Scupper Pro Frank, Greyhawk and I did a road trip to Sweetwater Kayaks in St. Petersburg yesterday to take a look at the Nordkapp LV, and the plastic Nordkapp. After pestering Russel for three weeks as to when the boats would be in he called and let us know that they were due Saturday. after confirming they did arrive we piled into the Outback and headed west.
I was very impressed with the poly Nordkapp. slightly larger than the LV but smaller than the regular Nordy, it is just about in between a tempest 170 and a tempest 165. Turns very well, comes up to speed very quickly but not a speed demon. Hatches stayed dry after repeated rolling. rock solid primary stability and less solid secondary but after a few minutes in the boat you figure out the soft chines and it edges and handles very well.
Many nice features: recessed deck fittings and very smooth finish to the plastic. Boat weighed in at almost 60 lbs but felt a lot lighter than my tempest that was 62 lbs. Adjustable thigh braces on the plastic Kapp were reminiscent of the Tempest and I think makes the boat a lot more capable to customize. Seat was very comfortable.
All in all a very nice boat and would be right up there as a first choice for an all around plastic boat. I think a lot of people are going to be very happy.
Greyhawk fell in love with the Nordkapp LV which is another incredible boat and destined to become a major favorite as either a smaller paddlers boat or a larger person’s day boat.
I tried the Anas Acuta again. I really wish I could find one without a seat in it so that I can actually get my hip bones lower. the seat pan now digs into my hip/pelvic bones and I simply cannot get my butt down into the seat and wiggle around. I woudl imagine a foam seat or just a minicell pad would be perfect but I am not about to order a boat for three grand without finding out.
Aquanaut LV
BB, thanks for your report on the new Valley boats!
Did any of you test paddle Valley’s new Aquanaut LV?
I’ve yet to read any comments on the 'Naut LV and that includes from paddlers on the UK side of the pond.
Maybe it’s just not as sexy as the Nordy LV? 
Safe paddling,
Joe
I have an Aquanaut LV in plastic
but have not yet written a review. Would you want some comments or are you more interested in the F/G model which I have not paddled?
Composite Aquanaut LV…
Hi Bruce,
I have demoed the poly Aquanaut LV, which I found to be the nicest plastic boat I have yet to paddle, but it was still a little 'big' on me. However, I was more interested in feedback on the composite version.
There are some differences between the two Aquanaut LV models. The composite model has a slightly narrower beam (by 0.5"), but the height of its foredeck is a full inch lower than that of the poly (12.5" vs 13.5").
Joe
Hi Joe- I can’t tell you much about
the composite except that I sat in it and it was a tighter fit than the poly. The construction seemed flawless but I'm not an expert.
If you want an expert opinion on the composite, you can contact Ryan at Geneva Kayak in Illinois. I believe he had the first Aquanaut LV composite model in the US:
http://www.genevakayak.com/?link=home