I got a plastic one w/o the…
I got a plastic one w/o the pod, I saw a comment about trouble. I'm 6'0 230 lbs (on-off) 32 " inseam and the foot room isn't that great. I have bought 3-4 new shoes, booties, I had to, we'll see how they improve fit. I've only got 7-8 easy paddles in the boat, when the skeg malfunctioned. I haven't tried to fix it yet, I am somewhat disgusted and pissed, it seems as though perhaps a tube on the wire came loose. It put me out of commission before I could get out on the open water, and the season ran out due to the depressing poor work or design.
As for the hull, I like it, immediately faster than my old Sirocco and Argonaut, but I've only been in the harbor and haven't gotten outside onto the ocean where I anticipate a little more twitchiness compared to both other boats. The big Argonaut after all is the Queen Elizabeth. I look forward to the more responsive boat, and much prefer open water to the harbor. I expect to be allot more engaged until my comfort level goes up. I anticipate added speed out there as well as in the harbor. Its an inch narrower than the Argonaut and 2 inches narrower than the Sirocco. Some pretty big foot adjustments because of the tighter volume, lead me to finally tighten way up on the backband and even pull the footpegs even closer. I am fairly jammed in there. It might turn out fine, when i get the skeg fixed, Needless aggravation, I've had other skeg problems, a real personal peeve in a new boat.
So, feet and backband are common adjustment issues in any snug boat. The hull is marvelous in the harbor I have to see how it cuts outside on the open sea. I don't want super twitchy but I've made my call and she's a little quick and tight. See you out there.
I just bought a cared for,…
I just bought a cared for, used version of this boat in yellow. Picked it up this morning and haven't put it in the water yet. I'm strictly giving the initial thoughts as there aren't a lot of posts here.
Fit and Finish- the plastic on this boat is certainly above average. Nicer than any single layup and as nice or nicer than my P&H Orca in Trilite. The finish is a bit of rough texture that appears intentional, and it does hold dirt more than a smooth finish but it cleans up well.
The hatch covers aren't quite as nice as the Kayak Sports on the P&H but they fit fine and aren't a struggle on or off. They removable day pod is odd, cool but not overly secure. I'm going to silicone seal this in.
The seat and back rest are not as good as the P&H, or my Liquid Logic Inuit. I'd say it's about equal to a CD boat of similar age. Leaves something to be desired, but not terrible.
The bulkheads are superb, in fact maybe the best non composite bulkheads I've seen.
The rigging is average, infact I'm not sure the perimeter lines are reflective which is inexcusable for a 17.7 sea kayak. The bungees are sufficient certainly. The skeg and control are standard fare. Deck hardware and line keepers are above average certainly.
Overall the quality of this boat is very nice and I'd rank it well above your average Necky, Wilderness, older Venture, or Boreal boats in plastic. Though all are great in their own way. The Valley is a top tier rotomold boat.
So now the sizing-
This boat is hailed as a big man's boat. I think that's a stretch. It is capable of a real load so if it's a weight thing, sure it will carry a 265 lb guy for sure. However, for a 17'7" hull this is NOT a true tall and heavy man's boat as some have hailed it. I am 6'3" tall, 225lbs and have a size 13 shoe. My inseam is 34" and my waist is 38". Not a huge guy by any stretch, certainly above average, in all fairness a giant in the sea kayak world.
I'm truly tapping this boat out in all dimensions, width wise, foot size and leg length. My unshod feet cannot sit straight upright, and I have to point my heals towards the middle so as not to fold my toes on the underside of the deck.
The foot rests are all the way forward and my legs are comfortable, but there is nothing left in deck height for my thighs without feeling truly confined.
The back band on the seat is pretty terrible and I will change it, again not going to gig it for this as most boats have this
issue from the factory. The braces on the coaming are standard fare, not excellent but they appear to be good enough and I will certainly try to keep them. They do hit the right place on my legs for bracing.
At 21.5 wide , it's the narrowest boat I would even dream of getting. I fill up the space and cannot imagine needing to pad out any area so what's there appears perfect for me.
The cockpit opening is neither large or tiny, it takes a Seals 1.4 skirt so compare that to what you've paddled. Typically a boat of this size seems to run a 1.7 so it may be a bit small for the length.
All in all, I do believe that for a boat that isn't a $3500+ composite sea kayak , and is capable of providing reasonable comfort for a 6 foot and a couple inches man , while not pushing you into a 24" boat, the Etain is an excellent option. It's a beautiful hull and should paddle as well as the reviews say. However if you have a size 14 or 15 shoe, a 36" inseam or really large diameter tree trunk legs, this boat isn't for you. Back to the Venture Jura or similar for you guys.
I bought it and definitely like the boat, but as a guy whose struggled to find options I truly want to give honest feedback to save my fellow paddler the disappointment of chasing things that don't work.
Will update after some time on the water!
