Sirius

I'm old and I want my Sirius S to continue to surf. I entrust it to a kayaker who knows how to appreciate it, but how difficult it is for me to part with it! I have paddled a lot and also for weeks' trekking with all the seas. I came from offshore sailing and only with the Sirius S did I find the joy and safety of sailing for a long time like on a good boat on the high seas! Thank you little loved Sirius S!

It is not a beginners boat and is designed for expedition use. I do paddle it on day excursions and for surfing, but it is best loaded (like a Nordkapp). I think it is fairly stable for it's configuration. Although I don't like a deep-V hull because it's harder to do seal-launches, it tracks beautifully with or without rudder control.

The fit and finish are very good...my only negative comment is on extra light carbon, kevlar layups...especially clear hull versions. I don't think they hold-up like most people expect them to...not the fault of P&H, it's just what ultra-light lay-ups will give you. This choice is not a good one for an expedition boat (but hey, the customers think they want them....until they actually own one and smack into a rock...we are victims of marketing and our own limited understanding of design/function).

Why not a 10? Well, no kayak is perfect...but this one (in a reasonable lay-up) is darn close and will deliver what it promises if you have the knowledge and skill to use it. Overall an outstanding piece of equipment.

Even after 3 years the Sirius continues to make me hone my edging and stroke skills. The cockpit was so tight that I decided to lower the seatpan all the way to the floor and add an adjustable backband. Wet re-entries are now much easier. Quality is, of course, excellent. No day hatch, but the other 2 are perfectly tight after replacing the covers with new VCP's. I thought the deck rigging wasn't correct behind the cockpit, so I changed the lines around a bit to work for me. Love those recessed line hold-downs. No problem with the skeg, but it doesn't help with directional stability in a stiff tailwind.

This is my first composite boat. It's definitely more fragile than a plastic boat but has excellent rigidity. In the end, I think this boat was a good choice for me. I just gotta find more time to use it.....

Now the boat: The finish is as impeccable as every P&H I’ve ever seen has been, excepting their newer line of rotomolds (’04 on). The seat pan, cockpit and thigh braces are very appropriate for smaller paddlers and contact where they’re supposed to. In fact, of all the kayaks I’ve ever been in, the Sirius is the most comfortable especially over long hauls. For reference, other kayaks that I felt had comparable fits are the P&H Vela, Impex Outer Island, and the Impex Force Cat3. What the Sirius has though that the others lack for me is foot room. I’ve got to be barefoot in all the others, but in the Sirius, I can wear anything from water socks to stiff, thick soled mukluks comfortably, and that’s saying something. This could be a real boon on a rocky surf landing. Storage is actually quite ample for being a low volume boat at 305 litres. I think this is due to the increased “usable” space created by the deep V hull. Many other kayaks lose usable volume because of their lower deck height and fine, needle ends. The Sirius manages to maintain enough cargo room for a week or two’s worth of supplies without becoming a barge or losing efficiency (great glide too). Back to that deep V hull feature, along with the low rocker, this makes for a very hard tracking kayak…harder than the Outer Island which is longer and notoriously stiff. It must be edged or it will not turn, period. Edging is not a big effort though as it really wants to be on its side; secondary stability is really good. This also makes for a “twitchy” ride if not up to speed. Once up to speed though, the low initial stability firms right up. A little ballast weight will also help with this. Also, even though the boat is officially 14” deep, it does not have a high deck relative to the paddler; it is deeper than most kayaks below the seat pan due once again to the V hull. For the hatches, I have two complaints: The 9.5” fore hatch is way too small for “expedition” paddling. Can you camp out of it? Definitely. You can buy a bunch of smaller drybags or put the drybags in and load them through the hatch, reversing this process to unload. The question is would you want to do this every day for weeks? Not me. The other hatch complaint is that the day hatch seems too far back. Compounded by the low initial stability when not moving, and it becomes a bit precarious fishing around in there for any amount of time. Having a Greenland paddle helps as I can just outrigger it like a paddle float, but it takes extra time and attention.

After reading all of this, one may think that I don’t actually like the Sirius, but I actually believe this may be the best compromise craft I’ve paddled. It’s hard to find a small person’s boat made to accept bigger feet as well. I’m sure I could learn to adapt to the hatch issues that I’d have for the 1-1½ weeks a year that I’d be camping out of it. As for the rest of the year? Good fit yet ample room for winter wear here in Michigan, hard tracking, fair turning, fast, efficient…I still want to try a Foster Silhouette, but the Sirius remains at the top of a very short list for me.