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Aquanaut Club RM , Pintail composite or something else

Bryan

New Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2021
Messages
2
Location
Michigan
Great forum. Would love to get your advice as I pick my next kayak. I've been paddling an Eddyline Merlin XT on open water on multiday trips on the Great Lakes for a decade and have decided I want something that may offer more performance for day trips and touring to reduce risks on solo trips and increase enjoyment, especially in higher wind, waves and rocky points. I'm 6' 170 lbs. and an XT is big on me and harder to handle in rough water.

I've found and researched two used boats nearby that seem like good candidates: Valley Aquanaut Club RM and a Pintail Composite. I haven't yet had a chance to paddle any Valley boats, but hope to try out at least one of these before purchase. People seem more likely to take the Aquanaut on multiday trips, but usually they're referring to the composite and I'm wondering how well the RM rotomolded version performs which also has slightly different dimensions. Does it have any weaknesses compared to the composite besides being obviously heavier to load on the car top and less repairable in the field. For instance, is it less nimble or slower? Does the combing hold a skirt as tightly? That's a weak point for another RM boat that I've used.

The pintail sounds like more fun in rough water and some people seem to have enjoyed touring with them too, but I haven't had a composite boat before and wonder how well it would handle being pulled up on rocky beaches and such.

I'm also not in a hurry, so I could wait for something else if you have suggestions. For instance, I also just found a beautiful used Chesapeake 17 woodie, but the size and shape leads me to guess that it won't perform any better than my Merlin XT. Thanks.
 
.... but I haven't had a composite boat before and wonder how well it would handle being pulled up on rocky beaches and such.
I've only owned composite boats and I don't 'baby' them. 'Rocky' covers a lot of different conditions. I definitely avoid pulling my boat over rocks with barnacles and other sharp edges, but I'd do that with a RM boat, too. Where you paddle in the Great Lakes do you have zebra mussels (still? - I left ON 20+ years ago...)?
If you are willing to learn how to apply gelcoat to scratches in the hull (it's quite easy) you can keep a composite boat smooth and shiny for years, even with pretty hard use.
If you want to go 'rock gardening' and really bang the boat around, a RM boat is probably a better choice.
That said, John Lull paddled a fiberglass Mariner Coaster for years and he wasn't afraid of getting close to rocks.
John Lull Rescues Cover.jpeg
 
Thanks for the reassurance, John. Sounds like it's time I gave composite a try. By the way, Killarney, Ontario is one of my favorite places to paddle.
 
'..do you still have zebra mussels...' As if an invasive species goes away :) There are more every year.
Well, they were credited with changing Lake Erie from a green pea soup to clear water (in spite of huge nutrient runoffs from farming) so there's some 'upside', I guess. :)
Barnacles and oysters are at home here on the BC coast, but they still make a mess out of the hull!
 
decided I want something that may offer more performance for day trips and touring to reduce risks on solo trips and increase enjoyment, especially in higher wind, waves and rocky points.

I’d love a glass Pintail for day touring, but I would hesitate to take that boat out for multi-day trips, due to the lower volume and more playful nature of the boat (ie: slower cruising speed). The two boats you are considering are apples and oranges, so I guess the key is to figure out what you would use it for 90% of the time.

Cheers,
Andrew
 
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