poly Brit longboats

Good Day, eh?



we know of the plastic Capella and the 3 by Valley. what are your opinions regarding these boats in terms of a comparison? wondering about the relative quality and rigidity of the plasitcs, attention to finishing details, bulkhead integrity, etc. toss in the CD Sirocco for argument sake as well…



thanks.


Little things.
I looked at the Capella and many other plastic boats before settling on Valley’s Avocet.



For me it came down to:

  1. Price. I was able to pick up a used Avocet for $800 - with Nexus compass.


  2. Cockpit finish. The Capella I tried had a hard, sharp edge of bare plastic around the cockpit that I scraped my shins on. The Avocet has a finished brace insert. I’ve talked to another Capella owner and he mentioned the sharp edge, too; he filed it down a bit, I think.


  • Jasen.

capella
I have a capella 166 and my wife paddles the 160.



We are very satisfied with both kayaks…the only thing I’ve had to change was the thigh braces in my capella…I added a little minicell foam to each brace to comfort my knees and provide a little more surface area for rolling.



As far as the hatches are concerned,they are absolutely bone dry. I’ve had mine out in rolling sessions and rescue practice for several hours where the boat spent most of it’s time inverted…no water in any hatch.

Valley Skerray RMX
After a long search and a seasons worth of demo’s I settled on the Valley boat. I liked the rigid bulkheads and the VCP hatches are the best. The owners reviews have been great and the boat was a good value $1100 delivered new in Dec 05. As with any boat it takes some time to make the cockpit yours. My only regret is now I want a second boat in the 14’range for smaller creeks and ponds.