BOAT TEST
SADDLE UP AND WATCH THE SPARKS FLY.
PHOTO: ADVENTURE KAYAK STAFF
THE SCORPIO LV MKII By P&H Kayaks
I HAD NEVER PADDLED a P&H Scorpio before Bay of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium founder Christopher Lockyer sat me in a loaner LV. It was a sublime September morning at the put-in for the Shubenacadie River, a rollicking freight train of crashing haystacks and swirling eddylines. It’s not every kayak that feels instantly intuitive, but the Scorpio LV was just such a boat.
Six years after the original Scorpio launched in 2009, P&H is introducing a second generation—the Scorpio MKII. First to be released is the LV, the smallest of three sizes available this paddling sea- son. Manufactured at P&H’s factory in Great Brit- ain, our orange demo LV is among the first to arrive on North American shores.
From the moment we hit the water, it’s appar- ent the MKII and I enjoy the same chemistry as its predecessor.
Given the popularity of the original, P&H has sensibly left the Scorpio’s best features untouched. Touring and ocean (or river) play paddlers will find the MKII uses the same CoreLite construction—a triple-layer polyethylene that adds a bit of weight but
is more durable and rigid than standard PE plastics. Rounded chines and a shallow V hull make the MKII responsive and maneuverable, while tried-and-true dimensions—16 feet, eight inches long with a svelte 21-inch beam—deliver an optimum blend of speed and stability for more experienced paddlers. Feedback from half a decade’s worth of expedition paddlers and weekend warriors has also led to some significant improvements. “The MKII has a slightly different volume distribution,” says U.S. head of operations, Brian Day.
On the water, added volume around the knees means a more comfortable, super dialed-in seating position. The updated stern has less rocker behind the rear hatch, which translates to improved track- ing and handling in crosswinds and following seas. The most welcome change for many—especially rolling aficionados and paddlers with shorter tor- sos—is the lowered deck height behind the cockpit. The original LV was no barge, but the MKII is even easier to roll and re-enter.
Some tweaks are more subtle. The recessed slid- er control for the skeg or optional Skudder (more on
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that below) has moved in front of the cockpit, read- ily accessible yet out of the way of my knuckles. Introduced last year to P&H and sister brand Venture Kayaks, the Skudder serves as a skeg when partially deployed, and an under-stern rudder—con- trolled by toe pedals on the foot braces—when fully deployed. While Skudder-like systems were pio- neered by New Zealand designer Don Currie in the ‘90s, P&H is the first widely available manufacturer to embrace this clever concept—along with another accessory thriving down under: the kayak sail. In 2014, P&H partnered with Australia’s Flat Earth Kayak Sails to offer a compact sail system that can be retrofitted—with a bit of engineering— to many touring kayaks. Outfitted with sail-ready hardware and a reinforced area for the mast foot, the MKII makes installation dead simple and the redesigned front deck accommodates the furled sail when not in use.
The drizzly, early spring afternoon I first launch the MKII isn’t charged with the same breathless promise as that magnificent morning on the Shubie, yet I scarcely notice the sting of the March wind. P&H says they’ve made “many little changes,” add- ing up to a new-feeling boat, but discovering those differences feels more like rekindling an old flame. VIRGINIA MARSHALL
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