it’s not a short fat kayak.
I had a Necky swallow for awhile,similar dimensions a bit less freeboard. I was out in the ocean a lot with it. There’s nothing wrong with a comfortable handling kayak in bouncy water.
I have hats AND a mug
But I had to get my own made. It’s my favorite paddling hat.
As a single user not selling I’m not really infringing the QCC logo - just giving Phil free advertising. If I was selling them - another story - so don’t even ask.
If Phil was interested, I could have a site up to sell hats, mugs, shirts, and much more in minutes. I asked him long ago, and he was not. OK with me as I have my hat and mug while I wait for the long awaited official QCC gear from the source.
I don’t have one (yet)…
but I did have the good fortune of stopping by QCC a few weeks ago and meeting Phil and some of his crew.
It was really something to see the folks there building boats completely by hand. The time-staking care put into the construction of each one is something I never imagined. Top that off with the guarantee they offer and i’m sold on a great product.
Russ Johnson
www.wi-paddlers.net
Great all around boat
I have a 700 and a 400, the 700 is the newer boat so it gets used a lot more, but I think that the 400 is an excellent all around boat. I,ve used the 400 on the rivers of Flordia and out into the gulf. The people that I paddled with in the gulf all had 17 & 18 footers, wood and composits. Had no trouble keeping up with them. Same in Maine paddling to the islands in the ocean. And a good little boat in lakes and streams, makes a good fishing yak, carries a load for camping. I’ve had people from petite women to men 6’ plus and 220 pounders use it and no one had any problems with it. What more can I say?
It’s just a great do anything boat!
ps. also a great sailer!
I recently received a 400
and while it is a wide high volume boat it is very responsive and I can keep up with all my kayak buddies in their long/skinny boats once I get it up to speed 
Also, very comfortable cockpit so you can move around in. The seat however is not comfortable and Phil sent me a new backband to replace their’s. It is getting better but I need to tweak it a bit.
I bought mine for fishing and camping in FL gulf islands so it’s pretty perfect for that kind of use. If you are more performance oriented the 600 or 700 may be a better choice.
QCC 400XL
Thanks to all for the input on the 400XL. I already have an old PWS Sea Otter (stable cruiser) and a 2 year old Necky Looksha Sport (surf/rock boat, just the opposite). I guess I’m looking for a shorter swamp, pond, river and lake boat and the 400 seems to fit the bill, although the rudder sticking up like a fin and not retracted to the deck when not in use is kind of strange…
A different view; from outside the "QCC
– Last Updated: Jul-27-05 9:59 PM EST –
...Cult".
I have my flameproof wetsuit nearby and ready if I need it, so here goes...
Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder, so I'm sure that there are many happy paddlers who feel that their QCC boats are the most beautiful watercraft they've ever seen. That's great, as we should all love every aspect of our boats; including their sweet lines.
Since I've never paddled a QCC boat, I cannot fairly comment on anything other than my aesthetic aversion to their looks. Frankly, I think they're relatively ugly (eek! ducking and covering). *Please* do not take the previous comment for anything more than it is; an entirely subjective personal opinion. I'm sure that someone out there thinks that my preferred type of boat is ugly too (though for the life of me, I can't imagine why! :-)).
Inspiration comes in as many forms as do our individual seafaring souls, and I, for one, cannot ignore, in addition to all the supposedly more "practical" criteria, the unspeakable inspiration that comes from seeing what this beholder's eyes consider to be the droolworthy sweet lines of a fine boat; be it a classic wooden sailboat or a kayak. Of course, I am indeed just as concerned with seaworthiness and performance as I am with sheer beauty, but I want it all! :-)
Why, I wonder, is this aspect of our love for our boats hardly, if ever, discussed here as we discuss in great detail all the other things we think might be important to us as we consider this or that boat design? Perhaps it is because this is such a personal thing for each of us, and we just can't find the words to describe such an indescribable feeling. Fair enough, if that is the case, but I still wonder anyway. :-)
Melissa
BUTT UGLY LOL
Finally someone said it…
The lines are functional
A bit too funtiona for some. If you appreciate the function, you’ll appreciate the lines. Paddle one (a 600 or 700 please, the others are inherited Swifts) and you’ll get it.
I like the lines, but I also like the very different lines on the VCP Pintail my 700’s nested up against. Again, because I understand the decisions and trade offs and what those looks mean. I like most surf ski’s functional looks to - and REALLY like the lines of many Greenland SOFs.
I don’t like the lines on rec boats or most SOTs. Those lines don’t translate into what I want my boats to do.
Even if you only judge superficially on what you think is more attractive, you are attracted to certain things for a reason. You brain is making a comparative analysis based on something that results in a judgement. You may not be consciously aware of what or why, and your reasons may be based on relative or obscure things, but it’s there.
I think you misspelled…
“LOKI” and typed LOL.
