New Valley Nordkapp Forti?^

[Nico breizh]

I saw it in a shop,
the hull looks like to the aquanaut.
If the aquaunaut was called "the new nordkapp", it would be a bestseller.
(nico, aquanaut paddler ;) )

[Bazza S]

I saw it in a shop,
the hull looks like to the aquanaut.
If the aquaunaut was called "the new nordkapp", it would be a bestseller.
(nico, aquanaut paddler ;) )

http://www.specsavers.co.uk/offers/free ... act-lenses

[Nico breizh]

Free Glasses !!
:)

[SLovrien]

Hi Nick,

Still no kayak in my hands - as the shipment that was promised by the shop in Rhode Island for late March is late. The water temps are 5 degrees colder than average this year which is only matched by the cooler air. However, it is tough knowing there are buddies out there enjoying the waves as I languish typing on this computer. I will make up for it though.

If you are ever near the coastline of Connecticut and want to take the Forti for a spin - drop me a note at slovrien at comcast dot net and we will meet up.

[nickcrowhurst]

Hi Nick,
If you are ever near the coastline of Connecticut and want to take the Forti for a spin - drop me a note at slovrien at comcast dot net and we will meet up.

Scott, thank you for your kind offer. It would be good to see how it compares with the HM/S. Perhaps you can borrow a kayak while you're waiting. The northern USA Summer is too short to spend it waiting for the delivery. I feel your pain!
Nick.

[lg18]

Having sat in someone's old Nordkapp HM at the weekend, it reminded me how gorgeous they are, so wondered if anyone has any updates/reviews on how the new Forti behaves? And am I right in assuming that, unladen for day trips, a Forti would be way too big for a 5' 5" slim (57kg) person?! I would love to hear what lucky paddlers with a new Forti have to say!

Lucy

[Irish Sea]

I had the chance to demo a couple of boats last weekend. PH Cetus MV, Valley Etain 17.5, Valley Aquanaut, Northshore Atlantik as well as a Nordkapp LV and the new 40. Both the Nordkapps stood out as beeing dramatically different in their stability profile compared to the other boats.

For me 177cm, 75kg the LV worked better. It fit like a glove and while it certainly was quite loose in terms of stability it didn't feel twitchy for me. Just very smooth and extremely easy to edge. Forward paddling felt effortless and it turned surprisingly well for its length. Loved it from the moment I got into it.

The 40 is a thing of beauty and looks maybe even better then the LV (which is allready a great looking boat). From the outside it hides its size well and I found it almost looked smaller then the LV. Sitting in it there was a noticeable difference in deck height though and I felt a little loose in the cockpit. If it was mine I'd definately add a little foam for a better fit. On the water the 40 did actually feel slightly twitchy to me. Not too bad and I probably would have gotten used to it pretty quickly but I had to be more alert and actually needed a quick brace or two when the boat almost caught me out. In terms of speed or glide I couldn't feel much of a difference in comparison to the LV. The 40 tracked a little harder though and took a little more effort to turn.
After the paddle I noticed that the seat in the 40 was mounted higher then in the LV. This, in combination with the somewhat loose fit, probably explains the twitchyness I felt.

[EK Sydney]

Here's our take on the first one of these to land in our part of the world, with the disclaimer that we're the Valley distributor in Australia.

http://expeditionkayaks.blogspot.com.au ... first.html

Mark.