Valley Sirona 16.1 Expedition Sea Kayaks

The Sirona A True "All-Ocean" Kayak Summary At around 16ft (488cm) the Sirona is short enough to be considered an Ocean play-boat but long enough to hold its speed, even when moderately laden. True, it is not intended for multi-week expeditions but it is certainly very suitable for most people, even those with overnight ambitions Background Many people still consider kayaks around this length (approx. 16ft/488cm) to be the gateway length for proper sea kayaks and whilst we do not rigidly subscribe to that view, certainly it is a length that allows comfortable multiday trips to be undertaken. The reason is simple, physics! The shorter a kayak is, all other things being equal, the more it will be affected by variations in load. This is because the smaller the footprint, the more it needs to sink into the water, to support a given displacement. So, at 12ft a rec-tourer might sink a further inchs (50mm), when carrying the extra kit required to camp overnight. Yet, in a proper 16ft sea kayak, the effect might be less than half this. The result is obvious, as the amount of hull in the water changes, so does the feel of the kayak, go beyond, what the designers intended and performance become seriously compromised. Anyway, lesson over, this class of kayak is a great length for those who want a bit of everything, still short enough to be easily maneuvered, on or off the water but long enough, to have the speed to keep pace in any group and carry a load when required! Design When launched in 2015 the Sirona was an instant hit. Most testers commenting that it retained the versatility of its predecessor, the Avocet but also noting that it possessed a more playful personality reminiscent of the earlier Pintail. Despite its playful personality, its sixteen-foot hull is one of the fastest in its class, whilst the hull also responds predictably to edging and has a stability profile that allows even newer paddlers to exploit this. Although not conceived as a long-range expedition ka