Love the Valley Avocet!


I love the Valley Avocet . . . for fun. But didn't buy one . . . yet.
I'd like one . . . if they make improvements to some basic design elements!

I'd like Valley to work on making their seats something I'd like to sit in!
So far, I don't know anyone who likes their seats! And it's a well known complaint. Come on Valley! When I buy a new sea kayak, I shouldn't have to redo the seat before I can paddle the boat, although lots of high end paddlers do just that with every sea kayak they buy.

I already have two sea kayaks: The Boreal Baffin and Maelstrom Vital. And I'm perfectly happy in the factory installed seats in each one. Although in the Boreal Baffin, I had to add a bit of foam for a tighter fit. The Baffin is a bit big on me. I'm a 5'6", 125 lbs. girl.

I also didn't like the short awkward coaming around the cockpit of the Valley Avocet.
It was next to impossible for me to get my skirt on this thing. Not something I have time to fiddle with in bigger water, or that I care to waste my time on.

The handling of the Valley Avocet is insanely sweet!
You can put the Valley Avocet on insane edges and it's so easy to manoeuvre. Put it on an edge, and you can easily spin it like a top! It feels so light. I like boats that are great at getting sideways and quick to move when you want to. When you don't have bigger or faster water to play in, it's great to have a sea kayak you can easily amuse yourself with in calm water. As of the 2010 paddling season, I still can't roll my Boreal Baffin or new Maelstrom Vital 166, but I'm not tempted to learn rolling in the Valley Avocet. Just play with it.

You can't get me out of the Avocet once I get in and get a skirt on it, except the water is totally running into the cockpit from the ill-fitting skirt and difficult to fit short coaming and keyhole cockpit.
 You hardly or don't even need a paddle to keep the Valley Avocet upright on a pretty decent edge.
The good news is: Valley sea kayaks are coming back to Ottawa Spring 2011
I'll give the Valley Avocet another try this coming spring when Ottawa Paddle Shack brings them back to Ottawa. Trailhead had them for awhile but didn't keep them.

Valley Sea Kayaks has also set up shop in Rhode Island, U.S.A., so bringing them into our National Capital area of Canada will be a little more affordable. And we'll have the boats in thermoform to try. I'm not at all sold on anything thermoform though. But at 34 lbs, the thermoform Avocet will be a pretty light boat, and at least worth a trial!

And I'm not the only paddler who questions and is leery about thermoform. I don't like all the flex I feel on the hull! I looked at a thermoform kayak last year and said, "no way", I don't trust it. There are pros and cons of the material. The question is to ask in 2011 is how much more have they improved on the material and design of thermoform in the last two years? Or have they?

There will be lots to explore and check out in paddle season 2011. At least for me. New destinations, boats, materials, and gear! I'll be making a list.

How many kayaks do you love paddling? It's always nice to find another paddle mate.

Happy kayak trials!
The BaffinPaddler

Comments

  1. PenobscotPaddlesOctober 8, 2010 at 9:40 AM

    We have 15 kayaks; maybe only 10 different kinds. One of my thoughts for winter blogs is a tribute to why I love each of those boats. (Well, most of them, there's a small sit on top the boys used to use, that I've never really cared for)

    ReplyDelete
  2. MikeOctober 25, 2010 at 4:01 PM

    We own 2 kayaks - a tandem Mainstream Escapade and Aquafusion Liberty 13. I like the Escapade because it is VERY stable and the Liberty because it is VERY responsive! I'm also scratching my head on posts for winter blogs... maybe more favorite paddlng photos or some kayaking books or magazine reviews?

    ReplyDelete
  3. BaffinPaddlerOctober 25, 2010 at 9:40 PM

    Hi Mike,

    I'm working on a bigger project over the fall and winter for the BaffinPaddler. I'm working on DAMS! Paddling with dams is damned!

    BaffinPaddler is researching dams in Canada, and the U.S., and contacting organizations and government bodies, and looking for someone or several people to interview about dams. I'm hoping to post a video interview and story that I produce in collaboration with others later.

    It hit me at the Comerford Reservoir on the Connecticut River in New Hampshire, launching from a boat launch and "park-like atmosphere" with picnic tables and a parking lot for the public, right next to the dam and giant danger signs and people swimming in the water. I've looked at numerous dams and weirs while paddling, and heard a few dam stories.

    We need a good resource on the Web for the public and paddlers with info about dams in Canada and the U.S. to make it easier for us to plan safe trips. Easier to find maps of where the dams are located in places we like to paddle, dam flow rates (mostly they are estimates with no guarantees, and do you understand what the flow rates are?), and recommendations for the public and paddlers in Canada and the U.S. Dams are a pain, and we're stuck with them!

