Nordkapp HM - my impressions^

[Jim]

Right I promised to do a bit of a review on the Nordkapp HM I was paddling last week, since so many of us younger generation have heard of these boats, but not that many of us seem to have used them.

First a little history, The original Nordkapp was developed by Frank Goodman for the the Nordkapp Expedition way back in 1975, making the basic design 30 years old this year, although it took inspiration from centuries of Inuit kayak development. The original boat proved seaworthy, fast and able to carry large amounts of kit, but weathercocked more than was comfortable. To solve this only problem a small fixed skeg was added to the after part of the hull and the new boat renamed "Nordkapp Hull Modified" or Nordkapp HM" for short. The result is a boat that tracks very well, and is still fast and can carry a lot, the only issue then being that it wasn't very manouvreable. The original Nordkapp then became "Hull Standard" or HS. More recently further development was undertaken to increase the waterline breadth of the standard hull for more initial stability and use the now generally accepted lifting skeg to counter weathercocking when needed - this boat is called the Nordkapp Jubilee and is the only current model.

The boat I was paddling was an HM some 24 years old with several major expeditions under it's belt. The layout was therefore dated but quite workable: Ocean cockpit, failsafe footrest, small round hatches in fwd and aft tanks, with the aft bulkhead set well behind the seat leaving room to stow larger items there (now most boats have a day hatch there which I feel is less flexible).

First Impressions:
I tried the boat on for size before the trip and reckoned the footrest should be about right, the failsafe is not impossible to adjust, but it's not something I am ever likely to do....
The deck layout was good, the compass recess was obviously for a different compass than mine but I could manage with a GPS and a map compass.

Loading:
My Sea King has the same hatch layout so I was prepared for the cramped loading through a round hatch. As this was a summer trip I was able to take my lightweight sleeping bag which does fit through a hatch in it's compression sack, unlike my winter bag. Both hatches are set more towards the ends than I am accustomed to and as a result I didn't utilise the space very well on the first day causing me to have a very large deck bag. Subsequently I reorganised the cargo and I am sure that with more time to get used to loading the boat I would have got everything I needed in.

First launch:
The boat tried to capsize under the weight of the deck bag, and swamped. I tried to get in but it was no use, the spare water/beer had to go. More resonably laden (with just some maps and precious things in a small deck bag aft, and my camera fwd) getting in was no problem, although I needed to work on a backrest technique. I set off from the slip fairly nervously given the earlier incident but the boat didn't feel too unstable so I relaxed a bit.

First paddle:
I made some mistakes on the first day, bad packing, the footrest was maybe 1/2" too short and I didn't hold the backstrap up as I got in so I was sitting on it. The HM (and HS) are a bit different to many sea kayaks and very different to river kayaks in that you sit with your knees more or less up in the centre of the boat more like a marathon kayak. The ocean cockpit is small enough that your knees are tucked under the rim and you do have the normal feet/hips/knees control of the boat, it's just an unusual position. The combination of footrest and backstrap did mean that I was slightly up in the seat so the cockpit rim was pressing down on my thighs - these issues were easily fixed. The boat felt easily driven as I expected from it's reputation for speed and despite the narrow tippy hull I found edging to turn quite easy. It does take a long time to come around under edging but I was easily able to make a 90 degree turn in the sound of Ulva (A U-turn would have used pretty much the full width of the sound). After 5 or 6km my thighs were fairly knackered from the seating position but I was quite able to last out for another 3km or so until we found the beach we ended up camping on.

Adjustments and second paddle:
For the second day I removed the failsafe footrest bar and stowed it carefully behind my pelicase. I then made up a footrest from water bottles, gas bottles, my Bivi and my tarp. This enabled me to get a bit more snugly into the cockpit, I was able to spread my knees ever so slightly, but more importantly I could shuffle my feet and really drop a knee to hold the edge with the other one. I got the backrest in place but it wasn't providing much support so I later tightened it (velcro strap) for even more improvement. The first part of the day was flat calm and the only problem was that the lack of interest made me want to fidget in the boat - there was a bit of room for this but it was not very satisfying. It was very obvious that the boat would stay on course well and I could look around for extended periods without worrying about getting it back on track aftwrwards. It was a pain when everyone else was directly behind me as I was forced to stern rudder off course in order to see that they were still there.

