Etain RM

Hello,
I’m really interested in the Valley Etain. I’d love to get a glass one, but unfortunately it’s not in my budget. I am thinking of a plastic one, but it’s very difficult to find one to demo. Can anyone tell me how a composite Etain might compare to the RM version as far as fit and so forth? I know there are a variety of sizes and I’m eyeballing a plastic 17.5. Anyone know where I can even sit in one in Florida? I’m right between Daytona and St. Augustine. I am familiar with the collection of fabulous kayaks at Sweetwater Kayaks in St. Petersburg and I think they may have an RM Sirona and they do have several composite etains. Just thought I’d get some thoughts and see if anyone familiar with the Etain might have any suggestions. Thanks!

Heavy! That was my first reaction at a trade show when they came out, when I used to carry Valley. The 177 size fit the linebacker build well. Bias kicking in here, the P&H Scorpio HV in its lighter Corelite X steals the spotlight.

See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
9 W. Market St.
Hyde Park, NY
845-229-0595 main
845-242-4731 mobile
Main: www.the-river-connection.com
Store: www.the-river-connection.us
Facebook: fb.me/theriverconnection

Boat fit and feel is so personal you have to demo. I have loved boats on paper, or based on other peoples reviews, that just didn’t fit me physiologically or weren’t what I expected on the water.

I didn’t see any Valley dealers closer than this on the VCP website, so I would go here.
https://sweetwaterkayaks.wordpress.com/

Looks like they carry a great selection of boats , should have a great knowledge base, and should be able to suggest a few comparable boats to try side by side. I really liked the 17.5. It fit my legs, hips and paddling stroke style better than any of my current boats. The feel was right for me. You need to find out if it’s right for you and asking where to demo is the right question…

If you know about Sweetwater Kayaks why are you wasting time here? Bought the wife’s Etain there. They fitted her in the shop to three different boats then sent her and the the boats to the nearby launch. They let her paddle all three as much or as little as wanted then took the selected boat back to the shop for processing and loading on to my truck.

If you don’t like the Etain one of our club members has an Norcap (SP) there with a good price.

Thanks for all the advice folks! Unfortunately, Sweetwater Kayaks doesn’t have an Etain rm for me to try, though an owner has offered his glass 17.3 for me to experience but I’m not sure that would reflect on what I could expect from the 17.5 rm version. I’d love to be able to compare the Etain to a Scorpio but finding them is difficult. Oh well…I’ll just have to keep waiting if I really want to ge my butt in both boats! For some reason I can figure out, I like the etains, but am feeling pretty good about the reviews and history of the Scorpio as well as P&H as a company. If I’m getting a plastic kayak, then I’m confident I’m comparing 2 great boats. Scorpio mkII MV and the 17.5 Etain) Both are of similar weight and length and each have their own fans, which just makes the choice that much harder. Though I feel as though Valley won’t be easy to find as I’ve been told there isn’t currently a distributor in the U.S. Guess that may make P&H a bit more appealing still. I’m ready to buy as soon as I can get some time in each kayak and see how they fit!