so finally the Pintail arrived. That was very fast work. thanks again to the people at velley. the kayak? well…ill say its the most beautiful lines ive seen…
im awestruck with how nice this thing is…i havnt paddled it yet, but sure will in the morning,hehe.
the cockpit is great.tremendous rocker.its like a dolpin. It looks absolutely great. solid as a rock i guess. Ireally liked the feel of the seat. The added bulge at the sides(hope im correct now) as compared to earlier versions is in my mind perhaps an advantage for manouvering in seas. this kayak will pretty much stand on its side 90degrees.rest in this position…
its a sculpture…a piece of art.
Congratulations!
For my money Valleys are the most beautiful boats out there. Enjoy.
Yes beautiful
the Pintail and Anas are the most beautiful boats and I’m more partial to the Pintail over hard chine. Happy paddling with it!
The boat to be in when you need the boat
I’ve been paddling my Pintail for over 14 years, and I’ve paddled–and owned–an array of other excellent kayaks over that time. The Pintail’s not the fastest boat on flat water (so paddle harder on those rare occasions…) and it’s so directionally sensitive to input that if you’re sloppy it will go its own way (so learn), but when conditions pick up, I don’t think there’s another boat that gives you such confidence in your ability to master the challenge or that gives such pleasure in doing so.
thanks.
thanks for response. Its very sensitive,thats for sure. but thats the kind of paddling i like, sneaking around in the waves. I really feel comfortable in the cockpit. This is a boat to grow in.
photos?
love to see any if you have them.
Your new Pintail!
Lovely little kayak. Did you get the ocean cockpit? I had one for a short while, and would like to get it back, but the price went up! I know where it is, though, and I’m watching! I rather liked the ocean cockpit, but it does require one to invest in an additional skirt. I’ll also have to sell something to make room for it. Let’s get a rolling report!
hey.
thanks guys, and thanks Jay. i read your aritcel on sculling brace, nice stuff! rolling , you know im only a intermediate roller perhaps…but its pretty effortless…i felt good to lay in a back sculling, i could chesty scull it quite easily. it has less stability than others when righted…
i got the Keyhole. i was very much in doubt on this.
i need something thats easy to get in and out of. its so rocky up here…i must say i realy like the cockpit.
it feels good for my burnt out lower back. just a little paddlig. now i cant wait to get IT out in some waves and wind…its a very fun boat to play with.
it responds so readily. i use a 240 GP most of the time. its classic warm yellow/white…awesome “tail”
id love to know “the PINTAIL STOrY”
The pintail story
Years back Howard Jeffs (one of the original BCU coaches) was in US and I had lunch with him - talking about boat design etc. He worked at Valley and designed the double.
He told me the Pintail is an Anas that they used bondo on to make it into a soft chine boat which there was a demand for. All the romanticism about sophisticated kayak design is nonsense. That doesn’t make it anything less than hulls that are designed on a computer that can have bad traits in spite of the computer. I heard that there were some changes in the hull since the earlier Pintail but know nothing more than that.
what color?
hehe
its a warm classic yellow. white belly, black seam and ropes. its whiteish inside. fiberglass layup.
yes, jay, ive heard similar stuff. but still its an outstanding design. i think this pintail has less flared sides than the avocet rm iv paddled. I think kayak design is a very intuitive thing. and some people are gifted. its abit like music or ehh.anything?
i nice design is more than the sum of the parts in a way…i love it , and my compliments and thanks again to valley for a awesome piece of gear.
nice
after some time.
ive paddled and rolled it a bit now. Yesterday i was at a greenland cliniq with the pintail. I worked really well. I sit VERY comfortable. Exellent backsupport. This kayak is a joy to paddle, it dances and surfs anything. the yellow finish is awesome. it has depth, hehe. and of course the TAIL:it dont mess with my steyr kind of rolling i prefer. i was able to check out a nordkapp LV and compare. the Nordkapp lv was a superb kayak too. i really liked to roll it.
sizewise these two kayaks are comparable. but very different caracteristics but yet the same “taste”.
Ball of fun…
Glad you are enjoying your Pintail. It is a very fun boat. It moves so completely with the water as to feel extremely reassuring. More so, I think, than a Nordlow (though I love my Nordlow). It is also a very attractive boat IMHO.
sounds like
you were made for that boat (or this one in particular was made for you) Enjoy!
hey
yes. i paddled a nordlow side to side yesterday. and both had exactly the same colors. it was very cool to see them side by side. The nordlow tougher, more agressive feel,propably more cutting into the waves .
the pintail dances and turns on a dime…
hehe thanks.
– Last Updated: Sep-20-10 4:02 PM EST –
you might be right...karmick wheels and that kind of stuff works in mysterious ways. but you are right. from the first time i saw a pintail. it "spoke to me"
like the first time i saw my FEIN wsg 1270 E angle grinder...
I dont use the skeg though. im considering moving it to the front, hehe..for safe hurricane backsurfing...
it an interesting thought..skeg in the bow.
nice
I haven’t paddled a Pintail but would imagine that it is like the Nordlow. Yesterday I went out in the ocean solo with some 5’ swells from Igor. Mostly I just paddled way out past the breakers and that is where I love the way it makes my body feel, how it just dances with the water. That was the most relaxed I’ve been all summer. It was such a great work out. In the surf the Nordlow turns but not as well as a Pentail.
nordlow tougher, more agressive feel
– Last Updated: Sep-21-10 12:47 AM EST –
nicely put.
A couple of weeks ago I traded off during a paddle my Nordlow and a friend's Pintail. Both are very responsive boats. Both like lumpy waters. We had some good chop and wind that day.
They felt different enough that both my friend and I noted it. We both liked both boats. He liked the speed and tracking of the Nordlow. I like the complete fluidity of the Pintail. Both he and I felt the Pintail was a more reassuring boat - unless you wanted to go straight ;-)
jim, how old?
Do you know if that pintail that you compared was pre-95, or post-95?
Just curious. There’s appears to be so much difference in the chines of the old and new hull that I’d like to know how much their behavior differs.
Sven says his will sit on it’s side on the floor! The old hull has literally no side. It’s entirely round from sheer stripe to keel.