QCC kayaks

After more than 15 years of kayaking in low end boats I have decided I want to step up to something nice…and am considering a QCC. The prices seem reasonable considering the build quality and they come with a lifetime warranty with free shipping. Is this a good choice?

take a look at Enlightened Kayaks, too
they are designed by John Winters as are the QCC boats. The Enlightened duralite plastic is very hardy compared to fiberglass or kevlar boats. Weighs just a bit more than Kevlar, costs half as much, and withstands a lot more rock gardens and gravel bar landings. I am very happy with mine.

I hear they scratch easy

Ask Jack!

Good Quality but…
I’ve had a QCC Kevlar kayak for 1.5 years (two summers) and have really enjoyed the boat. I have a QCC500 because of size and it has been a great boat. My foot pegs broke last summer, so they sent me new ones. Their customer service really is great. The boat is beautiful and holds up well in chop and Rock islands. It is also great for long camping trips and can be easily lifted by one person.



My only “concern” is that now my skills and weight aren’t ideal for this model and am looking to change boats. Have a good idea of what you want to do with the boat and choose your model based upon were you want to go not where you are right now.



Best of luck with your search!



Amy

700
I recently got the 700 in carbon/kevlar and am totally satisfied. I am a bit of a perfectionist so I unwrapped it and went over the whole boat looking for flaws. There weren’t any. I couldn’t believe how perfect it was.



Paddling seems fast and lively. I didn’t like the seat so immediately took the padding out and got a new backband. I like the rudder even though I am not really a rudder person.



I am glad I made the choice. Sometimes I wish I could get to the water without people wanting to talk about it. It looks that good.



It fit “my” needs perfect. In my opinion you need to realistically evaluate your needs and when you do your choices will be narrowed.



Good luck

There are three of them in my family
and then the black sheep who has a Epic 18.

I have had mine for four years and if I had to replace it, I would replace it with the same or a Epic 18. (Epic 18 is a tad faster).



On the other hand a lot of people prefer the “Brit” style kayaks.



You didn’t say which model you were looking at.

We have a 700, a 600 and the fairly new “baby” one.

If you are serious about getting one, give some specifics on your height, and weight and we can throw some suggstions as to the model you might want.



Cheers,

JackL

QCC Kayaks
Paddle both an Enlightened Kayaks T-16 (see my recent review of T-16) and a QCC 700. Same designer, different boats, differnt manufacturers, different potential uses - happy with both boats. Had QCC made a high volume QCC 600 that would have fit my full figured frame, I would be paddling that hypothetical boat.

How could I go wrong?
…that was my opinion when I decided to go ahead and order the QCC600. I couldnt go wrong… If I didnt like the boat, no problem, I would just send it back. Simple!

I purchased the kevlar.

I dont really care for the Smart Rudder system… still trying to give it some time to see if can get used to it or not before I will complain or not…(I dont like the Toe control)… but other than that I am really enjoying the kayak!

It is more kayak than I expected… I was “humbled” by it with my inexperience in such a narrow beam boat. However, with some time in the boat, and determination, I am really pleased with my decision to buy this model!

Customer service is ofcourse Awesome… and I was tickled with the packaging and delivery.

If your curious what they look like still in the box, you can check out some pics of it on my car before I took it out of the box.

http://community.webshots.com/user/snow_keeper



Have fun shopping!




Is this a good choice?
It is if you like the boat.



It is always best to demo a number of boats before buying. Every boat has somewhat different characteristics. Some really love John Winters’ designs for how they perform, some do not.



If there is a QCC owner within striking distance, you may be able to try that paddler’s boat and see how it feels.

I have two QCC700s For Sale
Please check my ad in the Paddling.net classified section. Search for kayaks in Connecticut. Paddling.net provides one free classified ad. That is agreat benefit of being a member of this site.



I finally moved up to a surfski. I should have done this about three years ago. I thought I would still want a rough water boat and would keep one of my QCC700s. However, I can take my Huki S1R anyewhere I would bring my QCC700, so the QCC’s sit unused in the garage.



So I am selling a brand new 2007 all-carbon QCC700. It has the Smarttrack rudder with two different blades, the foot pedal height adjuster, and the adjustable stern mounting bracket. Thes options allow you to adjust the Smarttrack system for your personal needs. This boat, located in S.E. CT is ready for someone to take immediately at about a $800 savings.



I also have a 1999 all-Kevlar model that has seen a lot of miles, but still works extremely well. This boat won two 15 mile open water races. $1000 takes her.

Excellent Customer Service
These guys are great! I emailed them about helping sell my boat and they called me back to discuss options and possibly trying a 700. You can’t go wrong with these guys in terms of customer service.

my plan
My plan is to win the QCC here at Pnet…so I’d appreciate if the rest of you would respect that and back off. If you are planning to buy soon, QCC currently has $500 off all new kayak sale till 8/15.

reality of use
which is to say what are you going to use the QCC for?

my reality of use is long lake paddle camping and for this use the QCC is rivaled only by the Mirage 580…each has pluses and minuses but either are great for gear hauling and big miles.

If you search the archives you’ll see that greyak and I’ve modded our out…its like a tattoo, once you drill that first hole you’ll want to drill another :slight_smile:

QCC
Snow, very nice…love the beautiful lines and gorgeous appearance. I also like your kayak too.

QCC-700
Wife and I bought two 700’s this spring. Wonderful boat. Read my new review on this sight, (Product Review).

:wink:
Awww… gee…blushing… Thank you.

That put a smile on my face after a long day.