I would like some advice and feedback about the P and H Scorpio MKII (MV and HV) vs. Valley Etain (17’ 7" and 17’ 5"):
Looking to purchase a new boat and was wondering if anyone has experience using these boats?
I currently have a Prijon 520 HV but I am looking to make the switch to a skeg boat and something that may be a little more agile/playful but still in the touring class.
I am 6’ 2" and 230lbs so I was wondering if a larger person has any experience with the MV vs. HV of these boat models.
A quick search will find lots of reviews of both kayaks.
I had carried the Valley boats at The River Connection for a time but had never brought the Etain in in poly as it was beyond heavy and too hard of tracking.
I started a lot of law enforcement types in the Scorpio HV for Operationdeepblue.org as a kayak that couldn’t easily be outgrown.
Rather than type away, schedule a time to come out to play.
I have owned several plastic Valley Kayaks. All way to heavy. I owned the predecessor Nordkapp RM . It was sluggish, getting up to speed. Not bad at maintaining a cruising speed. But getting more speed took a lot more effort. I sold it a few years ago. My latest Valley mistake, was buying a new closeout Sirona 15.10 RM. I bought it over the internet, from a place ~1000 miles away. It is heavier than advertised. You can feel the weight, in/out of the water. Very sluggish at getting up to speed. Sluggish at picking up surf waves. Be careful with Valley plastic.
With that said, I love my Nordkapp LV and Avocet composites. But doubtful I would buy another Valley Plastic .
Hello NJR, I’m no expert paddler but I have had the opportunity to try each of these boats. I agree that composite boats would be the way to go if you could swing it, but as for the 2 you’re comparing and going by your size, you’d certainly be happier in the larger of either brand. I own the etain 17.7 and the Scorpio MKIIMV I got from Marshall (The River Connection. Thanks!) . I love both, but if I had to choose, the Scorpio is hard to beat. Definitely tracks better than my etain, but not enough to make much difference in most of my paddling. But if I signed up for A long haul, I’d take the Scorpio. The Corelite X is a fairly lite but strong material. I’m very happy with it. You should try the next size up!