More advanced paddling.
In the afternoon we found a small patch of overfalls to ferry accross. No problem! The boat ate them for breakfast, and almost ate a Qarsuut which stopped just in front of it (it has a lot of momentum!) The boat did not feel any more twitchy in the rough water.
Although I spent a bit of time racing off the front of the group testing the boat speed, I mainly bring up the rear so I can see anything that develops. This means stopping and waiting, or going slow - a couple of things which I had been advised were tricky in a Nordkapp, and memories of trying to stop a marathon boat had me expecting the worst. As it happened, apart from needing to keep the paddle in hand in case of support early on I didn't really find this as bad as I expected, in fact on day 3 I was retrieving my SLR from the dry bag, taking photos and putting it back all without balancing aids (flat conditions). Clearly all it needs is a little familiarisation.
On our final paddling day we were running before the wind with a reasonable sized swell coming from astern AND quartering from both sides (sometimes waves were in sets from each direction, sometimes just singles), and occasionally waves would break! Again I was going slowly at the back keeping an eye on everyone, but it seemed that as I long as I did supporting strokes, the boat made it's own way forward, often faster than the other boats so I had to stop regularly. The tracking in these seas was excellent, I had to accasionally edge a little or use a wave to straighten up but at those times the others were nearly broached....
Once we rounded Gometra for a bit of shelter the sea dropped to nothing, yet the wind seemed to have picked up despite the lee. A mixture of our change of heading, the contours of Ulva and Gometra and a possible backing of the wind meant that it was somewhere off my starboard bow for the last bit of the journey, and as a result there was a slight tendancy to weathercock to Starboard (which I don't understand I thought the stern was well loaded and with the skeg would be pinned down - I would have expected leecocking). This tendancy was easily overcome by dropping the starboard edge slightly. Whilst this technique was very easy and kept me zipping along at the front of the group (it was flat water) it did grate after a while and by the time I had done 10km of it I was pretty sick of it! Conversely in my Sea King I would have been unable to hold the edge as easily and would have taken to paddling a zig zag course instead.

Close handling:
The skeg does make turning on the spot an issue, but if you edge it will go round faster. I did navigate the stack on Lunga with ease even stopping for photos. I also went into a couple of caves on Staffa, but decided to reverse out - the issue here is that skeg first running will make the boat a bit twitchy (think shopping trolley) but generally I found that plenty of edge held it into the turn I required. Take it slowly though, I built up too much speed reversing out of Fingals cave and lost the turn and grazed my arm and hand fending off the barnacle encrusted rocks.

Conclusions:
The boat is as fast and seaworthy as I've always heard.
It did not feel as tippy as I expected, and after a couple of days I had no concerns about stability except when wrestling with my camera dry bag with both hands.
Handling in smooth or rough conditions is excellent, you just point and go. If you manage to get it weathercocking (all boats will at some time) it is easily compensated by edging, continual edging is possible unlike in more "stable" boats.
The Ocean cockpit is essential for the seating position, I prefer these anyway. If it were my own boat I would make a removable bulkhead and do away with the failsafe footrest, I would also lower the seat slightly (or alter the angle) to accomodate my thighs without the cockpit pressing on them and causing long term aching - I am rather too big for the boat I tried! To do this I would probably have to cut the seat right out and stick a third party seat to the hull instead.
The only issue I had was with comfort, which is due to my build and could be customised into a boat with just a little thought, other than that it was excellent.

I am not about to rush out and buy one, but it is on my "desirable" list.

JIM

[Douglas Wilcox]

Here is a pic of a 1986 Nordkapp HM in the Dorus Mor.

I agree with everything Jim says and here are a few additional points. It does not like being paddled without a full load. The forward section is surprisingly bouyant and the bow goes very high crossing steep wind against tide waves at the entrances to Scottish sea lochs. (A characteristic inherited by the Jubilee) In these conditions, going into the wind and waves about 45 degrees, it leecocks.

