Ahh…thanks Roy!
Makes sense that my boat might have been custom ordered, as I know it has never been modified.
On another issue, what about the Valley advertisements, that proclaim the new “Classic” model as being 17’2"? Typing error?
Depends on what you mean by ‘classic’
– Last Updated: Mar-17-09 6:34 PM EST –
The Nordkapp has been modified many times onver its 35 year history.
The 1985 Valley literature gives a length of 17'10" for the Nordkapp. I have yet to come across measurements of Nordkapps from 1970s.
The length given is a previously noted typo on the Valley site. http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=590932#591074
There are a few mistakes on Valley's site. I also believe the photo they have on the page for the Standard Nordkapp is acutally a photo of a Nordlow.
National Maritime Museum, Cornwall
– Last Updated: Mar-17-09 5:08 PM EST –
According to the Maritime Museum which owns a Nordkapp used on the original Nordkapp Expedition in 1975 the boat's dimensions are:
Length: 5.45m (17ft 10ins)
Beam: 0.54m (1ft 9ins)
Depth: 0.37m (1ft 2ins)
http://www.nmmc.co.uk/index.php?page=Collections&type=Boat&id=190&choiceid=149
Classic part II
Here is the image (yellow boat) from http://www.valleycanoeproducts.co.uk/Classic.htm
of a Nordkapp Classic - which I think is actually a photo of a Jubilee.
And the image (quill boat) from the primary current Valley website of a Nordkapp Classic.
That
– Last Updated: Mar-17-09 6:53 PM EST –
looks like the nose is too sleek for a Jubilee
look at the amount of volume right behind the seating area...In a jubilee it is a little wider there.
The Jubilee also has a slight protruding knob like bulge on the nose, Neither the Clasic or the H2 O has that.
here is a Jubilee
http://www.geocities.com/roym52/3p-Nordkapp-1.jpg
look at the nose on the Jubilee on the drivers side
http://www.geocities.com/roym52/4-on-a-car-1.jpg
the kayak on the bottom is a '93 HMC or a classic with a slalom cockpit
http://www.geocities.com/roym52/AA-Nordkapp-1.jpg
the quill one is definatly a classic...the LV has a chopped tail.
Best Wishes
Roy
Jubilee and H2O Nordkapps
– Last Updated: Mar-17-09 8:04 PM EST –
Roy,
Thank you for the clarification. I'm posting the images from the 2005 Valley catalogue, as distributed by GRO, which reinforce your descriptions:
Valley Nordkapp and Nordlow images
– Last Updated: Mar-19-09 12:46 PM EST –
Here are the images from the current Valley site purported to represent a Nordkapp LV and a Standard Nordkapp (IMHO both are photos of a Nordkapp LV):
That
doesn’t look factory on the Anas Acuta
I have a 87 and my wife has a 90 Anas Acuta…both came with foot pegs…
Your boat looks like someone re-did the bottom at the place it wears from contact with the heels.
My guess is that someone also added the foot brace.
It looks like the glass sheet is also layed up the sides.
here is the picture inside of my wifes '90 Anas Acuta
http://www.geocities.com/roym52/Foot_pumps-003-1.jpg
I took out the pegs in my 87 but left the rails…the lower left picture is my "87 Anas Acuta inside, you can see there is no extra cloth layer on the bottom of the boat and the rails are visiable.
http://www.geocities.com/roym52/kneetubes.jpg
Best Wishes
Roy
Thanks again, Roy.
That red Nordy on the bottom in the last pic looks just like my '91, with the exception of the cockpit.
Your
Welcome…It’s my old boat…my wife liked it so I bought a Jubilee and gave it to her…I’ve since added a day hatch that is flush with the deck and has a drain off area for the water …don’t have any pictures of that , just finished it last fall and sprayed the gel coat to match as close as I could after buffing.
Best Wishes
Roy
The
measurement of 17’ 2 " is beyond a doubt a miss print… it should read 17’ 10 inches
Best Wishes
Roy
Not sure
There is no extra layer of cloth on the bottom covering foot wear. It’s the original cloth layer. I’ll have to take a better photograph.
The foot brace shelf was glassed in using mat after (over top) the seam tape, which is cloth. The brace itself is well engineered. The white plastic part on the left is molded to allow the foot brace to swing backward (toward the cockpit). So, the entire bar will pivot all the way across and swings out of the way up against the starboard side. I have to believe this is some kind of a safety feature to prevent entrapment. You can slide the bar across by hooking your toe underneath and pulling. Then slide it back into place by pushing on it with your foot. I’ll take some more pictures.
It could just be a very clever design using some oddball piece of plastic somebody had around, but I just don’t know.
Maybe I’ll post some pics on a UK site and see if anyone else has seen this type of brace in a production Valley.
The HIN number ends D090, so I assume it was manufactured in April 1990. Is it possible the HIN was added in the states and the boat is even older?
The deck has a couple of “H” decals, so I presume it is an Anas Acuta H (for hatches?).
Roy, does or did either of your boats have the steel band around the hatch covers? The latch on these looks like the same white plastic as on the foot brace.
I added a few more pictures.
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563538121VAPEPD
~wetzool
It’s probably not
a rounding error. It’s probably just that the Brits drop everything after the decimal point to save weight 
Steel band around hatch covers
John, I’ve seen bands like on your AA’s hatch covers on other vintage Valleys.
Yes
I had steel bands on the hatches when I got the boats…they were phased out because the band added nothing to the integrity of the hatch seal.
Yes your boat was manurfactured in April of '90…the other leters are importer code…my '87 AA uses PKI
after Stan (GRO) became GRO and the sole importer of Valleys into the USA the code was DKJ
however it might have been imported to somewhere other than the USA…then the code would be differant
Best Wishes
Roy
‘Classic’ according to Peter Orton
"Classic is just the generic term we give to the old HS and HM versions of the Nordkapp i.e the pre-jubilee versions." -Orton on p.net
I have one of the final original Nordkap
Naordkapps from the 1997 mold. I donl;t know if it’s small or large or plugs or no plugs. All I know is that it’s a sweet boat. Wicked sweet.
And it;s for sale.
Last pre-Jubilee
– Last Updated: Mar-18-09 7:21 PM EST –
Would that be one of the last pre-Julbilee Nordkapps?
How about some more photos of your 'kapp?
“Foot Bar” in early Valley boats
"Remove the foot bar, and replace it with a 4 inch thick sloped foam bulkhead for comfort and to reduce flooded volume."
This is from a discussion of renovating an early Nordkapp posted here: http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16330
This may indicate that some early Valley boats had foot bar like your Anas rather than pegs.
Foot Bar in vintage Nordkapp
Here is an image of a foot bar like the one in wetzool’s Anas:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Kayaks-canoes/Kayaks/auction-205665491.htm