Sing noted on another thread that “The Brit cult is holding steady.”
Last night, on our weekly afterwork club paddle, there were three new Brit boats. Just two years ago, my wife and I were usually the only ones in Brit boats on these paddles.
Within our club over the past year span new boats have included: 3 Avocets, 2 Romanys, 1 Explorer, 1 Aquanaut, 1 Vela, 1 Capella, and a Quest. Also new in that time is an Ellesmere and an Outer Island - which are two additional West Greenland or Brit influenced designs.
I’m wodering if this is a localized phenomenon or if others are seeing a trend towards more people paddling Brit and/or West Greenland inspired boats?
This is the Sea syndrome…
We want to paddle what the pros paddle. Many of the top instructors and symposium speakers paddle brit style boats which influences beginners/intermediates to follow suit. Also with the growing popularity of Greeland style kayaking, there is a growing demand for lower volume kayaks that roll well.
U forgot the Montauk NM
Barbara’s Montauk?
Indeed, the Montauk is not only a Brit style boat, but the hull is from the North Shore Shoreline. As a matter of fact, North Shore has redecked the Shoreline in the same manner in which Impex redecked the Montauk - with Valley hatches.
yupper NM
Pacific NW too
When I first moved out here 10 years ago and paddled a Romany, three diiferent times kayakers asked me what type of kayak it was, because its not a sea kayak. Puzzled, I would ask why they say its not a sea kayak and each time they replied " sea kayaks have rudders and that has no rudder, so what is it?"
Soon I sold one to a guy who later went to work for Necky…
The West Greenland/Brit style boats are much, much more popular now.
Are they “Brit” boats?
Like a lot of the Finnish & Estonian boats that I’ve seen recently. Variations on the same theme. Then a French guy turned me on to the paddling scene in France. Makes sense that the isle empire would be the epicenter (epi- centre?) of dissemination. But then I don’t know the history.
Did early Broze Bros. Mariner kayaks sport a rudder? Not in the pictures I have seen.
Gone One!!!
The Broze Bros/Mariner stand alone. Their boats are not Brit, Greenland nor quite PNW either. Yet, the folks who have them seem to love them and stand by them.
If you see a cheap Coaster and/or Elan, let me know. 
sing
Are they ‘Brit boats’?
Well, there are actual British boats (Valley, NDK, P&H, etc…)and there are ‘Brit style’ boats (most Impex boats, Necky Chatham series, Wilderness Systems Tempest series, Kajak-Sport, etc…)
The term is sometimes used to refer to any boat that bears a resemblance to classic British design boats (Nordkapp, Orion, etc…), sometimes to an actual British designed and built boat, and is often applied to Brit designed North American built (Nigel Foster boats, the Hutchinson CD boats, etc…)
There have been numerous threads discussing the term, its use and application. One fairly extensive one is:
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=245045
Most ‘Brit boats’ claim an ancestry from West Greenland hunting kayaks. Nearly if not all NDK and Valley sea kayaks ultimately derive from the Anas Acuta.
Brit boat is shorthand that is varyingly precise according to its usage.
sounds like a hip club
Most folks in my club have an Epic or QCC. And they don’t give a hoot about the BCU, or learning the roll, or leaving the relative confines of the local rivers. So every weekend I’m heading to the coast, becoming a solo paddler.
Pretty recent
The changes in our club have been recent. It used to be dominated by guys in Swifts who seemed to mostly like paddling straight and fast.
Evan put together a BCU 3* training weekend last June and is also responsible for the weekly skills sessions. This is what has had the greatest impact.
In addition, the chair of the paddler’s committee (our club is an ADK chapter) is an outfitter who started carrying P&H boats this season.
I know someone who might be selling…
her Elan. Will let you know. Will probably start a thread out of it. Throw in some oblique references to QCC and Brit boat and see if it gets up to 135 posts. Just kidding. Will be seeing her this weekend.
Dogmaticus
Ah… Thanks…
but it would have to be real inexpensive. My brand new custom waveski came in just today. Can explain it to my wife as a B-Day present to myself. But, an Elan (as much as I want one) would be hard to justify after the auspicious occaison (only to myself, of course) passes…
Ah, timing is everything in life.
sing
My Mega qualifies as Brit!
But I don’t have it yet, so will have to live vicariously through your stories. Right on for getting it.
Cheers,
Dog-Mega-less
Brit not growing, Greenland is
Brit use in the area seems to be sort of holding it’s own. Quite a few around and remain very popular, but pretty mixed origin fleet in these waters. Even more when you include SOTs & Skis.
Greenland paddle use is way up. Several Greenland SOF and Greenland style S&G boats are now around as well, compared to none 2-3 years ago. Small Greenland get together this weekend, and I’m curious how many will show.
The one Brit boat I have is up for sale. Anyone want a nice Pintail? It’s been replaced by a Greenland style Sparrow Hawk that weighs 22 lbs less.
Greenland is growing here as well
There has been a gradual increase in GP use here as well. Alan has been into it for some time and his influence is spreading. In the last couple of months he made sticks for my wife, Cheryl, and me. A few others have made their own GPs over the last year.
Actually…
several of Mega boats were designed by West Coast surfers, e.g Randy Phillips, Vince Shay, Leo Lekas. Some ugly controversies have erupted every so often even about some of their newer designs, including yours.
Neither here nor there for most of us who want to just go out and surf. Ditto with long boats. If the owner likes his/her boat, who cares what “design category” it falls under…
sing
Go Greenland…even if it is a Brit!
My round cockpit NDK Greenlander is a Brit boat but definitely of Greenland design. (Duh) Hard chines, hard lines, round inuit-inspired cockpit, low rear deck for Greenland rolling. (except for front deck finishes-too high I hear) Pretty heavy for heavy use and dragging across rocky shores.
There is just something awfully sexy about a hard chined boat, whether its a Stitch-n-glue, SOF, or FG material. Can’t get enough of 'em!!
Now, if I could only get my car to look like that…
Scott
In Chicagoland, the paddling capital
of northeastern Illinois, a dealer just opened one year ago who carries Nigel Dennis, Valley and P&H. I and and a friend just purchased Valleys from him; not because they are Brit boats but because they appear to fit our current needs. Now that these boats are available on the prairie from a reputable dealer, I would expect the sales volume of these boats to escalate.
There were certain non-Brit boats that I would have liked to see but they are not offered in our area.
Surfed with Randy and Leo
many years ago at the Ranch in Califoria. Randy was doing work on a home at the Ranch. Leo snores way bad… Nice Guys.