behaviour
From your video, the bow looks like it has good volume to give a dryish ride. How did you like the boats handling and stability in those conditions. How did it track without the skeg? Boat looks good.
sharp coaming
Have you considered using some vinyle edge material on that sharp coaming? It would make it easier on your skirts and your hands. I don’t know why all composite coamings don’t come with edge guard.
The factory could sand the edge smooth.
The outside is smooth
It is the inside that cut two of my fingers a little (removed some skin rather, enough to draw blood).
But yes, a thicker lip would be good for the skirt - it is a bit harder to remove than I am used to with thicker plastic cockpits.
Behavior
Stable. Reassuring. Predictable. Controllable with and without the skeg.
Likes loose hips due to the flat bottom near the cockpit and the square chine profile - small steep waves shake it side to side more than they do a rounder hull.
The full ends make it bounce more often vs. with skinnier ends but probably with a smaller amplitude (e.g., does not bounce as high over waves and thus crashes less after the wave passes under in upwind paddling).
It does not like to turn from the bow as well as the Nordkapp RM does (i.e., the Raven needs a good edge to make the bow turn - bow rudders are not very effective without a good edge). Could be a matter of trim - my seat was roughly in the middle position and I could feel the stern was generally more willing to swing around than the bow.
Was fairly well balanced in the wind. Without skeg it needed a bit of edging and more effort paddling on one side to keep it from weather cocking. With skeg it would leecock a little. Overall, fairly easy to follow any direction. That’s what I would expect from a well-behaved kayak.
On flat and quiet water it edges and carves turns nicely. It is on the more maneuverable end of the spectrum for its length. It stops turning easy too - does not fight you to keep turning once you stop edging.
Weight
– Last Updated: Oct-26-14 5:58 PM EST –
If anyone is curious, mine weights at a solid 54-55b with seat and hatch covers (no seat pad, but that's light). On the plus side, it is much sturdier than other thermoformed boats such as the Hurricane Tracer that weigh less.
So a fairly hefty kayak and with the sharp coaming it is not the easiest to put on my shoulder. The center of gravity is near the thigh braces, which makes it awkward to pickup with one hand from the ground as you got to hold it at the brace, which is sharp and flexes a bit in your hand (no flexing on the water when paddling).
Ever paddled a Boreal Design Ellesmere?
I just picked one up used with an ocean cockpit. I’ve only had the test paddle, and then one more day maneuvering through the salt marsh and practicing scramble re-entries on Sunday. I’m bound to eventually get good at those scrambling re-entries between the NDK Greenlander’s and this Ellesmere’s ocean cockpits. I was having a lot of fun with it yesterday. But it all really seems silly compared to a re-enter and roll with these cockpits where you can’t sit first and bring legs in after. The Ellesmere is made with a keyhole cockpit too. I imagine my ocean cockpit was an option.
I was drawn to the rounded-between-hard-chines profile along with a fair amount of rocker carried all the way through the stern. In my mind it somehow seemed like what the offspring of my Nigel Foster Legend (rounded between hard chines) and P&H Capella 169 (rocker through the stern)would be.
Seas were very calm Sunday, so no rough water play on my first day out.
So far, I am seriously impressed. It feels everything of a very playful sea kayak, and maintains the efficiency of a fairly quick 17 footer. I was at one with the stability profile right off. Weather-cocking without the skeg seemed minimal enough under my 190 lbs. I haven’t been this excited about a sea kayak play-boat in a while. This one has been around. I’ve just never payed it any attention.
Have you ever given the Ellesmere a run? What’s your impression compared to the Raven?
I’ll have to get her out in some surf and try to put together something of a review. Maybe I’ll break out the Go Pro again. So far she seems worthy of some attention.
Ellesmere
– Last Updated: Oct-28-14 5:23 PM EST –
Happy you like the Ellesmere. It was my favorite all around kayak, while in the cockpit. The getting in/out, was my main issue with it. I lack the flexibility, for the ocean cockpit. Looking forward, to seeing a more thorough evaluation from you.
The Nordkapp RM that was on the kayak trailer, came from Kocho. I think he turned the funds from the Nordkapp, into his Raven.
He-he, small world 
– Last Updated: Oct-28-14 8:52 PM EST –
Yes, the RM $$$ went into the Raven, but yesterday the Raven went back where it came from, so I'm reunited with my $$$. Just not the right kayak for me. If the rear of the cockpit was an inch lower and the thigh braces 1/2" higher I might have kept it, despite some other minor things that were not to my liking but close enough. But when several small things add-up, I figured I would rather keep looking and probably will end-up building something custom myself.
The ideal "hybrid" for me would be a kayak that has the low rear deck and easy roll-ability of the WS Zephyr 155, the loose planing hull and cockpit ergonomics and the maneuverability of the P&H Delphin 15.5, playfulness and controllability on a wave of a Sterling Reflection, the paddling efficiency and behavior in rough water of the Nordkapp RM/LV, and the foot and leg room and cockpit length of the Raven, :) I know, I can't have it all at the same time in the same kayak in terms of the hull behavior on the water, but I think I should be able to get the ergonomics right at least.
Edit: forgot about the Ellesmere question: no, I have not paddled it. I was very tempted to swap the RM for it, but wasn't thrilled about the OC and somehow the reverse chines were something that I could not rationalize for myself as being a good thing for me - I'd be interested to read what you think of them.
small world indeed
Yup, the never-ending search for great kayaks. I’m pretty excited to get the Ellesmere out in some waves. Everything feels very good so far.
Have you paddled the Delta 16?
The Raven is a great boat, particularly well suited for ocean/surf play. Primary stability is a little tender for a novice. I have heard some complaints about build quality including cracks forming on the cockpit rim and the deck just forward of the cockpit. The hatch openings are too small to handle some larger/longer gear. The boat that I would consider most comparable is the Delta 16, which is a bit shorter, has more volume, larger hatch covers and better primary stability, but otherwise has similar performance characteristics to the Raven. In my opinion, Delta’s thermoform is better quality than Eddyline’s and the build quality of the 16 surpasses the Raven. That being said, you really couldn’t go wrong with either boat.