Polar HV / Buccaneer

These are very strong boats. I've been out to Finistere now with my old buccaneer, and it handles really well, even in the large waves - although it is of course not perfect for rock hopping / surfing due to the material and weight.

Although I'm really in love with the hard hatches, the hatches tend to easily leak a bit of water, especially the one at the front. The new boats don't seem to offer the old hatches and they have a bit less chine. My old one only has two hatches which is a bit of a hassle. My compass is great, but it is awkwardly placed if you want to carry spare paddles on the front.

This boat is almost indestructable when it comes to the materials used. I've hopped over ocean waves at Baie de Trepasses where I lifted the boat fully out of the water and dropped back without issue. The boats are quite heavy and they need some load. You may not want to go for a high volume boat if you're a smaller person: the back is relatively high and the boat tends to catch quite a bit of wind when lightly loaded; these boats are pretty high.

As indicated in the other reviews: these boats are very, very good for longer trips. And you can still turn the boat on a dime if you know how to edge well. Leaning back and forwards helps as well, and the boat responds pretty well to a front rudder due to the relatively high amount of rocker.

If you fall in love with the lines, especially on the old boats, you'll keep them until either you become unseaworthy - rather than the boat. Yes, expensive at first buy; quality comes at a cost I suppose.

The Bucaneer is a hard chine British Design, it has quite an angular appearance with a pronounced 'chine' on the deck, which always make me think it is some sort of 'low radar profile' stealth shape. It has quite a rocker on it for a sea boat and it carries quite a slab sided amount of freeboard. These characteristics make it sound a bit of a liability in open water, but it can be very accurately trimmed with the adjustable skeg. It has great secondary stability, and for quite a big boat, it is one of the most agile sea boats I have paddled - with good on edge leaned turns and sprightly acceleration. The large hatch covers, and hull shape make this an extremely easy boat to pack, and when loaded, its handling is excellent, and concerns about performance in the wind melt away. I would recommend this boat for day trips close in shore, where you can get in close without concern and for taking on expeditions where you have a lot of kit, or just don't want to spend a long time trying to get everything in. North Shore also does a shorter lower volume Polar Bucaneer, which strangely seems to paddle like the loaded high volume version - if that is what you want.