I’m still searching [Demo-ing, etc.] for my first touring kayak, and found QCC on the internet.
Any experience, opinions of their kayaks ??
Outstanding
For general touring in all types of seas these are excellent boats. They represent a design philosophy more targeted toward efficient A to B paddling than ocean play in rock gardens etc.
Depends on your needs and what type of paddling you want to do. If you want to tour in an efficient hull, carry gear, and cover miles they represent an excellent choice.
If you want to pursue BCU type training, play in rough seas and coastal conditions, surf etc., and that is your primary focus, a Greenland / Brit style hull may be a better choice.
Having said that, don’t assume a QCC wont be as effective in rough water A to B paddling…it will. They just are not as playful in play situations. That’s the tradeoff.
Mine is on the way
It should be here Friday. One of the reasons I went with QCC is their customer service and low pressure sales. I have heard stories of what they have done for customers that blow me away. Nobody I have seen treats customers as good as they do. It is unreal.
I never see a used one for sale. They are hard to find and they really seem to hold their value. That is a good indicator.
LOL at the question
about a year or two ago you would have had about 100 replies telling you they are the greatest and 100 telling you don’t join the cult.
They are excellent boats and I do have one. They are built with quality in mind and they don’t cut corners. The only real complaint I had about the boat and voiced my concern to them was about the back band. If you get one just price the fact you will need to get an NSI or other backband. They know about the problem but said that most people like to customize their backband so we don’t put our focus there. When I bought mine in 2004, 6 out of 10 didn’t like the backband and changed the backband according to Phil(I believe that was his name). If you are looking for a fast well built boat, you won’t go wrong with a QCC. There are other great boats out there too but few have the QCC quality control and I don’t know any with the QCC guarrantee. Their customer service is excellent also.
Know this too. If you buy one you are then a member of the QCC cult. We are one rung above the Tilley people. LOL
You didn’t say what model it is
there are a half dozen models with the 700 being the best, (longest, narrowest and fastest).
There are others that are wide and slow.
Get the model and then take a look at the review section or reply back here.
Love my 700 !
Cheers,
JackL
sure
get one your size. Next question
agree with all, but some
other things to consider. These are truly fine kayaks with a well deserved reputation for ‘beyond the call of duty’ customer service. I have a heartwarming story of my own. Still, a few considerations:
If you’re not planning on camping there is really no reason to have such a high volume kayak.
If you are planning on camping, then you should consider that the hatches are not watertight, at least in my personal experience and from what I’ve read on these boards over the years. For some reason I really value totally dry hatches so I haven’t replaced my first QCC (400X) with a more sleek model as I’ve moved from a beginner to an intermediate paddler. But if they ever figure it out, I’ll be the first on line.
Lyn
They are ugly, but…
…that’s just my opinion. 
That said, the designer does know what he’s doing, and I’ve only heard good things about manufacture quality and customer service.
But they are still ugly. 
Melissa
the same could be said of me
Beautiful is what
I hear when people see my QCC700, and it is a beauty!
Just messin’ with ya…
But they’re still ugly.
Melissa
qcc
I bought a Qcc400x this year and I just love this yak. I don’t do any camping as of yet but the space is there when I do decide. The Quality is excellent. The hatches do leak but not much. I have had this boat in 3 to 4 foot waves on Lake Michigan and I had the best time. Also the customer service is excellent. Not great on E-mails but if you call they spent all the time you need and answear any questions.
One more thing you dont have to use there colors for your boat. You can provide your if you wish.
I bought the 400x because I am a small person 5’6 and 140lb. Had to put in some hip pads so I get a greater fit. Replace the back band!!!
Have to disagree with surfing comment
My QCC700 is a great surfer in 3-4’ swells, easy to catch the waves and once you do it is like riding a motorcycle on the water! I do endless loops in the gulf surfing waves in to the beach and then paddeling out to catch another one. Just make sure you get a rudder cause it really helps to steer the kayak when your riding a wave.
As for other’s backband comments, if you’r going out for more than 1 hr you will want to get a NSI backband ($56).
Well your the funny one
because women are the ones who most often say its beautiful. Guys are more likely ot comment on how fast or sleek it looks.
