Skim Kayaks

Has anyone had a chance to paddle these boats?



http://www.skimkayaks.com/english/index.php



They look pretty neat. Their specs are interesting. their detail and outfitting are very well thought out.

Are they available in the US?
I’m not aware of anyone importing them.

put a huge ad in sea kayaker
might be available might be building demand.

Sea Kayaker ad
The ad in Sea Kayaker reminded me about these boats. I had come across them on the web some time ago.



They seem very well thought out in design and features.



There are no North American dealers listed on their web site. I’m hoping that someone here has had a chance to demo them.



Might be neat if GRO or The Kayak Center, MIKCo or AKT were to have them available :wink:

hmm…nice looking boats there ey
have you heard anything back regarding dealers on our continent?

magazine says thery are importing
The magazine says they are to be imported. Thus the ads I expect are to create advance demand. Hey here is the place where they should put the ads no?



evan

If Brent could capture 1/10 the

– Last Updated: Dec-31-05 1:07 AM EST –

ad budget for sea kayaker he could hire me as a salesperson. Yes though Sea Kayaker is a good publication an on-line ad with an active community will serve a well-engineered product well.

immediate observation
no emergency hatch in front of the cockpit, yep i’m hung up on this feature.

did like the sloping bulkhead behind the seat, Nigel Foster boats have this and it really helps empty a boat.

I’m also at the point where I think sea kayaks should have either foot pumps or electric bilge pumps integral into the design…doesnt mean you dont have a hand pump on board but if you’re going to spend 2-3K for a boat why not have this feature already there?

Also liked the drain built into the skeg slider box…something Valley should have figured out a long time ago.

No reply as of 1/1/2006
I emailed Skim, once gain, when I strarted this thread. So far I have not heard back.



(Of course, I also emailed Peter Orton at Valley last week and am still awaiting reply - it is the holidays)

Today’s word from Skim
There are not yet any Skim dealers in US or Canada. I believe there will be

in a near future. Keep watch on www.skimkayaks.com. As soon as someone

become Skim dealer, they will be announced under contact.

just got an e-mail from them
they like the idea of an emergency hatch in front of the cockpit and will consider it for future models.

And so…
… we all crave things that are hard to get.



I’ve never paddled the Dex or Distance kayaks myself but I’ve paddled alongside both. Good looking boats but… My friends and I joke that if it wasn’t for the paint job, the Skim boats wouldn’t get half the attention they get now.

Really I don’t see these boats being fantastic at anything in particular. Not that they are bad either. Ask yourself - what handling characteristics are you looking for?



The NF Silhouette would properly cover the same ground as the Dex.



As for the Distance, I think there’re better high-volume long boats readily available in the US.



/Peter

always trying boats
Right now I am very happy with my Aquanaut and Romany.



However, more good boats being available is a good thing. I very much enjoy demoing boats as much as possible. Every boat is different.

isn’t …
Silhouette is 17’10’’ x 20.5’’

Dex is 16’4’’ x 20.5’’

Dex is shallower that Silhouette



That does present quite a bit of difference

comments
hey,



I just did a little write up on Skim boats. Still can’t make much judgement until we can paddle 'em.



http://www.kayakwisconsin.net/2006/01/second-first-impression.html