CASKA: Chicago Area Sea Kayakers Association

Boat Review: Valley Etain RM

by Sarah Hartman

I paddled an Etain RM from Valley Sea Kayaks for six days on a recent open water trip in Alaska and wanted to share my findings.

 

DESCRIPTION

The Valley website describes the RM as an expedition capable kayak and compares it to the Aquanaut. It was designed to be more contemporary in style and paddling feel than the other boats in their line up; being neutral to slightly Swede form with the widest point of the boat behind the cockpit. They additionally describe it as having a V in the cross-section for stability and moderate rocker for tracking yet providing a lively ride. The website further promotes the removable deck pod as being an advantageous feature.

Specs: (from Valley website)

Length: 17' 7"

Width: 21.5"

Depth: 13.25"

Weight: 51 lb. (w/out hatch covers)

Volume: Not given

Load Range: 160-300 lb. with 180-280 lb. ideal range

 

 

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

Speed:

On calm days, the boat had no problems keeping up with the mix of other boats in the group. On windy days, I slowed down but attribute that to my personal capability for paddling into headwinds – not to the characteristics of the boat.

Weight:

It didn't feel as heavy as some plastic boats that I've tried but was heavy enough that I did not feel able to balance it adequately for a solo carry. Guys would probably be able to carry this boat without a problem.

Packing:

The deck height and hull configuration yields wasted space as compared to what I consider to be the gold standard of packability – the Explorer. I carried no more personal gear than I normally do for a week out, but found it difficult to pack the boat efficiently. If I had been on a self supported trip, I would have been pressed to fit stove, fuel, and food without leaving some of my creature comforts, such as a camp chair, at home.

In the back hatch, the skeg section was just small enough (and the skeg box large enough) that miscellaneous items would not wedge completely under the tent poles and camp chair like in other boats that I've paddled. The camp skillet was a tight squeeze getting into the rear oval hatch although the back hatch is supposed to be standard size. The space behind the seat would have been adequate for carrying a small dromedary of water or fuel bottles. The space between the front bulkhead and foot pegs is designed such that "stuff" that is placed in that space does not stay in place as with other boats that I've traveled with. I do not know if this is due to hull shape or foot peg design. The front hatch provided a second oval for easy access and seemed adequate enough although 5 liter dry bags were not able to be stored upright resulting in wasted space.

Handling:

I would describe the boat as average. I was able to edge it adequately for turns and rock gardening. Rolling was easy. The boat responded reasonably well to directional paddle strokes. It didn't seem to want to surf though. In its defense, I do a slow, dog paddle style take off when surfing and rely on the wave to catch the boat. If I had been doing the correct, short powerful take off strokes that allow the boat to catch the wave, the Etain may have responded better to surf.

Other:

The seat was comfortable but held excessive water. The other Etain paddler in the group felt the seat did not have the proper slope for correct paddling posture. I found that the back band was angled away from my back and did not provide support.

The removable deck pod was small but seemed adequately sized for the items it was designed to carry: keys, snack, small first aid. I found the pod annoying as it did not stay secured under the bungees and the security string (to keep the pod from being swept away in waves) interfered with placement of the items I like to keep on my deck such as charts and water bottle.

The day hatch leaked. The hatch cover did not seal properly even on our flat water days and the day hatch would take on an inch of water over the course of the day. On our 1' day, the day hatch would have an inch plus of water at every stop and on our 3' day, it took on 3"+ of water between stops. The other Etain user in our group had a similar experience. The gossip in the group was that Valley intentionally changed the day hatch cover design to save on costs.

Both Etains experienced a failure of the right side railing that supports the foot peg. The screws came loose and allowed the entire railing to detach from the boat. These were brand new boats and we were not in tough conditions where excessive force was being applied to the pegs. If it happened to one boat I could chalk it up to being a problem with that particular boat. Having happened to both boats, I suspect Valley has a quality issue.