As Jim has said, it weathercocks in flatter water especially when the wind is over the stern quarter. It's a pain to edge for miles and Mair whose boat it was has now got a Jubilee with a skeg.

This particular HM had been stored inside and not used for about 9 years but was very fragile and it made ominous cracking noises when the rack straps were tightened. It was however one of the lightest boats I have ever lifted.

Douglas

[willsc1]

Not being at all au fait with Nordkapps,

am I correct in assuming that the only one currently 'in production' is the Jubilee? What sort of age are HS/HM's likely to be?

Cheers

[Jim]

Not being at all au fait with Nordkapps,

am I correct in assuming that the only one currently 'in production' is the Jubilee? What sort of age are HS/HM's likely to be?

Cheers

Um, yes the Jubilee is the only version in production, If it has neither HM, HS or Jubilee on the graphics (assuming they are still there) it could be up to 30 years old (Pelagic knows the owner of number 4, which is still in use). I am not sure when the HM was introduced (and correspondingly the Standard model became the HS) and I am not sure when the Jubilee was introduced and if it directly replaced the others or was produced in tandem for a while.

Pelagic may provide more information on dates, otherwise Knoydart should know (Richard Cree may have the information?). I also have a feeling that the moulds may still exist and it may be possible to arrange for a custom build, however I would think that generally HMs will be between 5 and 25 years old.

Unlike Douglas I have not experienced any problems with ancient Valley boats going fragile, I have paddled Anas Acutas possibly even older than Nordkapps and have paddled in company with up to 4 different HMs over the last few years all of which were quite sound, although keel strips have been retrofitted to most if not all (and many folk do this to brand new boats now anyway).

JIM

[MikeB]

I know of at least one HM made specially in the last five years - - - and very nice it is too!

They have the moulds, and its worth asking nicely - - -

[Yellow Penguin]

Well done for an excellent review Jim. I have recently aquired a nordkapp HM which is approx 15 years old and it is a fantastic boat.

[capsized8]

[quote="willsc1"]Not being at all au fait with Nordkapps,


Hi JW

You are more than welcome to try out my Jubilee.
Seems like a reasonable excuse for a paddle !!

[Pelagic]

UUMM........... I wasnt going to contribute to this, obviously as Im biased.
As far as Im aware the HM went into production round about 78 or 79, I bought mine in 1980.
There are (or can be if you ask) three Nordkapp models available, original (HS or HM) h2o and Jubilee, h2o has a smaller bow than the Nordkapp and is very popular in America, the Jubilee also has a modified bow and stern contour, the biggest improvment (for me) is the modified cockpit rim which makes rolling (or just leaning back) a lot more comfortable. All those years learning to roll leaning forward.........ah well, It comes in handy playboatin!
Valley will still make you an HM if you so desire, I believe the moulds are still available, as with all Valley boats you can specify to your hearts content, Bulkhead position, seat, equipment etc as long as you are prepared to wait while they build it.
As far as the HM goes I am amazed that the design has stood up so well in comparison to more modern boats, the boat tracks very well but as has been pointed out, needs good paddling (edging) technique to get the best out of it. Douglas is also correct in pointing out that a bit of weight will improve the overall experience (if you want to experience the true twitchiness Jim,paddle it empty!)
I must say that Jim wrote a very fair and objective review and has highlighted some good (and bad) points about the boat, in fairness and deference to the boats age in my experience its a boat you either love or hate. I also still consider it the best rough water boat I have ever paddled.
That particular boat and I have cut a long wake together, it certainly has never given me cause for concern over its fragility, on the contrary it was twenty years before it needed a keel strip. It has however given me some amazing memories, I can forgive its shortcomings, as over the years I have discovered most of them to be mine all the time, and in that respect it has taught me a lot. For that reason I will never sell it.
I now paddle a Jubilee and over the two or three years I have had the boat I have had no reason to regret it, I had problems remembering the skeg at first but I have solved that problem by not using it, I just edge a little up to about force 4-5 (thanks again HM). I miss my ocean cockpit a bit but I find my hips are grateful for the comfortable seating position. I wish I had asked for a heavier layup but Valley very kindly fitted a keel strip for me (Im a bit of a clutz round rocks)
The Nordkapp has a lot of firsts under its belt, but I know frank was never entirely happy with the boat (but then he is a perfectionist) The design initiated and then kept pace with modern sea kayak development, it has evolved over the years and can still more than hold its own with anything when it cuts up rough, I suppose there cant be too many boats that have been around as long and have had so many small evolutionary changes. Mine for example has the old hard bulkheads that craze the gelcoat and the daft compass recess that fills with water (no-one ever used it, its too small and far away) but that was then and this is now as they say.
I wont go into the weathercocking leecocking thing........that would be a whole seperate thread!
Nordkapps rock!
There you go not too biased eh?

