I have q boat, nordkapp, aquanaut hv. - this is the order of their size too. The q boat is good only in the summer or in the pool when i am wearing shorts and i still can not avoid some discomfort from the tight fit. But it will still pack gear for several days of camping.
The nordkapp fits me great although after 2 thick layers under a drysuit the fit is too tight. Likewise ...plenty of room for camping gear.
Aquanaut hv is just very comfortable boat for me... even with winter layers...and even more space in hatches.
Moral of the story: paddle the boat you want to buy for several hours to see how it fits you and how it affects your body as if you paddled a 10 mile trip.
P.s. look also at Seda Ikkuma. Very nice boat with lots of room. Jake paddled it for a year non stop and he is lv to mv body type.(portagetoportage.com)
However, … … out of probably half a dozen other boats we swapped with each other during the pool session last week, the Legend was the hardest to roll for those of us who tried it (from small to tall). It did roll, of course, just not with the same ease as the others. Especially for layback type of rolls. And to bring that a little back on-topic, a Cetus MV is noticeably easier to roll and more maneuverable with a more reassuring stability profile. That particular Legend (in fiberglass) was very well built and a beauty, but also felt heavier than my plastic kayak…
Looking at the Legend’s hull though, it seems like it will be fast and a lot of fun surfing swells.
I just looked at the hull -;) Only half-joking here: with some experience one can tell the approximate way a boat will behave by just looking at its hull shape and dimensions. Of course, some boats will surprise when paddled but then there is a simple explanation for that and once it's figured out the respective hull characteristics that cause it will become evident. But did I even say it "does"? I said it "looks like" -;)
As for the ease of rolling, what better way to tell if it rolls well than to roll it back to back with half a dozen other boats over a 3 hour roll session? And I just need about 10 seconds to tell if the back deck allows me an easy layback or not too - now that's fast -;)
Chatham 18 IMHO Each of the Chathams has a different personality. The 17 is the ‘all purpose’ boat of the series. The 18 is long and narrow and feels pretty fast. It has impressively well defined stability for a boat of its beam (20"). It is stiffer tracking than an Aquanaut or Explorer, but edges easily and comes around well on edge.
It is worth trying one if you get a chance. I have a friend who has used hers for an array of conditions and has come to be very fond of the boat.
Cetus initial stability The Cetus has very high initial stability. I believe this is, in great part, because of its width at the hips and relatively flat bottom at the cockpit.
I believe the Cetus has about the highest initial stability of any of the boats under discussion. Certainly higher than a Chatham 18 or any Valley boat I’ve paddled. It may be as or more initial stable as an Explorer.
what is best? I think the issue is different people may prefer different boats which act differently depending upon any number of reasons. So what I think is great initial stability might be the opposite of what someone else thinks is great initial stability. Unless you know the paddler, you don’t know what they really mean when they describe how a boat performs.
force required to capsize While there are arguments about the nature and existence of secondary stability, I think the amount of force required to capsize a boat (e.g. the graphs in Sea Kayaker)might be taken to indicate initial stability.
I’ve found that my experience of the stability of a boat on relatively flat water seems to correspond with Sea Kayaker’s graphs.
Confusing Jim, my comment was not meant to be in response to yours, but rather to Chatham. I just meant to suggest that people differ in what they like/prefer regarding levels of stability so saying what is “best” might not mean which has the most. I agree with your comment regarding the Cetus.
Certainly higher primary stability is not synonymous with best performing kayak. A Swifty has much higher primary stability than any of the kayaks under discussion. Yet, few here would feel it is a better kayak than a Chatham 18 or Cetus
