Am doing a second demo of Plastic Valley Aquanaut and a first time demo of Composite Necky Looksha 17.
Valley has a skeg - Necky a rudder. The first comes in indestructable plastic - the other in repairable fibreglass. One is British - Greenland style I believe while the other me thinks is more North American design. The Necky is more hard chined the other not so. Both weigh about the same and are about the same length. The Valley is slimmer and feels like I am wearing it. It reminds me of my white water boats. The Necky is sexy and shiny and has greater room for carrying capacity. A look at of reviews of the Looksha 17 are few and far between while those of the comparable Looksha IV show mixed comments. One comment put it as slow as a dog and rudder dependant. A buddy of mine says go for the Valley. The Looksha is $500.00 more but on sale by $900.00. Did i say it was available in hot red?
Your comments appreciated and the demos are days away.
Very different boats
Demo them both. They are different enough that one should be more to your liking.
I’ve not paddled a Looksha 17 though have spent sometime in a Looksha IV - which felt like a tub to me.
I’ve got a composite Aquanaut which I have paddled for nearly 6 years. Fabulous in conditions.
Ur buddy is right.
I own Valleys. They are without compare, kanaka. Wilsoj and I welcome you to the Valley club.
Signed Coolkayaker1
http://coolkayaker1.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-trusty-stable.html
Di Di Di Di Di Ditto! I have the LV RM
Aquanaut and the Composite Aquanaut. My favorite hull of the 15 or so boats that I have owned. If you can get a test paddle of the Necky, you owe it to yourself to give it a good try. Your one comment of the Naut feeling like you were wearing it is very telling. I would be interested in any boat that feels like I am wearing it. Good Luck. Bill
pick what suits you
The LV and the 17 are very different boats. I’ve paddled a 17 and while it wasn’t my cup of tea, it certainly was no tub or barge. Felt pretty quick.
The Smiths
great line, brilliant, but the name of the song escapes me...
Should I buy an SUV or a Corvette?
What do you want to do with the car? Haul your wife and kids around, go off-roading, or fly around a race course?
Same with the boats. You’re comparing oranges to apples. Decide what you want the boat to be able to do and then make your decision.
Now i know why sea kayakers have
2 or 3 boats. We own a small pick up and a small car. One for work/play and one for commuting. Now i want both kayaks.
Support economy
get both! Can’t speak of the Aquanaut but for me that would be better (my tastes).
The L17 is a big workhorse of a kayak that can haul tons and handle big water. Super stabile, great for guides, fishing, extended trips etc. Superbly made at Cobra Int. Epoxy lay-up
I noticed you are a ww paddler
Don't make the mistake of thinking sea kayaks have to be trucks. I've met too many ww boaters who assume a sea kayak has to be lumbering and boring.
I've put ww boaters in my Romany to give them a sense of how much fun a sea kayak can be in the hands of someone used to handling a boat. If they're cocky, I put them in my Nordkapp LV ;-)
If you enjoy running class 3+ rivers you might be happiest with a sea kayak that can readily accommodate surf, tide races, rock gardening, etc...
With that in mind, I think the Valley boat is a more suitable choice.
BTW, as Coolkayaker1 would agree, there is reason for the aphorism "There's nothing like a Valley" ;-)
i concur about the Nordkapp,
tried one and while i enjoyed it on the water when i was getting in or out of it i found it a tad “sensitive”, hence my interest in the Aquanaut. Thanks
Larry just get the dam Valley!
you infernal waffler you!!!
you’ll be glad you did. mind you, having one glass boat would be a nice change of pace from the tupperware party you’ve got going…
JV
BURP@!
That’s the gleeful sound of Tupperware.
James
did you read about Nick Castro of Victoria’s planned cicumnavigation of Van Isle to start this month. His hope is to beat S.Morley and raise some $ for Georgia Strait ALliance.
good lord
you have picked two totally different boats. Come back when the choices are a little closer together.
The Looksha 17 and Looksha IV are totally differnt animals.
Just read your profile
From your profile, my thoughts are that the Valley would be the better boat if you’re limited to just one.
At my house, we own 4 boats. My wife has one FG Perception Shadow that is her only boat. But she is a beginner paddler with 12 years of experience paddling at that level.
I paddle a fiberglass Nigel Foster Shadow mostly, but when I want to play around rocks, I usually grab my P&H plastic Capella. Then I also have an old style plastic creeker that was made by Seda for surfing. The Shadow is a great boat for multi-day trips, but with careful packing, the Capella works too.
yep
…and if you’re looking to appeal to the playfulness of a ww paddler - I’d skip the aquanaut and try a pintail, nordlow, or cross over to the dark side and try a romany in conditions.
Thanks to all…
I demoed both, the Valley first and it was like sitting in a long river boat - it had great fit. I liked how it handled being on edge, turning and speed. Yea, it was a little harder getting into from the dock but that will come with experience.
The Looksha 17 too was a beauty, very sexy and also fast. It had good speed, lots of room for gear, comfort, well made and good looking. I could see it as a great touring kayak.
In the end, i didn’t see myself needing to carry a lot of gear and the Aquanaut would provide the space for the weekend gear i would need to carry. The Aquanaut too was more playful. End result was a down payment for the Valley Aquanaut HV plastic. Thanks all.
Wha’ja buy?