Phil

Ps Douglas, my boat would appreciate it if you spelt her name right, its Nordkapp HM

[Guest]

Cheers chaps

JW

[Ken R]

Great review Jim and interesting to read history of Nordkap.

I paddle a Jubilee and overcome the problem of too light a load, particularly on day trips, with a small BDH full of lead flashing anchored between my legs.

Ken

[Erik]

'H' stands for hatches as the first Norkapp did not have hatches and bulkheads.
Another model is the HLR, Hatches, Long cockpit and understern Rudder.

/Erik

[Pelagic]

Ill have to slightly disagree with you on that Erik, you are quite correct that "H" stands for hatches, however all the original expedition boats had hatches and bulkheads fitted (the hatches were the old metal hendersons secured by a cammed lever) I believe when the boat went into production a bare boat was an option but to be honest Ive only ever seen one. I have paddled at one time or another three of the "originals" and interestingly enough Colins boat had a pre-curser to the day hatch as he had a BDH type container fitted into a recess in the deck immediately behind the cockpit for "stuff needed to hand". He also had the front bulkhead positioned as a footrest to cut down volume in the cockpit and maximise space in the front hatch, as he is four inches shorter than me this made the boat very painful to sit in for any long periods for me, none the less pretty forward thinking for 1975!

Phil

[Jim]

Wow, I do have more experience than Phil in something Nordkapp! GKC had 2 old boats without hatches or bulkheads, they didn't even have recesses moulded into the deck for hatches. I have a feeling the club may have got them from a centre long in the past, both were the same orangey colour. AFAIK Robin swapped one and might have swapped or sold the other since they were never used. I think I know who had them but I don't know if they are still in use.

JIM

[Coop C]

Jim, I think the boats your club have, came from Ayrshire Community Education,Strathclyde Regional Council.I worked with a fleet of them in 1980, built for centre work. They were based on Arran,for Summers, but went round places as required.There were 10 of them.The people I paddle with all have old Nordkapps. My wifes old boat had a rudder, built early 1980's, as were the two other HM boats. This was a boat you loved or hated, a gent called Bill Reoch who was paddling expeds till he was 69 owned one, I remember having to push the stern round because it just was not for turning, in a big sea, off Toe Head. I think the boat I disliked the least was the one with the rudder, so I suppose that I am in the hate camp. They are still fast boats, and if you are the only one in the group without one, you are always at the back. The others I paddle with swear by them, me, just at them. They have made a big impact, and I am sure these boats will last another 20 years.
Colin

[woody]

nice to hear your thoughts, thanks a lot for responding to my request for your thoughts.

I have given my old nordkapp hm away, my boss wouldnt let me use it to work, said it was too knackered for working-not safe! currently paddling a sirius hf which is in really good nick but I think Ill try to get my hands on a jubilee asap. The sirius isnt a patch on the old nordy. The seat is comparatively uncomfy, and I liked my old keeper footrest. Its a bit too big for me as well, and I dont like the way it feels on the water, the way it moves as waves pass under.

I have encountered the leecocking effect on a crossing to the point of sleat from mallaig. Must have worked at least five times as hard on the right as on the left, and it was in a bloody big sea as well, quite scary edging. We were crossing almost exactly at an angle of 45 degrees to the wind. Hard work. On the way back I had to add rocks to my boat because we had drunk all the water, beer and food and it was too light.

Any how, if you are up in this neck of the woods and fancy a paddle give us a shout

woody