Bought some new paddles today

[LRB125]

Visited Sea Kayking UK to check their paddles out, came away more enlightened and with a new pair of paddles :) I saw that they build the ND kayaks in the same building so was given a guided tour, quite an impressive setup and along with plenty of great looking kayaks/paint finishes to choose from. Has anyone any experience on what the overall quality finish of their boats are like compared to the Rockpool built kayaks

Thanks in advance

[on the rocks]

I’ve had new boats from both. I would say that they both have similar high quality finish. Rockpool’s standard layup is a bit thinner than SKUK (NDK) which can allow the hull to flex rather than grind over rocks if you are unfortunate or careless enough to paddle over them. My 50:50 glass/carbon SKUK Pilgrim Expedition is a similar weight to my previous all glass Rockpool Isel. Both have a generous layer of protective gel coat unlike some other manufacturers. Rockpool’s deck fittings are glued in whereas SKUK’s are screwed in. Mike at Rockpool takes pride in his colour designs and can be reluctant to let you order a drab plain design whereas SKUK’s standard designs are less bling. Overall in my opinion they are both excellent and choosing between them comes down to how the fit, handling and paddling characteristics of individual models suit you; for example Rockpool boats generally have slightly harder chines than SKUK boats.

[LRB125]

Thanks for that summary 'on the rocks', that was very helpful indeed. I've actually just bit the bullet and ordered a Rockpool Eto, so super excited. Hopefully I've made the right choice, the spell I had in it was very comfy (which is mainly important to me and my back) followed by fun factor smile on the face

I did see a 50/50 yesterday, looked really good, believe Rockpool just do standard then premium option with premium being quite a lot more expensive. Believe damage on a carbon boat can be more complicated/expensive to repair

[on the rocks]

Good choice, enjoy!