A lot depends on you and your needs. I haven’t experienced the Scorpio but I do have a Tempest. I am a large paddler at 6’ 220 lbs. and the Tempest fits me well (although I did remove the side seat padding). Seat position was too far forward for my taste so I moved it back approximately 2.5 inches. It’s a large volume boat that can pack away an incredible amount of gear. It’s very stable and forgiving in both flat and choppy water. Rear deck could be lower and it rolls easy enough, but not my first choice. Excellent seating and adjustability of fit. It’s a Skeg boat and can easily be edged to the coaming (which is saying something considering how high the coaming is off the water). It’s a very good overall expedition kayak.
Thanks, Steve. That skudder looks like something I’d be good at breaking when absentmindedly landing without bringing it up!
That’s a pretty amazing adventure!
Sonder, I’m hoping to try one out at the Appomattox River Company’s (VA) trial day.
The ARC Big Demo has not happened, in 2 years. 2020 due to Covid lockdowns. 2021 was cancelled due to supply chain issues. If they have enough product to do the demo this year, call them a head of time. Tell them what you would like to demo. They have not carried a lot of touring kayaks, the past few years. They have focused more on the fishing, WW and rec boat markets. Touring kayaks seem to be slow movers. I have dealt with Appomattox for 20 years.
Will do, thanks for the heads-up.
I currently have a Scorpio LV. It’s a fun kayak. I find it very stable and also responsive. One thing to be aware of is that it has a “skudder” box that drops down into the rear hatch, whether or not you option it with the rudder. This takes up some space that would otherwise be for storage. You’ll want to look at one in person to see if it matters for your capacity requirements.
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Will do, thanks, Pru.
I have four Scorpios and two Tempests in a college fleet. They are very different boats. Executive summary is; Scorpio every time.
Here’s why. The shallow V hull shape of the Scorpio makes it more stable in any sort of conditions. Slightly less primary stability than the Tempest, but the Tempest’s flat bottom makes it more wobbly in side waves.
The construction of the Scorpio is much stiffer, the hatches fit better and are more watertight, and the bulkheads stay watertight for longer. Yes, the newer models have the skudder, which looks suspect, but to be fair I haven’t actually broken one yet, although they give me yips. If it has the older, regular skeg then you may have to fettle with it to get it to deploy, I’ve resorted to shaving 1/4 off the end of the skeg to stop it binding in the box (mostly a problem on older LVs, not newer ones).
Hope this helps.
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Yes, indeed! Thank you, Andrewj66.
I owned a Wildy Tempest 165 for several years (2004-06). Fwiw, I also demoed the first Scorpio LV that was delivered to North America in 2008. I have now owned four Scorpio LVs since 2011. Every time P&H incorporated a new and improved feature into the Scorpio I purchased the newer model. Their last ‘upgrade’ was in 2019 when they finally figured out how to install a watertight ‘whiskey’ hatch in the fore deck. As someone said above I would chose the Scorpio every time.
I usually do day trips, but I have used the Scorpio on a week long solo journey back in 2017. It was certainly up to the task. The P&H Scorpio uses a superior tri-laminate poly material and hatch covers (Kajaksport) when compared to the Tempest. I personally found the Wildy proprietary hatches to be its achilles heel. They don’t seal very well and mine leaked profusely. The Tempest is also constructed from a single ply poly which is not nearly as stiff as the tri-lam used in the Scorpio.
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Many thanks, tvcrider!
P&H has a good reputation for quality. Confluence boats (such as Wildnerness Systems) do not. Many people have mentioned the problem with WS hatch covers.
On the 3 P&H boats I’ve had, all with Kajak Sport covers, I’ve never had a problem with leaks or poor fitting. I used these boats in big surf without any problems.
On the two Confluence boats I’ve owned (Dagger brand) the hatches leaked like crazy and I was afraid to use the boats in surf in case a hatch cover imploded. What a joke: a major kayak company can’t figure out how to fit hatches that are waterproof. For shame.
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Noted. Thanks, acadia.
I have Paddled both and I own the Scorpio
MV with a skeg. I’ve tried the Skudder and it’s pretty neat, but I’m fine with the skeg.
The P&H Corelite X is more rigid than the plastic of the Tsunami. I’m 170 and the MV is great for me. Holds more than a weeks worth of gear and I WAY over pack! I know folks that go 3-4 weeks in a Scorpio. I’m extremely happy with it!
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Sold! Thanks, Jimmy!
When we were initially considering the Scorpio and the roughly 17’ Valley (Etain maybe…) a poster mentioned that his buddy did a trip down the West coast - from Canada to Mexico - in a Scorpio and was well satisfied with the boat.
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We have owned both Tempest 165 and 170 models and there is a night and day difference between them and the Scorpio MVs we now own. The poly P&H kayaks have much stiffer plastic than the WS or Dagger kayaks and feel much more responsive on the water. We have also owned the Dagger Alchemy 14S and 14L in the past which have been replaced with the new P&H Virgo MV. I noticed that the Valley Etain 17.5 RM was mentioned and have owned that model also. Personally, I prefer the handling of the Scorpio MV over the Etain RM. The Scorpio has higher primary stability than the Etain and, since our poly kayaks are mainly used as spares for guests to use, beginner friendliness is an issue.
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Thank you, rdpeterson.