Hard Chines ?
The oval TINY rubber hatches ?
The Skeg ? The small cockpit ?
The xtreme upswept bow ?
It’s the accent…
The handling.
They really handle great. Own a Romany and an old Nordkapp. Heavy buggers but really secure in the larger stuff.
british boats - - -
not all of them have hard chines … NDK Explorer, VCP Pintail and practically the rest of the entire VCP line, P&H. in fact, taken as a whole, less rather than more british boats have hard chines.
have you paddled a british boat? in my opinion they’re the best handling boats on the water today in the rough stuff.
in rough
stuff I’d rather be in my p&h sirius than any kayak I paddled to date. Although I have to lose some weight to get back in my sirius lol!!
dang Grayhawk
ya beat me to the punchline. Oh well ,guess great minds think alike.
Brittainia rules the waves
>>>Hard Chines ?
Not usually.
The oval TINY rubber hatches ?
Which don’t leak, and stay on without straps to mess with or covers to lose.
The Skeg ?
Which allows you to use a firm foot block rather than those awful rudder pedals.
The small cockpit ?
Not necessarily, but can be if you want a “performance” fit.
The xtreme upswept bow ?
Which slices smoothly through chop, instead of the pitch-up-and-slap-down motion some you get in some kayaks in choppy water.
Exactly!!!
1) The small cockpit ?
Absolutely! Especially for those who’re not over-weight. (or those who’re born that way ;o) ) Who wants to sit in a bathtub anyway?
2) The Skeg ?
Garanteed solid foot-brace. Why wouldn’t you want that in the first place?
3) The oval TINY rubber hatches ?
What’s the matter with that? I can fit just about everything I own in there. You mean you have a problem with that?
I do have problem with a lot of north American boats that are way over-sized in everything. Never mind the mushy footpegs/rudder control. So yes, the “British” (style) boats are pretty much the only type of boats I even bother to sit in…
except for the
– Last Updated: Jul-01-04 10:15 PM EST –
oval TINY rubber hatches all traits listed are of centuries old Greenland designs.
One thing to remember is that British boats are built for British waters. There aren't that many lakes and rivers on those islands (at least not compared to here) but there is a lot of rugged coast and probably rough water, which is where those boats excel.
And, like the Highlands,
they are beautiful to the eye.
In addition to all of the reasons
outlined in the posts above, it also goes very well with my Tilley.
the gel coat?
I just love the way it moves througfh
the water (my avocet).
brit made and design
are two very different concepts. P&H are the exception IMHO.
Any NDK or VCP owners care to share tales of fit and finish for a boat costing about $2500?
Quality aside, they are very sweet on challenging waters.
It is possible to make and sell a well finished craft for a fair price. Just look at QCC and the Canadian mfgrs.
I own one of each, VCP and NDK
– Last Updated: Jul-04-04 1:36 AM EST –
and they were both great when the came fron the factory. Except the seat on the NDK was broken before I bought her.
I bought them both used, they are a little bit more scuffed up now, but fine. No significant leaks everything works. The broken seat from the NDK boat is cut out now. I hear the have a new longer seat pan on some boats, hope that extends to all.
I have also had well executed designs from Seaward, WS, CD, QCC,and pygmy. The seats have not broken, the CD caribou had flawless bulkheads, (custom, glass)
I owned a P&H boat once. I happened to buy it new. It was not perfect or even close by my assessment and I'd still buy a different P&H boat again. I'll use a different dealer though.
“What Is It” For Any Boat?
the fit of the boat to the paddler. The handling for the type of paddling that one prefers. And none can do everything well, despite what one may want or choose to believe about an individual boat.
I also believe some folks get a “Brit boat” just for the “cache” they think sitting in such a boat gives them. They certainly don’t know how to use them well. 
If EPI would just stretch it’s EPIsea plastic - http://www.emc-epi.com/touring.html - kayak another 2 feet, I would think that’s a perfect boat for the type of paddling I do. I don’t need the hatches. I don’t camp and I don’t carry much gear with me. But I would love the indestructibility of that plastic coupled with the very “Greenland” (NOT Brit!) inspired lines so I can go bash around some rocks, maintenance free.
sing
Naw, It’s The Teeth
Ok, British boat owners read this
http://www.rapidmagazineinc.com/onlineissues/index.php/kayak/v4i2/20/0
tell us what you think
Why don’t you
tell us what you think? And where are you going with this?
My avocet is in plastic
which is one of the things I like about it. Oddly enough the listed weight of the plastic avocet is about the same as the fiberglass, since the brit boats have such a heavy layup.
I had a blast riding the swells back in from Seal Rock yesterday. I may be one of those paddlers that never really learns to do, all this boat could teach me to do, due to the fact that I just can’t get comfortable in a sink, no matter how many little adjustments i make in the cockpit, my left lower leg and foot go to sleep within a mile!!! However, I was having so much fun, I did manage to forget it for the ride in:)