As A QCC Owner…
I was interested in your post. Yes, beauty is cerainly in the eyes of the beholder. I have only had my two boats for about six months now, so we, (the boats and I), are still getting aquainted. My experiences so far re-inforce your thoughts. We have many people stop and comment possitively on our boats, (including their looks). A good example of our experiences in this respect was had at a recent roll class that we attended. There were about a dozen people ohinn and ahing around our boats while waiting for the class to start. There was also a guy with a brand new Carribou, (one of my favorites), who expressed his opinion about the basic and bland look of our boats. He went on to say that the boats would not perform.
I am an engineer, (an older engineer). I have learned to appreciate simple designs without a bunch of non-functional frills. I guess I am a follower of the old saying “form follows function”. I see beauty in a simple design that functions. I think John Winters got it right with the 600 and 700. On the other hand I fully understand and appreciate that many others disagree and I beleive that is great.
Happy paddling,
Mark
That is the one thing…
my wife and I hate about those seal line rudders- the way they stick up in the air.
We are the type paddlers that cannot resist exploring every cove we can find, and then going up the feeder creek as far as we can go.
When we reach the end and have to turn around it is inevitable that the rudder will get caught in the bushes or reeds, where on our old kayaks where the rudder laid over on the deck there was no problem.
Cheers,
JackL
I think also if you take a good…
…look at the yachts that have competed in the Americas cup races you will note a remarkable resemblence to the QCC. on many of them.
I think the ones with the QCC style bow, as a rule have out performed the long pointy bow boats and look just as beautiful as they cut through the water.
Cheers,
JackL
I’m sure
Russell Coutts paddles a QCC 
no doubt about the performance
For going straight and going fast in a kayak, a QCC does it better than anyone else. That hull design, long water line, and minimal rocker just screams that. Of course to me, that screams boring as I love playful kayaks that dance in the waves, but to others it is exactly what they are looking for. If I ever got serious about kayak racing, a QCC would be high on my list of boats (despite being butt ugly ).
I don’t get that
I just got my QCC and the first thought I had was “It’d be a shame to ‘use’ this” I kind of wanted to just hang it from the wall. Many of the boats you list look similar to me.
http://www.touringkayaks.com/qcc_kayaks.htm
The photo on that page looks pretty good to me.
http://www.touringkayaks.com/q700paddle_photos2.htm
and those.
The Caribou doesn’t look much different to me
http://www.cdkayak.com/cdkayak/kayaks/comps/caribous.asp
or the Carolina
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47883885&parent_category_rn=4501491
and that solid color look screams “bath toy” in my eyes.
I can understand if you like the look of another kayak. But I can’t fathom getting away with labeling a QCC as "butt ugly.”
In my opinion when you’re actually in the water, and conceivably in your boat, the decks are much akin to the other.
Then again, perhaps I just haven’t been around long enough.
pretty kayaks…
Valley Anas Acuta http://www.valleyseakayaks.com/Greenland.htm
Betsie Bay Kayak
http://www.bbkayak.com/Recluse1.html
Impex Outer Island
http://www.impexkayak.com/outer_island.html
NDK Romany Explorer LV
http://www.nigeldenniskayaks.com/range/low_volume.shtml
Valley Avocet
http://www.valleyseakayaks.com/Contemporary.htm
I’m partial to low volume Greenland/British style kayaks as I think they have beautiful lines and look really elegant on the water. The Carolina definitely is not a very good looking kayak and the Caribou is ok but not great from a personal preference standpoint.
Rocker? Do you actually know…
… how much rocker a QCC has? You might be surprised. If you want to see boat with a steep bow angle and little rocker check out the EPIC 18 - it has about zero. The Q700 is a banana in comparison.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/203840239/203840782BUjVIP
http://community.webshots.com/photo/203840801/203840801AHaTJO
http://community.webshots.com/photo/203840827/203840827CecrXj
More hard core racers would be happier with the EPIC. It’s a detuned race boat that’s a decent touring boat too. 700 is a more all arounder made for efficient touring that just happens to be pretty quick. Really quite different.
This front view should be helpful to racers trying to decide. Pretty obvious which was design for more pure speed:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/203840239/203840955NTWyhS
But getting back to rocker: A lot of pointy end fanatics mistake fine upswept ends for rocker, but it’s a very different thing. QCC give the appearance of being flatter than they are. Pointy boats look more rockered than they are. Don’t believe it. Some of the pointy boats have pretty flat keels.
I should take my 700 and Kim’s Pintail (famous for being highly rockered, but is it?) out on the patio and take some measurements and pictures so people would understand. I’d be wasting my time though as some people will insist on keeping silly ideas like all Brit boats are well rockered and all boats that have less angle bows are not.
As for rough water play - sure, go short - but only for surf zone and rock garden play. For open water wave running and cutting through chop and slop that extra LWL translates into usable speed and a much more fun ride. 700 catches energy and flies over stuff something like the Pintail wallows in. Maybe if I took pictures of the 700 next to the Mark 1 surf ski it would become apparent why.
Fun? They’re all fun!
I agree that…
– Last Updated: Jul-28-05 11:37 AM EST –
... Jim's QCC is ugly!
Give it at least a hint of deck color, get rid of that peppermint stick red trim, and remove that silly appendage from the stern and they start to look pretty good! ;)
The only really ugly thing I see in that shot are those paddles! Just poles with stuff stuck on the ends.