Introduction

 We are currently working on a new kayak and I would like to take this opportunity to give a little background on the project:

Valley obviously has a long history of making and designing sea kayaks, this started in the early 70’s with the Anas Acuta and was quickly followed by the Nordkapp, even 35+ years on the influence of these designs (especially the Nordkapp) can be seen throughout the current range. This is no bad thing because all of the current boats have strong reputations in their respective classes but equally this common thread can be felt in the way they paddle therefore if you like the Avocet you will probably like the Aquanaut and equally the Nordkapp assuming they suit your size experience and needs. Conversely if you don’t like one you might not like any of the others irrespective of whether it would suit your size and needs!

So our aim is to introduce a new strain of DNA into the Valley range, one that is a little more contemporary both in style and paddling feel. What do we mean by this? Traditionally Valley kayaks are slightly “fish-form” i.e. widest point slightly forward of centre, opinion does vary but the general consensus is that this gives slightly better down wind and surf performance at the expense of a slight decrease in maximum hull speed. In practice people tend to feel our boats are bigger than they actually are because the widest area is where you are looking and need to position your paddles. Our new boat is more neutral, in fact very slightly Swede form i.e. widest point rear of centre, in theory (all other things being equal) a Swede form boat will be slightly quicker but it is the perception of speed that is more noticeable because you are now paddling in a narrower part of the boat you have a better sensation of the water coming past and your paddling is less encumbered. It is this difference in “Feel” that we are trying to foster. As I mentioned previously this is not entirely about making a better Valley boat, although we certainly hope it will be one of our best, primarily it is about making a new boat for those that aren’t currently drawn to what we offer.

So where are we in the process:

The brief: Produce a contemporary sea kayak suitable for expedition style paddling whilst still fun and nimble enough for day and weekend work. The benchmark boats being – our own Aquanaut & Nordkapp’s, NDK’s Explorer, P&H’s Cetus and Quest models, Tide Race’s Explore and Rockpool’s GT

 The approx dimensions we’ve settled on are:

17’7”-17’8” by 21.5” or those more metrically minded 540cm by 54cm

 The hull is shallow to moderate ‘V’ in cross-section for good initial stability and rocker I would describe as moderate i.e. less than some of the existing Valley boats but more than some of the others quoted above. 

In the UK we are currently running a testing program, Beta testing if you like! This is what are we hoping to get from our testers:

Feedback.The boats produced are not the finished article but they are meant to be a good indication of where we’re going with it. Although final polish and detail will not be present, on the water they will perform as a production kayak would, so tracking, handling, size, load carrying characteristics and performance in the wind are all fair game for comment and we are listening.

So what next:

We have made our mould and the first couple of these test boats. Everybody involved is being asked to give some written feedback and this will be posted here so people can see what happens as the process continues, potentially there will be a mark 2, 3 or even 4 before the final version is released to the market at the end of this year

Thanks for having the interest and taking the time to look

Peter