Valley Sea Kayaks Avocet
A kayaking love story
After the Jersey Canoe Club Sea Kayak Symposium in 1998, it was discovered that the Club had unusually made a profit, which resulted in a discussion on what to spend it on. Up until then all of the coaching had taken place in general purpose kayaks such as the Perception Mirage and ACE Europa but the suggestion was that the money had been raised through the sea kayak symposium so perhaps buying some sea kayaks might be appropriate. It was actually quite a radical suggestion at the time.
We looked around and decided on the newly launched Valley Avocet RM. 6 new purple kayaks were purchased and amazingly they are all still in use today, although no longer with the Club, they have been purchased by members who were keen to have one of these playful kayaks in their personal fleet. Apart from particularly large paddlers they proved a popular kayak for paddlers of all abilities.
I was fortunate that a few weeks ago I was offered a second hand Avocet, I estimated it to be about 2008 vintage but probably hadn’t been paddled for about 10 years. A good scrub down, new hatches, deck lines and elastics and it was ready to go. What amazed me was that even after quite a few years of not being used the footrest still functioned, with a little bit of pressure. It looked in superb condition. The only thing which requires extra work is a new wire for the skeg, although I am in no rush to do that as tend not to use the skeg too frequently.
The launch day was on the Jersey Canoe Club Sunday morning session. Weather and tidal conditions resulted in Ouaisne being selected as the launch point for the trip. As soon as I got in the kayak it felt right. At 16 feet in length it is shorter than many of the other kayaks afloat that day, but it didn’t lack speed and I had no problem keeping up with people, in their other kayaks. That said on longer trips, such as crossing to the other Channel Islands I would opt for the faster speed of the longer kayaks. It isn’t slow but the Nordkapp is quicker.
The cockpit is a reasonable size, I can easily move my feet inside whilst sitting with them on the front deck. In addition the cockpit isn’t too high so there is plenty of body contact, which enhances control. It is easy to edge and turns quickly. What I did notice is that it is more stable than most other kayaks I have paddled, this makes it an ideal platform for the kayaking photographer.
The basic statistics for the kayak are:
Length: 16 feet (488cm)
Width: 22 inches (56cm)
Depth: 13 inches (33cm).
Suited to paddlers between 85-175 lbs/38-79 kg.
Kayak Weight: 54 lbs/24.5 kg.
The Avocet is no longer available from Valley, its position in their range of kayaks having been taken by the Sirona. It is still worth a kayak considering purchasing if you come across a second hand example, though. Its great to handle on flat water and holds its own in tide races and fast moving water. I was able to hop onto some small waves in a tide race today, its speed meant that catching waves was relatively simple and it was possible to carve turns with confidence.
Just a lovely kayak to paddle and it was a joy to be on the water in one again. I think that from the moment I launched I was grinning inside and there is no greater recommendation for a kayak than that.
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Many thanks and happy paddling, Kevin.
Hello Kevin,
Very interesting ! I forward your article to Stephane, who is the new owner of the Avocet I’ve bought to Chantal Quaeck. It might have been yours ?