hilarious 
120 responses and the boat has been up for sale for a few weeks. Ainât anyone convinced?
for saleâŚ
Based on the comment above I wanted to give a brief explanation about the fact that my Explorer is currently for saleâŚ
I really like the Explorer and was quite happy with the boat, but I could not resist a great deal on a used Nordkapp LV. I had never paddled one, but I just could not resist based upon the descriptions I had read and the traits I like in a boat.
SoâŚI bought the boat and had it shipped to me. A bit riskyâŚmaybe it wonât fit, I wonât like itâŚetc. but I just could not resist and would never live it down unless I tried it. Furthermore I am a FIRM believer in that not only do you have to test paddle a boat to know whether it is right for youâŚyou really have to OWN IT. Test paddling a boat once or twice is not enough. You really need to have the boat for long enough to really get a feel for it and to have the opportunity to use it in various conditions. You really wonât even have a good feel for how a boat fits until you have paddled it for a few sessions in my opinion.
SoâŚI got the Nordkapp and have been fooling around with it. My opinions of the Nordkapp have variedâŚI did not like it at first, but after paddling it for a while, fooling around with outfitting, and getting a feel for it, I am really starting to like the boat.
It feels to me like it lacks the few things I saw as weaknesses in the Explorer (which are stated in my review above). Those traits being speed, and playfulness/livliness.
As I state in my review above, the Explorer has adequate speed, but the Nordkapp has what I consider exceptional speed.
Furthermore, the Explorer, while a very solid boat, is quite stable and confidence inspring in the roughest water. That can translate as being not challenging enough / lively enough to someone with increasing paddling skills in some cases. Of course I make this statement carefully, as it is true that some of the best paddlers in the world paddle an Explorer.
So for me, I would probably choose the Explorer if I had the opportunity to paddle in extreme conditions more often (unfortunately I donât though). To me it is supremely capable in these conditions and very well rounded for the vast majority of paddlers.
However, at least for the timebeing (still may change my mind again) I think that the Nordkapp LV provides me with more of the traits I have been looking for and may be a better boat for me in the long run, especially given the conditions in which I paddle. These attributes come at the expense of hatch volume, hatch cover design, a slight bit of weather cocking, and confidence inspring stability in any condiitons.
Itâs all about trade-offs, what you are looking for, and the condtiions in which you will paddle.
For the vast majoirty of paddlers, and the vast manjority of conditions I just canât see a much better boat than the Explorer.
The Nordkapp may be better for me as I feel righ tnow, but it is somewhat of a niche boat and will not appeal to most paddlers.
Furthermore, I have to say that I did learn a lot paddling the Explorer given its text book handling and responsiveness traits, and its ease of suring and tracking on the face of a wave (really helped to improve my surfing skills!) So I am glad I have had the oppportunity to own one, and I may own one again some day.
Incidentally⌠I am not just trying to make a pitch for my Explorer which is now for sale (or at least for the timebeing if I end up changing my mindâŚcould happen since I really like this boat)
Matt
Matt, see my post #110 on you LV thread!
You seem an awfully nice fellow, but for goodness sake Matt get on with expeditions and seeing the mud ball! Enough already⌠No doubt your wife thinks you love kayaks more than her :)! As an outsider you kinda freak me out with this gear-queer obsessive search for what youâll never find.
Come out west and lets surf. In my own way I actually care and want to help.
Matt
Enjoy your detailed thoughts on boats. You obviously are a serious paddler Does verge on a nice form of obsession ::sometimes::
Heh.
but chalk that up to passion. Prefer that to uninteresting dither about choosing between kayaks of limited range and quality, based on nothing more than this weekâs price at (insert name of yakpimping big box store here)
Which refers to no one in particular, just by general contrast.
Just having some fun. Good luck with your new favorite boat & try to stay in the relationship a while 
Iâm still waiting for your review âŚ
of the Cetus!
~wetzool
Yes, yesâŚ
Salty,
I admit you have a point. I thought I had finsihed my obsessive (yes I admit that it was obsessive) quest for the perfect boat. I thought I had it in the ExplorerâŚpretty closeâŚbut just could not resist the LV.
For now I think I am done with my quest! Really! Seems fast, responsive, playful, capableâŚwhat else could I want?
My quest has been further complicated by my skills increasing and tastes maturing during my quest.
The perfect boat for you also seems to depend on where you stand in your paddling development. What may seem like the perfect boat today may not be a year for now after you skills have incrased and developed.
Would love to paddle with you sometime so that you can see that my passion for gear is surpassed by my passion for the sport itselfâŚreally.
Admittedly I have been pretty obsessive in my quest. Just part of my personality. Very intense type A personality and pretty analytical about things (maybe too analytical) HeckâŚI currently work in test and evaluation so I just sort of think in that mindset.
Is it a passion or is it an obsession? A little bit of both! But I can tell you that it has been an enriching and educational experience for me that has really helped me in my advancement as a paddler and my knowledge of boat characterisitics.
I lived on the west coast for about 18 monthsâŚawesome place to paddle. Certainly miss it!
Now that I have found the âperfect boatâ for me (or at least for now) I can get on with just enjoying the sport.
Matt
yeahâŚ
Thatâs probably the only other boat out there that might sway me at this pointâŚ
Iâll just have to try to resist buying one.
Hopefully the Nordkapp LV will keep me adequately satisfied to prevent me from pulling the trigger on a Cetus.
One good thing I have going for me though is that I somewhat feel that a lot of the talk about the Cetus may be hype.
Lots of good talk was out there about the Nordkapp LV, but it seemed to be genuine and from usersâŚnot the maker.
As addressed here in other threads, it seems that the P&H team likes to make a lot of posts here hyping up their boats, perhaps lending to the fanatic craze about this boatâŚ
Furthermore, the Cetus sound like a sort of odd boat given its somewhat unconventional profile and characterisiticsâŚ
Matt
Itâs different âŚ
First paddled the widely traveled prototype last February for ~1/2 hour, then paddled a production model for ~15 minutes in July. Iâve lost nearly 40 lbs. since then, so Iâm sure my impressions would be quite different today. If I was going on a month long expedition it would be on my short list. It truly does turn like an Avocet which amazes me since it is considerably longer. Dealer says that new orders will be delivered in 2009, so I donât think there will be a flood of great deals for a while - you $ is probably safe!
CetusâŚ
â Last Updated: Dec-06-07 2:45 PM EST â
It is not just hype. The Cetus is an interesting boat. I spent a day paddling John Carmody's on Muscongus Bay.
It is a fast boat with very high primary stability, takes almost no edge to turn, and is well behaved in chop and following seas.
It is likely a great coaching, guiding, and rescue platform. I think it compares favorably to an Explorer.
It is a big boat with a big cockpit -- too big for me. It is very beamy at the hips (John measured it as notably wider than P&H's stated width) but seems to pivot around that point easily.
I would suggest paddlers looking for an expedition length boat try a Cetus. For me it is not as fluid or well mannered as my Aquanaut nor as much fun as my Nordkapp LV or Romany. YMMV
just be glad youâre not a
driving enthusiast.
I hate to think how many cars Iâve owned in my life.