Pintail

[stan2this]

Hi

Has anyone any idea of where I could demo / hire / whatever a Pintail. Valley dealers don`t have demo boats because they are not current boats, they are in the classic range.

Preferably in the northern part of the uk, since I am away up here.

Thanks

[lg18]

Hi Stan,

Where exactly are you in the "northern part of the UK" - I have a Pintail which you'd be welcome to try - I'll be in Shetland over the next 3 weeks, or if you didn't mean quite that far north, I live in Aberdeenshire if that's any help?

Lucy

[Wenley]

Hi Lucy,

As much as I'd liked to do it, I have never tried the Pintail. How does it compare to a Anas Acuta or a Nordkapp?

Best,

[lg18]

Hi Wenley,

I'm not the best person on here to comment on Pintail vs Nordkapp (LV) vs AA (Alan Telemark probably is!), but in my limited experience paddling the Nordy I'd say the Pintail is much much naughtier than the Nordkapp LV, and possibly slightly naughtier, although smoother edging, than the AA (given the AA is hard chined). General "feel" of the hull similar to the Nordkapp LV but behaviour much more turny and unpredictable. Feisty little fillies! Makes me love it and hate it in equal measure, depending on the conditions and how confident I'm feeling at the time! Much better behaved/boring when heavily laden. I'm too light for mine really.

Lucy

[Ken_T]

Hi Wenley,
The Pintail is more like about halfway between an Anus Acuta & an Avocet.
Ken

[stan2this]

Hi Lucy

Very many thanks for your very kind offer. It`s very good of you. I`m a bit worried about using somebody`s personal boat, I`d be happier if it was a demo boat or a commercial hire, or that sort of thing, and judging by your later comments, I`m going to be a bit bigger than you, so if you have personalised the fit, I might not get in.

I have sent you a PM with info about what I`m looking for, and with my e-mail address. I`m near Oban by the way.

Thanks again

[swagstaff]

Valley have announced they are discontinuing the Pintail. If you want one you will need to order soon.

[lg18]

Oh No, What a complete disaster!

A bit more detail I found here:
http://solentseakayaking.co.uk/2012/08/ ... ea-kayaks/

Well, someone with enough money and storage space must order loads and then keep them to sell!

Gutted!

[Big Ade]

It could be something to with the fact they very rarely come up second hand.
So hardly anyone gets to know how good they are.

You can never say never, but the phrase 'prized from my cold, dead hands' springs to mind when thinking about the Pintail in the garage, and I don't even get to paddle it!

Wirral, by the way, if the OP needs to paddle one by the 31st...

[stan2this]

Yes it looks like I am going to miss out. It also looks like Lucy`s boat is going to be set up in such a way I wouldn`t get into it, so I`m still looking for a demo or hire or whatever of one.

Many thanks for the offer - Wirral`s an awfy long way away ..........

[Mark T E]

Maybe Valley will be selling the moulds off, then you can make yersell one. First dibs on the Nordy HM if they are.

[nickcrowhurst]

I was speaking about boat choice to Sean Morley shortly before he left for the USA. He said his regular play boat of choice was a Pintail, and he was really enjoying it. Enough said.
Nick.

[gasserra]

For what it's worth...

I've owned, and paddled as my first choice, a Pintail for over 15 years. I've never had any doubts about the boat's ability to handle any conditions it was in, and it's a been a champ in the worst conditions I've ever found myself in--up to Force 7. It's quite stable, despite its hull cross section, probably because the marked rocker keeps the CG so low. It's the easiest rolling boat I've paddled (though I have not paddled extremely low volume "Greenland" boats). I've observed that beginner paddlers don't like it because it is so sensitive to inputs that it turns so easily that they find it hard to keep on a straight course. Slight edge inputs, stroke to stroke, work to keep in on a straight line, so technique (at an intermediate level) compensates while still reserving the boat's potential for extraordinary maneuverability--and its maneuverability is unmatched by any other sea kayak I know of. It is relatively slow on flat water, but that's not what it is built for, and it's not slow on water with even small waves; it surfs easily. In that respect, I recall one occasion, padding mine up a local estuary with a 15 kt wind behind me and 1 foot wind waves, during which I averaged 6 kts over a 4 mile course, without any extraordinary effort.

It's very dismaying that Valley plans to discontinue it forever; stashing the molds can't be that big a cost. I understand that it is hard to wear out the old ones, but still.

Despite its roughly similar vintage, it is in no way similar in feel or behavior to a Nordkapp. The Nordkapp's comparative advantages are speed and load carrying. It's not near as "stable", nor as easy to roll, nor anywhere close to as maneuverable. As far as the Avocet and Anas are concerned, I've paddled both--I think it's more like the Avocet is half-way between the Anas & the Pintail, not the Pintail being halfway between those two. The Pintail is more sensitive & maneuverable than either.

The Pintail will absolutely be the last boat I ever let go, and I gather from Big Ade's comment about 'prized from my cold, dead hands' that I'm not alone. Actually, I'll go further and ask my wife to torch mine around me in A Viking's Funeral when I kick off...

[bobt]

The Pintail will absolutely be the last boat I ever let go, and I gather from Big Ade's comment about 'prized from my cold, dead hands' that I'm not alone. Actually, I'll go further and ask my wife to torch mine around me in A Viking's Funeral when I kick off...

So you like them then?