http://www.facebook.com/ValleySeaKayaks/photos/a.732065450184625.1073741828.732055780185592/970843596306808/?type=3&theater
I wonder why one model isn't listed.
[also wonder why this post has so much white space]
no avocet
No avocet listed. Hey at least they got the length of the plastic nordkapp right now.
Avocet replaced by the Sirona?
The specs are pretty close.
Or maybe they just forgot to include it.
Intrigue.
The white space
Given the name I suspect it is going to be a true racing kayak. Neat to know but if it is racing, the racing crowd will have an idea sooner and the rest of us are unaffected.
Paddler weight?
What does suggested paddler weight mean? They must mean total load (paddler plus gear).
No Pintail or Avocet
hm.
Only way to get an Aquanaut is to buy a quantity (Club version).
What is this, 1970 over there? These guys can't find an affordable web designer or pick a free template and knock it out themselves? I really don't think the future bodes very well for this company.
Pintail out isn’t new
That said, the Pintail is truly a paddler’s boat. If they are taking out niche boats that’d be one of the first to go.
see what I mean ? 
Last time I was at their marginally functioning website, the Pintail was in their “heritage” list with the AA and Nordkapp.
I guess I can’t be too hard on them for suiting the market, but little things make me feel like the energy they used to have isn’t there as much.
One thing affecting this
Valley’s approach to their web site has been at least variable for a long time. So what you see there at any given time may be new and current stuff or it may be stuff that was supposed to go but they were slow to remove.
From what I understood as of a few years ago they were paying someone for maintenance, then the leadership of the company decided they wanted things done better and took it over themselves, except then the leadership was way slow at getting updates done because there is a good reason this is usually farmed out… in general Valley has had been slow to get information from the company board room, or maybe card table, to the web site. It is an area where the independent companies have a hard time keeping up with the bigger corporate guys.
Valley’s website link to their FB page
doesn’t work. Try it and you get “Sorry, this page isn’t available.”
Which is too bad as their FB page is where the newer info is being posted.
Oh well, better to have bugs in the website than in the boats.
that’s a good point
been through some of that myself.
I hate to see them become everyone else when their niche boats are what made them unique. P&H are making very good boats, and more others are making unremarkable sea kayaks.
That’s a good question
There are two boats listed that I’d fit into by weight (I’m 110#), the Etain 17-1 and the Sirona 15-11. The recommended weight for both boats is 88-154#. That seems odd given the difference in length - or does length even make a difference when it comes to carrying capacity?
If recommended weight is total weight, that means I could pack no more than 44# of stuff. I have no idea if that’s a lot of gear or not since I’ve never done any overnight trips and generally don’t carry anything in my hatches.
Hmm. Thinking of how I pack for a weekend trip on land, 44 pounds doesn’t sound like much for a camping trip of a few days.
Fare thee well, Avocet.
Learned today from a reputable source that Valley will no longer manufacture the Avocet.
Sirona is the new kid on the water.
I like to learn about the names given to kayak models. Avocet is a long-legged wading bird with attractive patterned plumage.
Sirona was a Celtic goddess. Her attributes were snakes and eggs.
Not sure I like the snake part. Makes me think of Medusa.
yeah - weird name
IMO it’s self-indulgence on Valley’s part. Valley apparently didn’t learn from GM or Toyota.
Unless this is a river kayak. I wikie’d Sirona and saw that evidence for Sirona existed primarily inland.
One could argue…
…that the Pintail has really been out of the line since they botched the redesign of the hull in the '90’s and added the keyhole cockpit option. They destroyed the character of the original boat by trying to make it more mainstream. I consider myself lucky to own one of the early Pintails, which are truly unique boats.
In the past…
Valley would build you any boat they still had molds for on special order. This might still be the case.
There are still a lot of great Avocets around. New models are released as some people think they are getting the latest whizzbang. I did that with cars and sometimes got a real POS and wished I kept my old one.
I think Valley
is doing a disservice to its dealer network by not including the Avocet specs in its most recently published information.
There are still new Avocets in dealer showrooms, so why not include that info so seekers can find it?
I’m in the market for a longer LV boat, preferably composite, and the first place I look for information is the manufacturer’s website.
wasn’t the Pintail itself
...a derivative of the AA?
I paddled a 2000s version Pintail. While it may have lost some of it's character it had plenty left compared to the usual Aquanaut and Explorer and even Romany. But then I didn't have an original to compare it to.
Yes, the Pintail…
...was like a "melted AA". All of the sharp edges on the hull were replaced with curves. I own both and they're quite a bit different in terms of their handling. The AA is a better all-around boat, but the Pintail is more fun in lumpy water and surf, as it slides around on the water.