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P&H Hammer proto/concept

rider

rider

Paddler
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
Messages
1,859
Location
Coquitlam,BC
This trend makes me giddy,and with the Hammer, if it is put into production with the current hatch configuration, they'll finally do away with the huge oval hatch on a playboat. It's a kind of a strange looking cross between the Delphin and the Fusion. While I actually consider the Delphin a good looking boat, I think this is a kind of an odd looking beast at best,but if it functions as well as it should, I'll buy one in a heartbeat. I think.
http://solentseakayaking.co.uk/2012/08/ph-hammer/
 
Thanks for posting this!
Looks terrific! I am excited to try it.
Its interesting that if somebody had asked me 10-12 years ago what company was going to evolve with a new generation of playboats, I wouldnt have said P&H. But there you go, they are. 13ft ! lol reminds me of a Perception Pirouette I had in 1995 at 11ft long.
Be interesting to see if others beyond "hardcore" sea playboaters will catch on to this boat. And I just hope it fits a wee bit bigger than the Delphin for my sake.
 
my first high paddling stroke or rock slide past would wreck that skeg slider in a hurry:
 

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hmm...so.....p&h is going towards what Julian Patrick designed....the Rockhopper....(which are still available from the UK)
a 13' by 24" play boat that is comfy....sort of a planing hull with ww-like edges...same rocker profile....wide nose to keep it above the water....
http://www.teksport.co.uk/kayaks-rockhopper340.php
http://boatertalk.com/review/review.php?reviewid=3733
http://www.playthesea.co.uk/

would not be surprised if one of the guys there found one of the rockhopper molds and started tweaking on it....

I was out in my rockhopper the other day...damn i am glad i worked to get it shipped over.......love the thing..very stable....very comfy..

btw: hello to old friends here....i pulled out of the kayaking world for a bit..but am coming back in now ;) been SUPing and paddling an outrigger a lot lately...
 
No way, you have 2 Rock Hoppers, that a friend of mine brought over for me years ago. I thought I was the only one who had one in the states. Nice to see and I always wondered why no one sold them here. I have used mine on the Ocean as well as on fast Southwest river trips. I added a front hatch for access and changed the bulk head to fit a poop tube in order to comply with permit regs, but we have run lots of class IV water with mine fully loaded. Very cool boat.
 
biegm said:
No way, you have 2 Rock Hoppers, that a friend of mine brought over for me years ago. I thought I was the only one who had one in the states. Nice to see and I always wondered why no one sold them here. I have used mine on the Ocean as well as on fast Southwest river trips. I added a front hatch for access and changed the bulk head to fit a poop tube in order to comply with permit regs, but we have run lots of class IV water with mine fully loaded. Very cool boat.
Click to expand...

I have a 8" hatch ready to pop on the front deck as well..have you got any pictures of yours??
Where are you located????
 
What a wicked looking play boat! Can't wait to get my hands on a demo version for my business for some serious rock-hopping.
 
Man o man, the industry is so slow to come out with the boats we crave...and we wind up using some hull/width/length/rocker we like but in a boat not really configured for ocean play in the rough. Anyway, things are doing way better even since the Point 65 Whiskey was released. I was surprised Valley took so long with the Gemini series too. I'll be playing with my Avocet first before getting something shorter. A couple of feet at a time is my motto. Of course, my old buddies all had Coasters back in the day (13 foot plus, 23" wide I think).
 
Seems Sean Morley just got a pre-production model that he will be paddling (and showing of) at Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium this weekend
558428_4516300738622_640323689_n.jpg
 
rider said:
I hear Sean also had a big part in designing the beast too.
Click to expand...

Looks like it has been worthwhile waiting for the perfect play boat for tight quarters but with a sea kayak heritage. Can't wait to see how the Hammer evolves.
 
Paddled it for an hour yesterday in Mendocino. Heading out for more today and will try to get more pics and share my thoughts when I get home.
 
A bunch of us have had some quality playtime in the Hammer the last few days in Mendocino. I don't want to go into a ton of detail since it's not a final production boat and some things will still get tweaked, but here's the general consensus:

-It's a fun rock garden boat with more maneuverability than any traditional sea kayak. Not quite as handy as a whitewater boat but similar to a Fusion.
-It accelerates quick but top speed isn't that fast. Faster than the Fusion but slower than the Delphin (we had both along).
-It surfs even better than it plays. Some amazing rides were had on tiny rollers and large steep faces. Very loose but carves like crazy.
-Deck is a little low so it's a more splayed knee position similar to old school whitewater boats. Not a lot of footroom but that's one of the things that might change.

Ultimately it's more of a dedicated playboat than the Delphin (which has proven to be quite versatile). You can play hard in it but still cover some ground to get to the goods. Anyone who likes to ride any type of waves while paddling around will enjoy it immensely.

Here's a link to a gallery with a few pictures of it in action (but here's one of the hull since it was requested)
https://picasaweb.google.com/1146993971 ... directlink

130128%2520mendo%2520pic%2520%2528184%2529-001.JPG
 
Thank you for the detailed write-up!
Unfortunately I wasn't able to open the picasa link. But I did find your photos on Picasa. Maybe this link will work.
https://plus.google.com/photos/11469939 ... a&sqi&sqsi

The shot of the hull is great. Nice to see the large flat area and rails. However, the conditions in the Picasa shots and the abilities of the paddlers are impressive! Great skills, and ability to shoot good shots in those conditions!

So nice to see specialty boat like these on the market.
thanks again, I am looking forward to trying it out some day.
 
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