"Wright" wrote in message
.. .
I would be interested in the opinions of anyone who has owned or paddled
P&H
Kayaks? The Vela is of particular interest to me but, doubting that
someone
will have experience with that particular boat, comments regarding the
general build quality of P&H's fiberglass and Kevlar kayaks would be
welcome. FYI - I have looked at the reviews on Paddling.net and all of
the
comments were very favorable (but 90+ percent of the reviews on
Paddling.net
are favorable!).
Chuck


I bought a P&H Vela about 3 years ago and love it. The build quality is
very good if a bit heavier than say Current Designs. The Vela is really
made for smaller paddlers than I, 6'1" and 160 lbs, but I really like it.
As I paddle with very little extra gear I found many boats floated too high
and felt to "cork like" without extra ballast. I wish the thigh braces were
a bit more extreme, but most sea kayaks have only vestigial braces IMO. I
come from a whitewater background. There aren't many dealers around but
they are worth checking out. The only boat I liked as well as the Vela was
a Current Design Caribou S. Both had hard chines, which I like, but the
Caribou was nearly two feet longer and I have storage issues.

Tim McTeague