NC Kayaks Testimonials

Vashon Island Kayak Company offers sea kayak rentals, instruction and custom trips and tours. We serve a lot of beginners of all ages and, because of our high-end boat mix and great "close-in remote" salt water location, a lot of experienced paddlers, too.

I tried an NC 17 in the Spring of 2001 and bought an NC 17 and an NC 15 at the end of May 2001. Since I find the NC 17 plenty maneuverable for everything I want to do and I like to go fast I still haven't paddled the NC 15 much but it seems equally popular with customers. I paddled the NC 17 a little in the course of instruction and it felt fine. However, I quickly found that beginners loved it. It was stable and went where they wanted it to. Not only that, it was fast. Strong paddlers ran away from everyone and weaker paddlers had less trouble keeping up.

Since the purpose of the company is to please the customers, I didn't get to use the boat much during the summer. For all its use the boat held up well in the rental trade. One thing I appreciate is the sturdy seat. We get lots of people sitting down on seat backs in boats on the beach or flopping on them pretty hard learning rescues. This seat is bulletproof. In addition to being tough enough to please me as an outfitter, as a paddler, I love it. It is the best kayak seat I've seen. Sometimes someone will complain because they want a more upright seat back. I tell them I don't have a backrest on my cross country skis or my bicycle. If you're leaning back you're not paddling correctly.

I have the good fortune to live on the beach on the perimeter of Vashon where I can paddle in all but the most ferocious storms. In the off season instead of jogging or going to a gym I try to paddle out and back about five miles in an hour five times a week. This winter I've usually paddled my long time favorite Arctic Hawk or the NC 17. I think I have a new favorite.

I usually think that stability in a kayak involves unattractive trade-offs in speed and rollability. My times indicate that the NC 17 is faster than the Arctic Hawk which is 18 feet long. I frequently paddle in 10 to 25 knot winds. As the Sea Kayaker Magazine reviewer "TE" said in the April 2001 review: "The boat seemed to be wind-neutral. I had no trouble holding a course in any direction relative to the wind." I agree. He goes on to say that it's slow to broach and easy to roll. That's true too. As a paddler and an outfitter I carry boats a lot. Ten pounds more or less doesn't mean much in the water but it sure makes a difference carrying a boat to and from the shore or hoisting it onto a car. The NC is one of the lightest fiberglass boats around.

There are a lot of good sea kayaks and I haven't owned or tried them all. Of the many I do know, the NC stands alone as a deserving favorite of many beginners and at least one expert. All that I've said is without regard to cost. That the NC is one of the least expensive fiberglass boats available is just one more attractive feature.

They are light, strong, very stable and very fast at the same time. Our ten-year old loves paddling the 15-foot red Excursion in Puget Sound, and we all love the bright yellow 17-foot Quest.

They cut through the water very easily and track extremely well. They are also elegantly beautiful, graceful, better looking than any kayaks I have ever seen.

I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed. To the contrary, you will be thrilled to own an NC boat.

Our group of 14 went to Lake Eufala just over the Georgia-Alabama line. This lake is created by daming of the Chattahoochee River which is a major river in Georgia and runs to the Gulf of Mexico. This lake is 40-60 miles long depending on how you measure it.

Friday afternoon we paddled 8 miles across some serious open water. The lake was calm with temps in the 35-39 degree range. About half way across we experienced about a 25 mile tail wind with gusts from 30-35 mph. The lake went from light chop to 16-18 inch waves with white caps in seconds.

My NC17 was answering the call and literally surfing the waves with my mid ships and stern poised on two waves while my bow was lifting over and slicing through the next oncoming wave and parting it like a knife with no water making it over the deck at all. I was flying. We clocked that leg of the run with the wind behind us at 5.7mph with an overall run with the heavy head wind coming back at 2.7 mph. All were impressed to say the least. My son was in one of our old Dagger Atlantis and was barreling through the waves as he is a strong paddler. Our other paddler was in a new Nigel Foster Legend and he was pressed to stay with me. Tracking! Even in the wind I could adjust direction with a flick of the wrist or a lean and a strong pull on one side or the other and experienced no weather cocking at all!

The next day we paddled 9 miles in less eventful water and the NC17 performed wonderfully! I pulled lunch for all out of my generous sized hatch and served hot soup, cocoa and fruit to 9 folks who were glad to have it!

I had many very good comments about the boat and how it looked in the water and how it cut through the water.

Folks need to know when a product is great and folks like y'all do what they say they will and back up their products!

I can't figure out how anyone who does not have the arm length of a gorilla can possibly reach the latches on that hatch. Am I a moron, or do I need to lengthen my arms?

I have had the NC 17 out in challenging conditions, and have learned to edge the boat to correct any weathercocking. Edged, it turns well, too. I paddle mostly inland lakes where the wind becomes a factor before the waves are a issue. The other half of the paddling duo is recovering from rotator-cuff surgery, so we have not been on any big water yet... ("Mother" Superior/Apostle Islands). But for most of the paddling conditions we'll ever tackle, this kayak is very well-suited.

My 10-year old grandson tried it and loved it. He instinctively maneuvers the boat with ease. Needless to say, it sits a little higher in the water with him in the cockpit.

The design feature I thought I might not like, the "rub-rail" I love. It makes it a lot easier to rack the boat on our pickup, especially important this year, since I'm doing most of the lifting myself. It's very convenient to have more places to grip the boat when carrying it to a put-in point that's down an embankment or down steps. It's also a good feature for those few occasions when I'm up against someone's dock. I haven't practiced re-entering after a wet exit (yet) but my guess is the rail will be useful for that, too. I also like not having to worry about a rudder---getting hung up on the mechanics or wracking it up on rocks, etc.

I did put 1/4 inch foam on the seat back to give my lower back a bit of cushion (have some arthritis) and that took care of that. I like the cockpit combing, because the spray skirt really stays in place.

As you may remember, we met at the Seattle Boat Show last year. I wanted to buy a couple of kayaks. I ended up buying three kayaks from Novus Composites rather than another manufacturer for the following reasons: rough water design, vibrant gel coats, durable construction, good pricing, and knowledgeable salesmanship. Nine months later, I can't think of too many products that I have purchased in which I have enjoyed greater pride of ownership.

I was seeking a kayak that performed well and was stable in rough water, yet was fast in smooth water. Both models that I purchased, the NC 15 and the NC 17, delivered performance that met or exceeded my expectations. They are easy to paddle, and they maintain their course well; corrective strokes are rarely necessary. I have no regrets for ordering my kayaks without rudders.

Although I am quite pleased with my kayaks, I always appreciate it when other folks comment on the boats' great appearance and deep colorful gel coats.

My goal in buying a kayak was to pursue an aquatic activity that delivered a great athletic work-out. I never thought that kayaking would become one of my favorite sports. Your boats have a lot to do with that.

Congratulations on building a great boat and good luck to you in 2006.