The Aquanaut is a fast sea kayak for medium sized paddlers. It can carry enough gear for an expedition, but paddles fine for a day trip. If you like the Avocet, but want to trade some maneuverability for a bit more speed, the Aquanaut is the boat. It follows the lines of the newer VCP Kayaks with a hard chines, but a soft edge. This gives it exceptional handling characteristics. Like the Avocet, it has a low volume deck, which provides for an easy fit and good control, particularly for mid-sized and tall but relatively slim paddlers. If you like to paddle longer distances in an easy to handle kayak, you should give the Aquanaut a try. While the Aquanaut tracks well, the skeg is great for those force 4 and 5 days (very windy). Like most Valley kayaks, a bit of custom outfitting (foam under the deck) will make this kayak fit and feels great.

Client Comment: "Side by side on cars was a friend's RM Avocet, my Aquanaut, my Romany, and Celia's Vela.  It was a good illustration of Brit boat designs.  The contrast between the boats with Anas in their genes (Avocet, Romany, Aquanaut) and that which doesn't  share that heritage (Vela) was striking.

The most striking to me was the difference between the Avocet and Aquanaut. Valley's information states that the Aquanaut hull is based on the Avocet except longer, slightly narrower and with less rocker.  I took this to be true. However side by side it is obvious that the Aquanaut has harder chining than the Avocet (at least the RM Avocet).  The hull section of the Aquanaut falls between that of the Avocet and Romany.

The only place on the web or in print that this is conveyed is on the AKT site. Neither Valley nor GRO note this difference. It may be a bit of what accounts for the difference in feel between an Aquanaut and Nordkapp. Maybe this is minutiae to many, but it is typical of the sort of depth of information that makes the site so valuable.

Cheers, Jim

Valley Sea Kayaks says: Aquanaut is the new VCP expedition boat designed to respond to the calls for a kayak of identical performance to the Argonaut but fitting smaller paddlers. While the overall length of the kayak is identical to the Argonaut, it has a lower deck profile, especially around the cockpit and is a bit narrower too. At the same time the cargo space is not compromised and it should be sufficient even for long expeditions.

Download Aquanaut Low Quality Data Sheet PDF (157KB)

Download Aquanaut High Quality Data Sheet PDF (388KB)

Aquanaut Standard Equipment

Heavy-duty diolene reinforced construction

Outside fiberglass seams

Three Watertight fiberglass bulkheads

Watertight VCP hatches (round 7.5" and two oval 16 x 9")

Recessed deck fittings

Deck lines and bungee cords

Compass recess

Yakima foot braces

Dimensions: 17'7" long and 21.5" wide

Weight: 55 Pounds (approximate)

Key Hole Cockpit 29.5" x 16"

2007 MSRP

Fiberglass with skeg $3,255

Pro Kevlar with skeg $3,799

Ultra Kevlar with skeg $4,599

Aquanaut Optional Equipment

Henderson deck pump (mounted fore or aft)

Retractable Skeg

Customized positions of bulkheads

Keel Strip

Custom Reinforcement

Silva 70 P Compass

Compass Light

Foot Pump

Knee Tube

Sectional boat (for air travel)

Towing Rig

Contact us for more information on the Aquanaut or any Valley Sea Kayak or Accessory.