Does anyone know if the current sale QCC is having an annual thing or something that doesn’t come around often.
SALE until 5/14 20% off, 10% off accessories, $100 off internet purchase, free shipping and no sales tax.
Some quick answers
this is a pretty good sale. Yes, they do have sales with some regularity - once or twice a year. I can’t say if the next one will be as good as this one however.
As to your boat - it’s very nice. If you are saying you would like something like that in a composite from QCC I’d recommend a look at the Q700. I have the 600 which I like a lot but the 700 is probably a better design. The quality of the QCC boats is about the best you’ll find anywhere. Mine is a carbon/kevlar layup which is both light and stiff.
garyr, what about Q700 vs Q500?
thanks for the advice garyr. if the sale was a once in a lifetime thing i would buy now. sounds like there are other sales.
how about the Q500 (just under 17’) vs Q700?
also kevlar versus carbon? is one more durable than the other (resist dings and stuff)?
sounds like quality of their boats is great as their warranty is like no one elses.
thanks,
KYLE
My thoughts
forget the Q500 - it is not at all like the 600 and 700. The 600 and 700 are fast and light. The 700 in particular is one of the most efficient (fast) kayaks you can buy. Now there are lots of really great kayaks out there and QCC is only one brand so I’m not suggesting it is the best (there isn’t one ‘best’) - just responding to your query about QCC.
The 500 is kind of an SUV. If you were kayaking down the inside passage it’s probably a good choice to carry everything you need but if you want a really good seakayak from which you will develop skills and one which you will probably never think was a bad decision - trust me, buy the 700.
Kevlar v Carbon - tons of messages here about that. Short and simple - kevlar has some flex - carbon is pretty stiff. Stiff is good. But, flex has give, carbon has about no ‘give’ - it’s a trade-off. I got a kevlar/carbon layup - basically a bit cheaper than carbon yet lighter still than kevlar.
The layup you want … trust me you’ll get 150 opinions on that here. You are trading money for less weight and only you can put a value on that.
As to ‘dings’ keep in mind that the boat is covered with gelcoat - that’s the pretty color you see. It is hard but it will crack, chip and scratch if you bang it or drag it. Some of this is a fact of life - you are using the boat and it will show some wear. Now as to the durability of a layup of glass, carbon, or kevlar my opinion is that you probably aren’t really concerned about that because if you’ve had an ‘event’ that compromised the integrity of the boat - the kevlar, carbon, etc. - well unless you are into repairing this stuff yourself you’ll probably leave it to a pro. If you aren’t into exploring rocks and caves off the coast this is probably something you won’t ever worry about. Until it falls off the roof of your vehicle. 
So to your question: ‘resists dings’ - no, none of them do that. Some will hold together better if you crash into rocks but if we are debating carbon v kevlar if you crash into rocks - - well we are talking about doing some pretty serious damage.
layups and qcc700
The QCC700 is about the nicest built sea kayak out
there. I’ve had about 12 kayaks over the years (no QCCs). They are as good as Current Designs and way
better than almost anything else. They are fast, have reasonable stability, and just hold up well - given reasonable care.
I’d get a fiberglass or kevlar layup. Carbon is just plain brittle.
Brittle
Brittle matters if you are smashing rocks. But if you never, ever do that - what does it matter? Carbon is very light and stiff - probably a much better weave than kevlar. QCC does a kevlar/carbon layup and if you want something lighter than glass, I’d definitely suggest that one look at this. I have no spider-cracks which often occur in the gelcoat of kevlar boats and I’d suspect the added stiffness of the carbon may be the reason.
I think the layup revolves around these questions:
thanks lirot
you mentioned reasonable stability. how is the secondary stability compared to Wilderness Tempest 170?
If similar, looks like the yak for me.
KYLE
your knowledge is quite impressive garyr
thanks again for even more input. and i SHOULDN’T be smashing any rocks. the unfortunate drop off car BETTER NOT ever happen.
weight- yes inportant because if wasn’t i would just stay poly.
use- mostly big lakes, open waters, some races (more for fun)
abuse- shouldn’t be too bad
$- kind of important, but if i go custom route $500 not a big deal
repair myself- most likely not
with that said my answers pretty close to yours garyr.
thanks again,
KYLE
Q700X is a great boat but don’t discount
the 600X. Some prefer the 600X to the 700X. Depending on your size, cargo needs, and paddling style you may prefer one over the other. The 600X is nearly as fast as the 700X, is somewhat more maneuverable, and if you are under 180 lbs. or so, probably handles better when paddling unloaded in rough conditions. If you are a larger paddler or like a roomier cockpit, the 700X is the way to go.
–Ray at Water Walker
QCC kayaks
have been “on sale” since early autumm, to one degree or another, from 16 to 20 percent.And that’s delivered to a truck terminal near you, with a 30 day return guarantee and no sales tax. Hard to beat a deal like that for a boat of QCC’s quality. John
How is QCC made?
Is it by open-mold hand-lay process or by vacuum bag? Does anyone know?
I like my Q700
I agree with GaryR. I think they usually have their best sail once a year in Jan/Feb it usually doesn’t last this long. When I talked to Phil he suggested the Kevlar as the best choice for the money.
Something else that hasn’t been mentioned in this post they have outstanding customer service. I just broke the second plastic rail on the Smarttrack rudder pedals. When I called them to price a new set with the aluminum rails they put a set in the mail NO Charge. This is an item they don’t make for a boat I’ve owned over three years. No way it could be considered warranty work.
Good Luck (welcome to the cult!)
Randy
thanks but
you just made most readers retch.
Not bagged - but some would swear…
… they are.
No excess resin can be detected. Really well done. So well that I doubt they would acheive much by bagging unless they went to different matrices, cored constructions, etc.
water_walker, i’m too big for 600
yeah, 6’1" 190. thanks for the advice though. i’m leaning toward the 700 right now. the main question now is when am i going to buy.
i’ll probably save up and buy next year (around jan/feb) during the big sale.
nothing wrong paddling a tempest 170 right now.
overall, sounds like QCC is a great company though.
KYLE
LOL!
very good, Gary. 
Anyone who wants or let themselves be “tagged” as an “expert” is in for a rough road here.
sing
It’s hard to find…
…any QCC bashers around here…they have quite a fan base at pnet.
A few thoughts…
Few I know would say a QCC700 is like a Tempest. There are a number of sea kayaks that are likely closer in personality to your Tempest than a QCC.
You might actually try to paddle a QCC before ordering one. Demo before buying is among the most common and common sense advices given here.
QCC has a very good quality control and customer service reputation.
There is quite a QCC cult here - but it is far from the only cult on this board.
The day anyone considers me
’knowledgeable’ it’s time for me to go back to B&B.
thanks Randy.
Sounds like early next year will be the time to take action. Until then i will just try to research and demo to find the right yak for me.
KYLE