Nordkapp LV
I have a Nordkapp LV that I picked up last summer, I would suggest that moving the seat forward would not be as good as just padding it out. 2 inches forward would make the position a little odd in relation to the thigh braces that are built into the coming.
If you are up for the drive Rutabaga in Madison has one in the shop as of last week that you could sit in and see.
As for the boat, it is a riot. Fast and fun. The stable at home is the Nordkapp LV, Avocet and a Pintail with OC, just sold a Seaward Endeavor. So I have a reasonable bunch to compare with for stability speed and handling. I like this the best of all and have also paddled an Aquanaut and several NDK boats and some Current Design stuff as well. This is the best of the best.
C Doc… c/p pic…
http://tinyurl.com/2fd7ma
There is a little recess in the deck where the bolts are but they could be moved. The thigh braces are placed rearward on the coaming and might be strange for you. Best to try on first.
Explorer
Is this damn boat going to be the next explorer where it is discussed ad nauseam?.. It’s a pretty nifty boat though.
Nope
The Nordkapp LV is much more of a niche boat, in Peter Orton's words, "that really excels for the more experienced paddler and those progressing in their experience."
Regarding the Explorer, Nigel Dennis said "...we aimed to produce a user-friendly intermediate-to-advanced sea kayak that average paddlers can paddle in advanced conditions."
The Aquanaut was Valley's boat most clearly targeting the Explorer audience. As such the 'naut is more confidence inspiring and forgiving than a Nordkapp.
If P&H manages to get enough boats to this side of the pond, I'm betting the Cetus may be the most discussed and successful boat among an array of dedicated paddlers. It is a very capable boat which is also very confidence inspiring.
Thanks, all. Very nice thread.
I really appreciate all the inpuit from gshuman, et al. The photos of grayhawk plying his wares are superb. I like that you have taken pics of your cockpit and from those I can see the setaing situaiton,. Indeed, as some suggest, I would likely be better off padding/minicelling the seat than to get it moved forward and have an awkward purchase on the thigh outcroppings from the coaming.
I am at the final stages of my decision-making regarding a kayak. I am going to be ordering a sectional Valley, and I know that is best for me despite some increase in weight with it. I think it'll be a very nice purchase for me so that I can place it inside my covered pickup truck. I have exhaustingly reviewed the pluses and minuses of sectional vs folder and such, and a sectional is what I am going to do for sure. I will not be flying with it, by the way, and for local lakes and streams, I have 5 other yaks at least. So, it's really for bigger water that is further away--MI, WI, Lake MI, OH, then the really big stuff when I paddle with Ghawk and tsc and others of you in waaay off lands. :-)
I have an Avocet RM and a Nordkapp RM, and my only debate bnow, and I have to think about this some more, is wther to get the Avocet or NOrdkapp LV. Someone above has both, and I would relish your input. I think the AVocet is a spry, agile bugger, and I love it for rolling, and at 5 8.54 inches and 165 lbs, it seems to fit me super well. I feel as though I can throw it around well in the drink. And with a 22 inch beam, I less need to worry about "windowshading" and stability issues, and more about paddling.
My NOrdkapp RM, which is about in between the size of a normal full size NOrdy like a Jubilee and a NOrdkapp LV according to P Orton, is really an overall favorite boat for me for distances and keeping up wit a paddling group. But it is 6 inches bigger per section on the three-piece version (a smalol but not totally insignificant factopr in my decision). I would not be getting the Avocet LV as described by P Orton in the video above--that is for pip squeaks.
Anyone have an opinion, chime in. flatpick? Anyone know, which is a better roller, the Avocet or the NOrdakpp LV. I think it's the Avocet, for me, because it sits lower in the water with me in it (the waterline is closer to the 'pit coaming, like it should be). Hell, if the Avocet had only a smidgeon less rocker, I;d get it for sure. BUt I don;t know if I am game to push the waterplow for a 15 -25 mile daily paddle with my peers from central Illinois. I wil not be camping anything than maybe overnight in it.