    Researching a paddle where there are dams (and there are so many of them on rivers)is so much work!

    A few paddlers have told me about hitting some scarey or difficult water in between dams on rivers on lazy summer and fall days.

    Just one of my ideas. I think I bit off more than I can chew though. But I'll be posting more on dams.

    Happy idea shopping for your blog!
    The BaffinPaddler

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJuly 29, 2013 at 2:14 PM

    I love the seat. I can see people not caring for the back band. but the seat pan? its great. I took off the pad because that did cause discomfort but I dont want the pad on it anyway. I have a tempest also. I adjusted the tempest seat and changed the back band in it in an attempt to make it more like the valley. I prefer the knees upward position as opposed to completely straight out. The valley seat is wonderful for that

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Poison Ivy and Your Pet!

Image
So, you've taken the doggie ashore on the mainland or an island for a little exercise. "Hey, you look so cute in the bush." The final flowers of fall are still standing. You've got to get a shot of the beautiful field of six-foot tall yellow wildflowers before they're gone. Suddenly, your early warning system clicks on and you remember to look down instead of up to see what you're tromping through on that barely there trail to the flowers. Poison ivy starting to turn red in the fall along the Ottawa River, Quebec, Canada.  Ah, ha! Of course. There are a few strands of poison ivy creeping out under the tall stuff! And you manage to avoid it. But where's the doggie? She's romping right through all that poison ivy you've just avoided and now her fur, paws and collar may be full of the oil, called urushiol , from the poison ivy plants - the oil that can cause a nasty rash if it gets on your skin, especially if you're one
Read more

One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water

Image
Oddly enough, the first time I saw this type of sign was on a super busy beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico this winter. I wonder why I haven't seen more signs like this when I travel to waterways:  One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water. In Spanish, una colilla de de cigarro contamina hasta 50 litros de agua . The sign was posted by a local restaurant.  I wonder why cigarettes are still allowed anywhere anymore. They are banned from more and more public places world wide. Bravo! I wonder why cigarettes are even produced when you can wear a toxic patch or chew toxic gum and not bother anyone or anything with this disgusting, toxic habit. But I do know one thing, now when I make travel plans, the first thing I will look for are completely smoke-free resorts. The resort we stayed at in Mexico did not allow smoking in rooms nor in the dining areas, lobbies, gym, etc. Even though there were open areas where people could smoke, this type of all-inclusive re
Read more

The magic of camping and kayaking at Bon Echo Provincial Park, Mazinaw Rock, Ontario, Canada! Get your bug suit on!

Image
This is one of my favourite "easy to paddle" little magic spots! Bon Echo Provincial Park is in the south central part of Ontario, Canada. It's a pretty nice place to camp! You have amenites here. Even on the back country sites - where you'll have more bugs - but more privacy. Take your pick. More people or more bugs? It's hard to choose sometimes! Mazinaw Rock is on picturesque and easy to paddle Mazinaw Lake . Mazinaw Rock is 100 metres high. If you call out, it echos three times - hence the name, "Bon Echo". In French it means, "good echo". I'll agree! I tried it - three times. It's true! Mazinaw Lake is the second deepest lake in Ontario, Canada. It averages 135 feet deep, and its deepest parts are 476 feet deep. Wow! Suddenly, I feel so small. You might want to think about a float for your camera here! If it goes overboard, you'll never find it again. I'll admit - I love rocks. Doesn't everyone?
Read more

Cycling one of America's most beautiful beaches: Fort De Soto Park, Florida

Image
Yes. I felt it. I felt like I was on one of the most beautiful beaches at Fort De Soto. Wow! The big beach cruisers float and roll over the hard sand at low tide so easily. It's a funky feeling. Perched on a wide, overly soft, bouncy seat, holding on to high handlebars with all your stuff packed into a big wicker basket, you feel goofy as you pedal in bare feet or sandals. You know you look goofy, and don't care. It sets you free. Great. It was the first week of January 2014 and we picked the coldest week of the year to visit southern Florida from Canada's deep freeze. It was 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 Celsius) when we woke up and looked out the patio door of a beach front rental on St. Pete's beach on the Gulf of Mexico, Florida. By noon the temperature climbed to 58F (14 C) according to the thermostat in the rental car. The stiff blowing nor’easter made us think differently. Let's go to Fort De Soto beach . . . in our ski jackets!  Why not. We're
Read more