I recently acquired an older kayak and was thinking of trying to refurbish it to use on some of the local lakes in my area in Western Maine. I currently have a fairly large Sit on top Kayak that has been great when my boys were little and the dogs want to come with me. Now they are paddling themselves around and I have been looking for something lighter, and easier to push through the water.
It has a Skeg, about 16’10ish" long, two storage compartments, an Ocean Cockpit(?), made from one of the plastics (still learning the differences).
The HIN is DKJ 92189 F292 - from Googling it seems that it is either a Valley Sea or North Shore Kayak imported by Great River Outfitters in RI. Manufactured in 1992? All identifying marks except for the HIN and possibly what might be its serial number has been worn off.
It has some scratching on the bottom that needs to be smoothed out and the hull/skeg lines need to be replaced. The port covers need replacing.
Any ideas of the make and model?
I have been reading the forums here exhaustively since finding this little Kayak. Thanks to everyone that has taken to share their knowledge
It certainly has the appearance of a British kayak with its very proud stems. It is rotomolded polyethylene and was certified with the US Coast Guard in June of 1992. But if it was imported, I don’t know if that would have been the month and year of manufacture or just when it entered the country for sale. I suspect it was molded by Valley Sea Kayak. I would shoot them an email with the HIN, the dimensions and your photos and see what they say.
It does look like a Valley Skerray – here’s a YouTube video showing one (fast forward to 4 minutes to get past the guy’s futzing around with his truck). Don’t know what is going on with his bow hatch – looks like the cover may have been replaced with some kind of plug sealed with saran wrap.
Thanks everyone. Sent an email off to Valley. I am 5’8" and average about 185-190lbs and was a little worried I was too big for it. Looks like it will work. Now to start researching replacing the hull lines. Getting a better back band (I have some frustrating back issues) and hatch covers. Not bad for $75
Congrats on a wonderful find for the price. Agree on Skerray. Deck lines are nothing special other than being able to threa through fittings. This website has lots of hatch cover discussions. I would suggest you stay away from the Valley (VCP) ones in favor of Sealect. You will spend your cost of the boat on 2 replacement covers regardless of source. On back band, I favor none with a custom foam block instead. Please let us know how responsive Valley is to your email.
It definitely looks like a Skerray RM and I’m jealous, as it’s a great boat for a ridiculously low price. It’s essentially a slightly shorter, slightly wider, slightly more stable version of the classic VCP Pintail. We used them when we went to Shetland and they were terrific in rough conditions. It’s fine for your weight and your height doesn’t matter.
As for the deck lines, it does matter what you use. Polyester deck line is superior to Nylon, as it doesn’t go slack when it gets wet and it’s much more resistant to UV. Cordage with some texture to the surface is easier to grab than slick-surface line. Here’s an example of what I mean: https://www.qualitynylonrope.com/polyester/polyester-rope/
Get 3/16" line (5mm also works if you have a metric cordage source). If you anticipate doing any nighttime paddling, you may want to spring for specialty reflective deck line.
When it comes to bungee cord, again, look for cord with some texture on the surface, if possible. It’s not critical for rigging near the bow and stern, but the texture really helps on rigging that you will be handling frequently. https://www.qualitynylonrope.com/all-products/bungee-shock-cord/
I’ve purchased from these guys in the past and their products are top-notch. They’re all I use these days. You get free shipping on orders over $25, so it’s worth stocking up on whatever you need.
With both bungees and deck lines, I strongly recommend elevating them slightly to make them easier to grab, particularly if you paddle with gloves on. If you check out the last three pics in the following tutorial, you’ll see my preferred method for doing this. https://briannystrom.com/kayaking/tutorials/gelcoat-restoration/
You can buy the 3/4" wood beads at any craft store for around $4.00 for a bag of 27. You’ll need to enlarge the holes slightly, which is really easy to do. Melt the ends of the lines, then roll them to a rough point with moistened fingertips. Size the holes in the bead so that you have to twist them onto the line. In the pics, I didn’t install beads on the triangle of bungee simply because I never use them. If I did, I’d add beads on them too.
I second the recommendation for Sealect hatch covers; they’re much better quality that VCP covers and they last more or less indefinitely. VCP hatch covers fall apart over time, which is probably why your boat doesn’t have any. The best prices I’ve found for Sealect covers are at www.topkayaker.com or www.duckworks.com.
With both bungees and deck lines, I strongly recommend elevating them slightly to make them easier to grab, particularly if you paddle with gloves on. If you check out the last three pics in the following tutorial, you’ll see my preferred method for doing this. https://briannystrom.com/kayaking/tutorials/gelcoat-restoration/
You can buy the 3/4" wood beads at any craft store for around $4.00 for a bag of 27. You’ll need to enlarge the holes slightly, which is really easy to do. Melt the ends of the lines, then roll them to a rough point with moistened fingertips. Size the holes in the bead so that you have to twist them onto the line. In the pics, I didn’t install beads on the triangle of bungee simply because I never use them. If I did, I’d add beads on them too.
Checked out your link, that came out beautiful. Would like to see the link about replacing the seat but doesn’t work, anywhere I could see it? “Seat Removal and Replacement with a Simple Foam Seat” Thanks!
You scored! Not utterly ancient with that rope skeg, after the chimp pumps and before day hatches. And the rope skeg will make it a lot easier to rehab. than cable.
As above you should replace all the lines - bungees, deck lines and skeg controls. You will need a not terribly long bit of thinner bungee for the skeg than for the deck bungees. It is periodic maintenance to do this anyway whether or not the boat has been sitting.
@DianeCetan said:
Checked out your link, that came out beautiful. Would like to see the link about replacing the seat but doesn’t work, anywhere I could see it? “Seat Removal and Replacement with a Simple Foam Seat” Thanks!
The white links are not active yet. I’ve been meaning to get them done for a long time, but just haven’t gotten to it.
@Celia said:
You scored! Not utterly ancient with that rope skeg, after the chimp pumps and before day hatches. And the rope skeg will make it a lot easier to rehab. than cable.
You may want to consider relocating the cleat for the skeg cord to near your left hip. That way you won’t hit it while paddling and the cord won’t interfere with putting on your spray skirt. It’s easy to do and you can either put screws in the original holes or fill them with a good sealant like Goop or Lexel (don’t use silicone sealer).
Thank you to everyone. Haven’t heard from Valley Kayak yet will let you know if I do.
Thank you @bnystrom for the links. Will be ordering cordage and a new hatch cover soon. I thought jeep parts were expensive but kayak stuff is looking like it is the same way.
@Andy will look into custom foam block for the back. Won’t that interfere with the spray skirt? Will do some googling and searching on the forums.
Here is picture of my foam back rest in Valley Q boat with factory plastic seat. Is actually 2 pieces of foam held in place with contact cement for over 10 years now. Bottom one is flat spacer to position curved top one that aligns with my spine. Its shape allows good torso rotation and is low enough for easy lay-