A small factor is also the fishtail on the NOrdakpp. Man, that stern is fragile. I honestly think it looks great, but like tagging the tail of a Doberman, I may see if it can get clipped. I know, heresy, but it serves little purpose in the water and frnakly, I am going to smack it off when I bang this sectioonal around in my truck, almost without doubt.
http://www.valleyseakayaks.com/
I'll sleep on it. I gained much from this thread; thanks for posting it, B1. G' night, ya'll.
Nordkapp LV - Avocet
According to Sea Kayaker the Nordkapp LV at 11.52 cu.ft. is actually lower volume than the Avocet at 11.69 cu.ft.
Both boats roll very easily, though I find the Nordlow rolls faster.
When accelerating in an Avocet I feel I am pushing water and while its glide is better than my Romany it feels much less than my Nordlow.
IMHO, the Avocet feels to have more solid primary stability. I haven’t had my 'kapp LV in enough conditions to really compare its secondary to an Avocet. Matt has had both boats in conditions and may have the most nuanced feel for their performance.
Both are great fun boats. Get the one that makes you smile more.
5’ 8.54" tall?
Are you sure that it isn’t 8.53" or 8.55"?
I’m sure.
Cut Of f The “DA”!!!
That’s “ducks a**” for those that don’t remember the 50’s hairstyle that was the rage for rock & rollers.
It defined your style and image and cutting it off would definitely affect the balance of the LV in conditions. 
http://www.badfads.com/pages/fashion/da.html
not
gained quite enough from this thread....the "D-A" is already cut some.....first you wanted to have the seat removed and moved forward , because it suited someone else to do so....now you want to cut off the "D-A" just because you might knock it off in your truck....do you hear yourself talking??
The Nord LV is a very sweet boat just the way it is....paddle one ...then decide what you and your saw want to do....and by the way...the "D-A" is not fragil.
on a side note if you decide that after all this you plan on buying a sectional Advocet, find out where it has to be seperated as far as the bolt off pieces.
some, like the Pintail , when made as a 3 piece, need to have the bulkheads that bolt apart , the ones between the cockpit and the day compartment. This leaves a long rear piece an the other two pieces are short. it's because of how the deck fittings reside on that particular boat.
The Nordkapp comes apart between the day hatch compartment and the rear compartment. This leaves 3 realatively equal sections.
http://www.geocities.com/roym52/3p-Nordkapp-1.jpg
Best Wishes
Roy
the Nord LV is not a "low" volume boat ....it's a Lower" volume boat....should have been called a Nordie "Sport"
Roy
Did you need to modify your forward section and center piece so the bolts are facing out ? Mine has the threaded sleeves in the bow section, not the mid section meaning my bolts come in through the bow and getting the washers on is a major undertaking.
mine
came with the bolt inserts in the center section...easy to reach
Best Wishes
Roy
I also put a footpump in mine on a floating plate, doesnt need to be removed to take it apart
D-A Fragility
In my Nord LV the stern interior seam doesn’t go all the may to the end poor. It stops about three inches short and loops back. Do you composite engineering experts think it’s anything to worry about structurally?
Loops back?
What exactly do you mean loops back? And how far is it from the end?
But I probably wouldn’t worry too much about it as long as the outer seam is nice.
Seam
Outer seam looks good. It just looks like they didn’t finish the inside seam fully. About three to four inches from the end poor the seam loops back and is dangling, hardened with resin. I don’t know if you could get that far back and cut it out and repair.
Seam
You may want to drop Valley a line and see if they’ll pay for a repair, because that sounds like a warranty issue.
Personally, I would just cut it out of there, sand the surface, and call it good.
Stupid question
How do you get that far back, cut and repair?
Wow…
I am still fooling with the fit on the LV. Haven’t gotten it dialed in just yet.
Decided to take out my Explorer today for comparison…mind you I like this boat…not any more though.
Holy cow…it felt so slow, sluggish, hard to maneuver, overly stable and quite boring compared to the LV.
Frankly I was somewhat amazed.
I think I am now pretty much conninced that I need to keep the LV and sell the Explorer.
I will just have to keep fooling with it until I get the fit dialed in just right.
Matt
I wonder if
there are any studies of the Hawthorne Effect among kayakers and its impact on their opinions about kayaks.
No
My kayak is better than your kayak! 