Fit:

The boat felt neither snug nor loose. The foot peg adjustments were simple to work. The cockpit area is somewhat narrow and I found that a small adjustment in bringing the pegs closer to the seat would put my knees up against the hull. The Valley website mentions a re-design of the thigh grips to make them more ergonomic. I did notice the thigh grips fit well.

Summary:

This boat would be fine for trips of less than one week in duration on flat water. It would also be fine for recreational paddling or to have as a river (rock gardening) boat.

Comparative Review: Explorer, Force 4, Kodiak

by Sarah Hartman

During two recent expeditions I had the opportunity to paddle a standard SKUK Explorer in fiber glass lay up (Open Coast of Alaska with Geneva Kayak Center - 8 days consistent 2' waves) and a Prijon Kodiak in plastic lay up (Great Slave Lake - 14 days with 0-2' waves). As I usually paddle an Impex Force 4 in Kevlar lay up, I had adequate time to explore the handling differences between the three boats in the conditions I'm accustomed to.

Boat specs:

Boat                 SKUK Explorer    Impex Force 4    Prijon Kodiak

Length                17' 5"                        18'                          17'

Width                  21.26"                      20.75"                    23.5"

Weight                 57 lb.                       44 lb.                      62 lb

Volume               82.8 gal                    90 gal                     103 gal

Material            Fiberglass                  Kevlar                    Plastic

Speed:

I couldn't tell a difference in the overall speed between the Explorer and Force 4. I've paddled both boats loaded and empty. I'm a slow paddler (4 mph average is an awesome day for me) but I seemed to be only slightly farther behind the group in the Explorer than I ever am with the Force 4. The Explorer seemed to take a bit more effort to paddle but that may be because it's been a year since I've paddled the Force fully loaded and have forgotten what effort she requires. The Kodiak seemed to top out at 3.5 mph.

Weight:

Loaded or empty, the 13 lb. difference between the glass and Kevlar was significant on the carries (more than one person was carrying the boats either loaded or unloaded). I was only able to sled the Prijon as it was beyond my carry weight when empty. I can comfortably solo carry the Impex when empty. I've not tried to carry an Explorer by myself.

Packing:

The Explorer was easy to pack. I use a combination of 5 and 10 liter dry bags and was able to often fit two bags, standing on end, side by side – making for tight packing while still being somewhat organized. With the Impex, I need to be more creative in packing by stuffing loose items around the dry bags. Apparently the 1.5 inches in width is the difference. The Prijon had the largest capacity of all the boats but I was carrying the most gear and food of any trip to date. So, with all the boats, I ended up utilizing cockpit space for storage.

The straighter ends of the Impex seem to stuff easier for items like tents, tent poles, etc. But the Explorer held just as many items. The Prijon wins hands down in ability to stuff the stern as it had a rudder so there was no skeg box to pack around.

The Prijon also wins in the hatch access category. With its large, access hatches, I could easily reach large areas of the cockpit. I still prefer the Tupperware style hatches of the Force and Explorer as the Kodiak hatches leaked (neoprene inner liner covered by a latched on plastic lid).

Handling:

The Force is intentionally designed with relatively little rocker. This feature is what gives her speed. The Explorer has slightly more rocker. This difference was most noticeable in rock gardens where draws and turns were needed. Less edge was required with the Explorer than with the Impex to accomplish similar maneuvers. While not as nimble as the Romany Surf I test-paddled earlier in the summer, the Explorer is a sweet boat if you need to compromise between playfulness and speed. The Prijon was wide and stable and handled accordingly. It felt sluggish overall.

Rolling:

The Explorer seems to roll easier than the Force 4. I've rolled an Explorer loaded and unloaded and success rate was good. I've not rolled the Force or Kodiak loaded so cannot make a true comparison between the three but do prefer the Explorer over the Force for rolling.

Fit:

The Force fits me like a glove and I find it quite comfy even on long days. It will give me rashes over the course of several days at the top of the back band and at the hips but I've learned to manage those.

The Explorer fits a little loose in the seat and the seat is totally incompatible with my body shape. On the AK expedition, I ended up with bad bruises in the sit bone area after the first day. A combination of ¼" foam padding and a slightly inflated paddle float solved the problem for the remainder of the trip.

