Went to visit the Kayak Center of Wickford RI today before the big storm . The fine staff had thier first new Valley Qajariaq sitting out proudly on display and available to sit in. I cant wait to demo one. Definatly the Anas Acutas big brother. Super low rear deck but plenty of footroom with nice keyhole cockpit.
More rocker than I thought it would have, I was thinking Anas meets Explorer when I saw it up close. Has anybody else seen or paddled one?
Chuck
NO, I have not BUT
I am DEFINETLY interested in hearing any comments or seeing reviews or anything that anyone has to offer on this boat. I posted a week ago asking about xp’s with the NDK Greenlander Pro, but decided against it. After surfing around the websites I came at a block between the P&H Bahiya or the VCP Quarajaq…
decisions, decisions
I have had my mind made up for a Chatham 17 glass after spending time in the poly proto boat last summer at the GOMSKS in Castine Me. Now that the Qajariq is finally out I am going to hold out and demo them both asap. The Chatham 17`s in glass are coming soon… I found it much more comfortable than the 16 or 18 being 5ft 10in. 210 LBs. My only concern was speed. For some reason it just seemed a little slow accelerating (poly?) The Qajariq looks like a fast hull, hopefully it is almost as stable as the Chatham but faster.
Hmmm…
– Last Updated: Jan-22-05 9:16 PM EST –
"The Qajariq looks like a fast hull, hopefully it is almost as stable as the Chatham but faster"
"Faster hulls" generally mean longer waterlines, narrower beams and more V or rounded hull cross section. This would mean feeling less stable than a boat of similar beam but flatter bottom. Of course, the tippiness is also relative to the individual's comfort and skill levels.
My understanding is that new Qajaruaq (or however it's spelled) is intended to be a stretched out version of the Anas Acuta. The latter is not known to be a fast boat. The funny thing is that many of the Greenland style paddlers were/are clamoring for a smaller Anas Acuta, not a bigger one. Go figure.
sing
Rocker talk
There has been some talk lately of fast hulls having less rocker, all other things being equal. For example, the OI said to be quite fast because of its long water line, small rocker.
Is the gist of this that flatter rocker translates to more hull in water for a given length of boat?
Rocker
Not sure of the answer on rocker, too much will slow the boat, too little may slow the boat, somewhere in the middle is just right.(?)
VCP Quarajaq
I had heard that Valley was going to keep a good amount of rocker in this “stretch Anas” to retain the rough water performance. Of course, I would imagine that this will sacrifice some glide (water line length) and tracking compared to, let’s say, a Greenlander Pro that has less rocker. I look forward to a demo run.
I think the deal is
that the shape of the underwater form is more slender, both in width and draft. It increases the effective waterline length and has less form drag than a more football-slice-shaped volume.
Probably an oversimplification, but…
Mike
Qajariaq (that`s on the boat)
I took a couple of pictures of the kayak in the store and just rechecked the spelling. I too have seen it spelled 3 or 4 ways. As far as the size goes personally I am thrilled to see a Greenland style production boat that us bigger/ heavier folks can fit in and still breath. Hopefully you get your wish for an even smaller version of the AA.
The rocker is not extreme on the new boat but is more pronounced than the Greenlander Pro for sure.
Qajariaq? Anas Acuta?
Stretched Anas?
Wonder how many sales are lost due to the awful names they give these boats.
I Doubt It…
These boats appeal to a certain segment of the sea kayaking community – mostly those into tight fitting Greenland style boats and techniques. The names are perhaps as “esoteric” as that style of paddling may be, at least for the current time being.
Frankly, I like the name, Anas Acuta. It’s just too bad (for me) that the boat is bigger than I want for a day tripping play boat. Give me something around 16-16.5’ long, 18-19" beam and 5-6’ aft deck and around 8-10" foredeck, with an ocean cockpit… Yeah, right… Ain’t gonna happen.
sing
I Understand
– Last Updated: Jan-23-05 6:47 AM EST –
Some people in my community like a long, hyphenated name for our bicycle club. Some people like a simpler, abbreviated name. I see the long name as snooty and they probably see the short name as something a hick would like.
You Got It!
a “select” name for that discriminating crowd… Frankly, I would take the boat of my dream dimensions even if it were called something simple, like “boat.”
Besides I already have one esoteric named boat anyway, the “Ronin”. Ronin is a masterless samurai but the literal translation is “wave tossed man.” Fitting. My next boat, given what I have in mind, will probably be called the “Kaze”, which means “Wind.” (If some manufacturer seizes the name, Kaze, in the future, I’ll be pissed. 
sing
Cool
Kami Kaze… “God Wind”, right?
Das Boot would be a good name for for a German yak.
Close…
– Last Updated: Jan-23-05 7:11 AM EST –
Kami is translated as "god" but kamikaze is translated as "divine wind."
"Das Boot", well... the name has already being taken by Dick Wold. I believe that's the name of his first surf kayak.
I think "Katana" would be a cool name for a surf boat. You gotta being skilled to wield such a boat for quick slashing, shredding, carving moves on a good wave face. :)
sing
names
I read that the Anas Acuta is a bird. Also read a somewhere that Qajariaq means fast kayak in Greenlandic.
smaller version
I guess it just takes getting used to this posting forum and how it works. That said I was trying to focus on those of us that do fit tightly into the new Valley boat or the Chatham 17 and maybe arent as flexable as we used to be. I can think of 6 to 10 excellent paddlers in my seakayak club who couldnt get in an Anas Acuta if you even if greased them up. Hope you get your smaller version someday. What about Scott Williams original Paridigm (small version of the Azul Sultan)
Sort Of Free Wheeling…
discussions on these boards… 
If you go to the Qajaq/USA site, you find discussions about this boat very early on when it was being transformed from concept to an actual boat. What is surprising is that some of the large paddlers (Okay, I am really on the “small” end) are not asking for a bigger Anas Acuta by a tighter, lower volume version.
This all comes back down to “relativity” in terms of the paddler’s size as well as comfort and skill level with a tighter boat. It’s sort of related to the thread right now on the Arctic Hawk. That boat at 18’x22" is not a small boat for majority of greenland paddlers, unless they are really huge. I mean a guy I know, well over 6’ tall and 225 plus, squeezes into his Betsie Bay and loves it. But his skill and comfort levels are also high. What really surprised me even more was him telling me that he can pack gear in that boat for an extended weekend trip.
Relativity…
sing
is the tempest any better of a name
than qajariaq?
The only names I have liked for kayaks have been betsie bay’s manitou, which are islands on lake michigan,
can’t beat valkyrie.
and recluse or Aral isn’t bad either.
I Like "Recluse…"
but as far as “Valkyrie…” How about “Loki…?” I am also partial to an extreme condition boat named, “Styx”, as in the river…
sing