I've had this kayak (RM…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 4/1/2016
I've had this kayak (RM version) for almost two years now. I use it mostly in morning / day trips and on weekend trips (2 or 3 per year). If you tend to pack a lot of stuff in your kayak, it's pretty roomy. The cockpit is pretty large and easy to get in and out. At my weight (220lbs) and height (6ft) it's a perfect fit. What I like most about it's the reassuring feeling it gives when things get rough, as well as it's speed and tracking, even when the skeg is up. On edge, it turns amazingly well for a kayak of its size. It also rolls pretty well. Regarding the issues I've experienced with it: leaky back hatch rim and a couple of broken seats (plastic): one of them cracked when surfing, the other when stretching back to exit the kayak.
I am 6'2 190 pounds and have…
Submitted by:
Yadang
on 10/6/2014
I am 6'2 190 pounds and have been paddling year round for about 3 or 4 years and have had this kayak for about half year.
I find the Etain a little roomy for me, but I am not sure if that is necessarily a very bad thing yet. That's because it has a lot of storage capacity for tripping. One thing that stands out to me is how well it turns for such a large kayak. It doesn't have aggressive thigh braces and with the cockpit being roomy for me, you would think the braces wouldn't provide the support I need for aggressive maneuvers and rolling. But again it's surprisingly not a big problem either. When I am practicing rolls and going back and forth from side to side with and without paddle, I kind of wish I had more support, but its ok with the current thigh support setup.
My hatches don't leak. I think the little 4th hatch in front of cockpit is nice. The cockpit opening is huge. Well at least I know I can jump back in easily if ever in a pinch.
Overall a good kayak. "8" for me means good to very good. I am not sure I have enough knowledge to give it an accurate rating though.
Final update as I finally figured out a few nagging issues.
First off…
Final update as I finally figured out a few nagging issues.
First off, I used my GPS on a calm day and managed to maintain 8 km/ hr for almost 2 hrs. So although the Etain feels slow it sure isn't. After a bit of experimenting I realized the boat wanted to veer to the right because the seat was not far back enough. I moved it as far back as possible with the backband almost touching the rear cockpit combing. The result being better tracking and a skeg that finally feels like it's doing something.
Now that I had more confidence in it's downwind / going with waves handling, I took it out in 2m waves and had a blast. It surfed very very well.
I had a lot of faith in the designers at Valley and knew some of my doubts would come to pass and boy was I right. What a difference moving the seat back 1" made.
Just an update now that I've…
Just an update now that I've had a few months worth of paddling the Etain.
I found the boat to be super stable and fun in confused seas with waves bouncing off sea walls and rocky shores. This boat is also very responsive to edging and paddle inputs.
The skeg is a bit vague and really less effective than the one I had on my Aquanaut Club RM. Running with the wind/ waves even with the skeg fully down does not stop weathercocking completely. I'm not sure if this is due to the swede form design or me being at the low end of the recommended weight (I'm 175-180lbs). In short I have to do a lot more edging and sweeps in certain conditions.
As for speed, it's slower than the 'Naut but not by much. It also feels more porky. I've also surfed some small waves and it was ok. As this boat handles completely different than the 'Naut, I'm still taking my time to figure out it's handling characteristics before venturing out on some real nasty stuff.
Overall still happy with my purchase.
I recently got rid of my…
I recently got rid of my Seaward Chilco 18' after a brief stint with a Point65N XP18 as well. Both kayaks in short were fast but overall unpleasant to live with (see respective) reviews.
As a previous Aquanaut RM owner I found the Etain familiar but different. The triple layer poly was rock solid and can take major abuse. The low point is that at close to 60lbs there is a bit more heft to carry from car to launch point. The new Valley seat is a huge improvement over the old and I cannot find any fault in terms of comfort. The new back band is better but I still replaced it with an Immersion Research lounge back band with the pro straps installed ( I can't say enough good things about this set-up!). The original thigh pad placements were uncomfortable. I moved them forwards, drilled some new holes and rebolted them in place. Easy fix. The rubber hatches work well and are easy to put on and off. I fitted some bungy cords with plastic snap clips to secure the hatches to the deck rigging. I also bolted the day pod/4th hatch to the hull and used rubber washers to keep it watertight. I did this because I saw a video on Vimeo that showed the pod blowing off in surf as well, the pod easily moves out of place when you remove the hatch. Another easy fix.
I have only taken it out once for a 10km paddle in calm conditions as it is still cold on Lake Ontario in March. The primary and secondary stability were just awesome compared to my previous two 18ft kayaks....I can't wait to go out in white caps! I also find the Etain is more responsive to turn than the Aquanaut. As some pebbles jammed the skeg in the up position I can't comment on it. The good news is that even though the wind picked up the tracking was still very good. I still think the rope & cleat system was more robust and reliable than the slider system as I never had a skeg jam with it. I did not bring my GPS but I was probably doing 6-7 km/hr (I still need to build up my endurance after my winter break from kayaking).
All in all a very nice kayak that should complement my requirement for a kayak that is good for day tripping, multi-day camping and handling rough conditions. I also wanted something that could take the abuse of hitting rocks and being dragged out of the water. So far this boat is a home run! I gave it a 9 because I still needed to do a few modifications to make it perfect.