The Kodiak is as comfy as a favorite armchair and just as roomy.

All three weathercock very nicely when given the opportunity (skeg unable to deploy due to a jam or in the case of the Kodiak – an intentional decision to not use the rudder). All three can be managed by weight shift and paddle strokes. In order of ease of control without rudder or skeg: Kodiak, Explorer, Impex. I attribute this to the amount of room I have in the seat in which to physically move my body vs. only being able to weight shift via an edge. Larger folks would have a different experience than I.

All have plenty of storage room in the front of the foot pegs. (Probably a benefit of my leg length vs. the large size of the boats.) The Force and Explorer are about the same for foot space and overall cockpit space. (Again, the Kodiak is so large it's really not in the same category of boat as the other two.) I use a Seals 1.7 skirt on expeditions and find it fits easily on the Force, is a snug fit on the Explorer, and was difficult to fit onto the Prijon.

All three boats have differences in cockpit height and foredeck room but not enough to warrant discussion. I'm accustomed to paddling wide and narrow boats so was able to avoid any potential knuckle scraping while paddling. The significant gripe about the Kodiak was lack of a day hatch. I also found the netting on the fore decks of the Kodiak annoying as 'stuff' got caught in it. However, with the oversized foam paddle float I was carrying in Canada, the netting on the aft deck worked much better than typical bungee style deck webbing.

Summary:

The Impex is still my favorite boat because she's paid for. Someday when she wears out, the Explorer will be in my consideration set. The Kodiak is much too big for me but served the purpose well.

 

Capsurz - A New CASKA Sponsor

Dear CASKA Members, 

Please allow us to introduce ourselves as a new CASKA Sponsor. We are a husband and wife design team, Para Designers Inc., who have invented a product, Capsurz, that provides important functionality for hat-wearing outdoor enthusiasts, especially paddlers. 

Capsurz is the only patented cap accessory cord that retrofits to your hat and keeps it on your head, hands free! 

 

We invented Capsurz due to our own hat and wind challenges and are now working on letting all hat-wearing outdoor enthusiasts know how easy it is to be cap sure with Capsurz. We are native Illinoisians: Capsurz is made in Woodstock, IL and we'd like to help promote safe paddling and eliminate hat litter by keeping hats where they're supposed to be. 

Thank you to Tom Bamonte and Emily Kornak for welcoming us to CASKA. And as a thank you to the group, the first three members to email us will receive a complimentary Capsurz, as long as you'll use it, review it (pictures, too!) and post it to this blog!

Here's to your safe paddling fun,  

Mari & Eric

Para Designers Inc. 
www.capsurz.com
sales@capsurz.com

New boats for sale!

Check them out here: http://caskaorg.typepad.com/caska/for-sale-from-caska-membe.html

and check back for updates. Looks like more may be on the way soon. This might be a good time for shoppers to snag some great deals! 

New CASKA sponsor: JerseyBin(TM)

Special offer from JerseyBin creator Rob Kortus (just in time for the holidays!):

"Greetings! I'm reaching out to other outdoor enthusiasts to take this time to showcase my new product (JerseyBin™) that I believe would benefit your kayak/canoe club members. This product is wonderful for keeping personal items in a durable 8 gauge vinyl pouch, i.e., cell phones, cash, keys, small digital cameras, etc. And, because of its material, it will keep personal items dry.    

The initial feedback from this wonderful new product has been received with many positive accolades.  I truly believe that the JerseyBin can be a very useful item for your members. 

I hope that you find the JerseyBin aesthetics and functionality a good reason to purchase for your organization. If you are interested and only want to purchase the two JerseyBin pack to review, I offer you this 10% coupon on checkout, coupon code: jbski10percent (valid through 31 Dec 2008). If you would like to purchase more after reviewing, please revisit the site.  

Please visit my website at www.JerseyBin.com for additional information.  Thank you for your consideration and contact me for absolutely any questions that may arise.