QCC
The QCC is a great kayak!!! I have had my QCC600 for many years. The quality is excellent and by all of the comments you can see it is a great choice. I thought I was taking a chance when I bought over the Internet, it was the best investment along with my Epic paddle.
Listen to the QCC staff when you select your kayak. Also, read the reviews.
Okay, let’s get serious…
The old adage is quite true…beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I can say “ugly” all day, and if you think the QCCs are beautiful, it really shouldn’t matter to you what I think about their looks. You can call my Arctic Hawk ugly, and I wouldn’t be bothered at all. I might feel differently, but that’s the beauty of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. It works for both of us!
With regards to other design details (all purely aesthetic considerations aside), I have some problems with the QCCs as well, but again, my opinion is based on the way I like to paddle, and that shouldn’t bother you either…as long as your boat works for you the way you want it to.
Are we okay now?
Melissa
Concur about Great Surfability of QCC700
When the wind waves are running 2 - 5 ft I will do frequent runs out 1/4 - 1/2 mile from shore then turn around and catch the non-breaking waves in toward the beach in my QCC700. The QCC excels at catching ocean waves of all types. Regular rides at 10+ mph are easy to do and I have clocked one run over 15 mph when jumping from a wind-wave to an ocean swell. This is way way more fun than bobbing around a rock garden.
Wave training is also a great workout. The high intensity sprinting in short bursts will do wonders for your overall paddling fitness. Its like runners doing bleacher training.
The biggest problem is finding waves that are fast enough. A QCC700 easily cruises at speeds faster than most small to medium boat wake. The only way to bother with boat wake is to ride it diagonally toward your destination. Waves less than a ft or so are also too slow and their periods too close together. If you can ride them diagonally, the QCC700 will latch onto them and pay you back for your effort.
Some of the coolest surfing rides I have had are AGAINST the wind and ocean waves. Occasionally you will find yourself locked into some bigger boat wake that is traveling against the sea waves and wind. If you are perceptive enough to pick up on it, you can find yourself surfing against the weather at 7 - 10 mph as the boat just rips through the oncoming waves. The spray flies as the sea waves go pounding past you at around 16 - 20 mph. It feels like you are in a power boat. The other boaters are amazed to see such a sight.
Most paddlers in their more traditional sea kayaks with traditional paddles and those in their little plastic boats have no clue of the breakthrough in speed and range possible if you move into the right type of equipment.
The rudder is important on a QCC700, as it is on any higher performance sea kayak. Combine a full time rudder with a wing paddle and a whole new worl of paddling opens up. When used correctly this equipment will let you travel at the speed of the ocean making catching fast waves easy and fun.
You’ll get me in a ruddered boat yet
Without rudder - the QCC is still a great touring boat - and I still get rides, but not being able to stay on and easily hold angles limits this a lot.
I’ve though about adding a small understern - with gas pedals and racing seat - but to really make it work I’d need to rebuild cockpit/coaming. Mine’s gen 2 - with opening 8" aft of center. I moved the seat 3" forward (current production seat position/trim) - which has me under the braces more. Works fine for touring/rolling - but limits leg action/rotation a bit. If I move it back - trim is not right for rudder.
Seems smarter to just buy/build something else. Wonder how the Marlin surfs…
salty pegged my love for the 700 by
saying ‘If you want to tour in an efficient hull, carry gear, and cover miles they represent an excellent choice.’
I just returned from a trip to North Dakota and on the way back scouted Land Between the Lakes for an upcoming multi-day paddle…the QCC 700 will probably the kayak of choice.
It was also mentioned that the hatches are not abs. watertight…this is true…in my experience only Valley has that claim (any others?), but for paddle camping just make sure the stuff that needs to be dry is doubly protected…you’d keep your down sleeping bag in a dry bag anyway even if your hatches were 150% gauranteed dry.
The remarks on their customer service is spot on too. I’d say that in my experience they are in the top three with Feathercraft and Mirage being the other two.
waterline length
methinks the comment had to do with relative maneuverabilily of short water line vs. long waterline boat. Not that the boats aren’t fun in long regular waves.