Another kind of classic plastic boat

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Brodie
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Boat Name: Starry Night
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Another kind of classic plastic boat

Post by Brodie »

Not a sailboat, but a pretty boat, and one with a pedigree, and I figure there are probably some kayakers on the board too.

This is my Anas Acuta sea kayak, built by Valley Sea Kayaks in Nottingham England. (Anas acuta is the scientific name for the pintail duck, a reference to the shape of the boat's stern). The Anas was the first production sea kayak, originally introduced in 1973, and still in production today. (My boat was built in 2004). The design is a near-direct copy of an East Greenland skin on frame kayak built in the early 70s by one of the last remaining traditional kayak builders, the design was modified primarily on deck to accommodate the size of the boat's original production builder. It is a low volume, hard chined kayak with a lot of rocker, extremely seaworthy and at home in very rough water - the rougher it gets the more stable the boat feels. Dimensions are 17'2" by 20.5", 45 lbs. When I was looking for a kayak I tried this one and immediately knew this was "my boat", it just fit me very well, looks gorgeous (important as we all know!) and is very fun to paddle. Because of the hard chines the boat responds to a lean by turning very easily, almost like carving turns on skis. I can turn the boat around 180 degrees in it's own length with 2-3 strokes, not something you can do with most 17' kayaks. I also appreciated the fact that any boat that had been in continuous production for 30+ years with essentially no changes had to be a very good boat. I got lucky with the colors of this boat; this is the boat that the Kayak Centre in Wickford, RI (where I work now!) had in stock when I came to buy one; I was expecting to have to special order something besides the usual red or yellow deck with black trim. The colors were chosen to look like the Blue Angels. The boat definitely gets a lot of attention wherever I take it!
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hebert01
Almost a Finish Carpenter
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Re: Another kind of classic plastic boat

Post by hebert01 »

Sweet! Thanks for sharing. I've been eyeballing these and the VCP Q-boats. Both are fantastic from everything I've read...
Ed Hebert
ALLEGRA - Ensign #998
Brodie
Master Varnisher
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Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 3:27 pm
Boat Name: Starry Night
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Location: Rhode Island, USA

Re: Another kind of classic plastic boat

Post by Brodie »

I haven't paddled a Q boat, but from what i have heard it is a very different boat than the Anas. Not just a "high volume" version of the Anas as it was intended to be. Also a sweet looking boat, though.

If you are seriously looking for a kayak, come up to the Kayak Centre in Wickford, I'll give you a good deal :-)
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Rachel
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Re: Another kind of classic plastic boat

Post by Rachel »

Nice! The Anas Acuta was the boat that - years ago - I tried out and just felt that it fit like a glove. You know how certain kayaks just fit right, and that was the one. It was always my "If I buy a sea kayak I want this one" boat. I had never checked to see if they still made them - neat!

Thanks for the photo,

Rachel
Brodie
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Posts: 113
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 3:27 pm
Boat Name: Starry Night
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Re: Another kind of classic plastic boat

Post by Brodie »

Yep, they still make them. Now you have the option of getting one with either the ocean cockpit like mine, or a more conventional keyhole cockpit. I wouldn't mind being able to lift my knees up, but the keyhole version also has the large oval hatch on the foredeck rather than the small round one, and to my eye that just takes too much away from the looks of the boat...
Maine Sail
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Re: Another kind of classic plastic boat

Post by Maine Sail »

My first sea kayak was a Valley Nordkap. Sweet boat and fast too... I like the Anas better but when I bought my Valley they only imported two models.. Nice plastic..
-Maine Sail

Canadian Sailcraft 36T
Casco Bay, ME
http://www.marinehowto.com
tomwatt
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Location: Massachusetts

Re: Another kind of classic plastic boat

Post by tomwatt »

That's such a pretty boat. Thanks for sharing.
A far cry from my clunky plastic Old Town Millenium kayak... which does have some redeeming qualities - it will take a licking without breaking (rotomolded polylink3) and provides some insulation against the cold water. At 16'6" mine's not tiny, but I'm inclined to strip-build my own boat at some point.
Formerly owned Sailstar (Pre-Bristol) Corsair 24
Still own Old Town Millenium 160 kayak.
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