Rob Kortus
Founder, JerseyBin™"

Skin on frame kayak for sale

http://pkdog.com/sof

Paddle in the tradition of Greenland Style.  Built in 2006 by a master kayak builder.  My boats have been featured in wooden boat magazine.  Excellent choice for a Big Guy paddler ready to learn Greenland style rolling.  Plenty of foot room and easy entrance large cockpit 29” x 19”

Materials are Alaska Yellow Cedar, ballistic nylon, artificial sinew and oil based poly urethane.

Contact me if you are interested in paddling this boat at the UI-C pool session.

http://pkdog.com/sof

Paul Doughty

(773) 320-5119

paul@pkdog.com

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

   

Paddling At Night: A Recap

For the sake of newer paddlers, after all the back-and-forth discussion on the CASKA Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caska/), I want to try to recap and gather thoughts on paddling after dark in Chicago:

1.) It's GREAT. It's serene, it's thrilling, it's convenient, and done properly, it's safe. The skyline, the fireworks, warm gentle breezes -- is there better paddling anywhere in the world? And, a full schedule of Wednesday night outings. In fact, ten years ago when I began kayaking, most of my very first paddles as a raw novice were done at night on Lake Michigan with CASKA! Fear not, get out there and have fun.

2.) Like all paddling, night passages require proper equipment, preparation, and common sense. All the daytime guidelines apply, plus the following:

*You are required to have one white light. In open water, where you can focus on individual vessels as they approach, some people prefer to leave this light off to maximize their own night vision. In traffic or where sightlines are not open this is not practical.

*Additional lights are highly advisable, but if used, they should be regulation: a red light on the port bow, a green light on the starboard bow, and a white light on the stern. A hand 'torch' or headlamp is useful for aiming at approaching craft, illuminating a compass, rendering aid, etc.

*Batteries! Check 'em, have a spare, and a spare spare.

*Reflector tape on hull, paddle and pfd are highly recommended.

*A strobe is the single most useful visible distress signal (VDS) at night. It should be worn on the chest or shoulder and only be used in distress situations.

*Audible signals (horn, whistle, etc.) are essential at night. At least one person in the group should have a VHF radio and be monitoring Ch. 16 and 9. Send a securite warning if you're in a vulnerable position.

*Even more so than in the daytime, there is safety in numbers. Keep the group tight. Rescues and other maneuvers will be just that much more difficult at night.

*Pay particular attention to vessels approaching from the east -- you are especially hard to see against the busy lights of the city.

Bill Burton

CASKA's Kayaking Safety Brochure

CASKA is pleased to announce the release our Kayaking Safety Brochure!

This brochure, together with our Kayaking Safety Center, is intended to promote safe kayaking on the Great Lakes & in the Chicago region .

Please contact us with any question or comments!

Safe paddling,
CASKA

SPOT Satellite Messenger

From the SPOT website:

"SPOT. The World’s First Satellite Messenger.

With the SPOT Satellite Messenger, you and your loved ones have peace of mind knowing help is always within reach. SPOT is the only device of its kind, using the GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, and then sending its location – with a link to Google Maps™ – and a pre-programmed message via a commercial satellite network. And unlike Personal Locator Beacons, SPOT does more than just call for help. Tracking your progress, checking in with loved ones, and non-emergency assistance are also available, all at the push of a button. And because it uses 100% satellite technology, SPOT works around the world – even where cell phones don't."

Gear Recommendation: Contact Tow/Mini-Shockle

From Tom Bamonte:

Over the past few weeks I've needed to employ a contact tow on a few occasions. I've been using something called the Mini-Shockle and it worked very well. You can find it here:

http://shockles.com/products06/minishockle.cfm

The Mini-Shockle is a dressed up firm bungee cord with carabiners on each end. It is easy to deploy and
seems strong enough for contact tow purposes. The Mini-Shockle is handy to have around. When I had to drag my kayak through some shallow water I just clipped it to my bow toggle and I was set to go.

 

Thanks to Jim Tibensky for the tip.