After several years paddling a custom Cetus in the Heavy Duty layup, how would a Lightweight Kevlar/Carbon Infusion version of the same kayak compare?
To say I adore the Cetus would be an understatement. It’s a kayak I love so much that I have the bow of mine tattooed on my chest. Yes, seriously. Having originally owned one of the “Classic” models, constructed before the current size designations, I have been paddling my own custom one for several years now, and she’s taken me all over the UK, as both a gear hauler for multi-day journeys as well as a day tripper (although she’s recently been nudged aside for the latter in favour of a spicy little Volan 158).
What do I love about it? Apart from the huge amount of room she has for both necessary and luxurious items, especially as I had her made with a custom bulkhead, which means the forward hatch is exceptionally large, the Cetus is just such an incredibly stable yet still manoeuvrable kayak. I think we sometimes get hung up on the idea that 17+ foot kayaks are for expeditioning only, when it wasn’t that long ago that these sorts of boats were considered all-rounders. I’ve even paddled her in the Bitches in Pembrokeshire; for such a long boat, I’m still often surprised by just how easily I can swing her around, even in dynamic water. The Cetus is a boat that responds quickly to paddler input while still providing plenty of support, with the soft chines on the hull allowing for a high degree of fine-tuning with your knees and hips when edging.
As a paddler who still finds myself getting a bit nervy in very rough water, it’s that stability and predictability that I especially appreciate, even more so as someone who shoots a lot of video and photos from my kayak.
However, back when I had her made, I erred on the side of caution, perhaps (actually definitely) a little too much, and had her constructed in P&H’s Heavy Duty layup. This was largely due to my penchant for ending up teetering and shrieking on top of rocks after poorly timed attempts at running pour-overs or catching waves over reefs. Evidently, it’s my timing that needs work, not my kayak hull. At any rate, whilst I don’t necessarily regret having an extra strong boat, it does mean she’s a tad on the heavy side; there’s no getting around the fact that this additional weight, plus her long length, means she’s not the easiest boat to be carting around and loading on and off my car, especially when I am paddling solo, which is quite a lot of the time.
Having previously, erroneously dismissed P&H’s Lightweight layup option as lacking the durability for the rocky coastlines I frequently paddle, a recent trip with a Lightweight Volan 158 changed that. Following that experience, and being something of a deeply curious creature, it was, of course, inevitable that I’d want to try out a Cetus in this layup too. Purely for research purposes, of course. The kind folks at P&H were happy to oblige, and I picked up a frankly devastatingly handsome one on my way up north for a two-week trip to the Lake District and Scotland.
Having always derided teal as a colour far too often foisted upon us women in the world of outdoor clothing and gear, the polychromatic teal deck on this one, combined with the red seam, keel and logo, is undeniably gorgeous. If I were single and ran into this kayak in a bar, things would get steamy.
This particular model weighs somewhere not far off 20kg, whereas my own weighs somewhere around 28-29kg. That’s a very, very significant weight reduction, and this made it exceptionally easier to handle off the water. And while I am generally someone who paddles every day (or, at least, most days), this ease of handling does make a difference on those days when I am, for whatever reason, in two minds about whether or not I have the energy for all the faff of going out onto the water.
Whilst in Scotland, I was staying just a three-minute drive from the shores of a sea loch, so it was a no-brainer to go there during my lunch break every day for a quick jaunt with this beauty. And it’s not just that it’s easier to get on and off the car; the fact that I could also just easily carry it, without a trolley, down to the water’s edge, was also a major plus.
And I think that’s really where much of the value here lies; when you’re investing quite a chunk of change into a kayak like this, you want to know you’re going to get your money’s worth out of it, and indeed, when the end result is a kayak that’s so much easier to get out onto the water, then that’s already a massive return on investment, because that makes it a lot more likely that you’ll paddle it regularly.
It’s also worth mentioning that, as a woman heading into my late 40s, anything that takes less of a toll on my body is a bonus. I’m reasonably strong and used to carting stuff around, but having to do less of that is still very welcome.
I took this kayak out on two camping trips, as well as all the shorter paddles; one of them was a three-day solo trip out on Loch Lomond, and multi-day trips with a kayak do present some challenges when you’re on your own. Perhaps less so on freshwater trips like this, where you don’t have to carry the kayak above the high water line, but it still made a difference with launching and landing. Usually, once fully packed, my own Cetus is a bit tricky for me to easily launch and land on my own, but this lighter one presented no difficulty whatsoever.
Instead of using a trolley, I simply carried the kayak to the water’s edge, floated her front half, and then brought my gear down to load into her, starting from the front hatch and working my way backwards. Launching was then just a case of lifting her stern, easily done when the kayak itself weighs so little, and gently pushing her out; this is nowhere near as easy to do in my own Cetus, which, for a start, requires a trolley down to the shore.
In hindsight, I’d definitely have gone down the Lightweight layup route with my own Cetus if I’d properly understood the benefits it has. I always name my kayaks after David Bowie songs, and it’s a bit ironic now that I named mine Golden Years, the idea being that she’d be the perfect kayak for me to paddle into my own twilight years. I imagine I’ll still be paddling her then, but I’ll likely need a hand, especially off the water.
On the water, I’d say there’s not a great deal of difference in the performance of this kayak compared to my own, however this may not necessarily be case if comparing a different layup (eg P&H’s Classic or Performance constructions); this is because the Heavy Duty construction of my Cetus is already very stiff, more so than the Classic/Performance layups, so probably more comparable to the exceptional stiffness of this Lightweight construction than those.
When unladen with gear, the Lightweight construction does feel a bit different to my own, notably when edging, as it’s a little quicker to respond. However, it’s worth mentioning that the Cetus, for me, has always felt best when carrying some weight, otherwise it sits a little high in the water, which does change the way it handles slightly, because your centre of gravity is a tiny bit higher. Although she’s still a perfectly joyful kayak to paddle even when empty!
Whilst, going forward, the Lightweight Volan will be my preferred boat for day trips, and 2-3 day camping trips, the Cetus nevertheless remains an excellent choice for shorter trips, especially in a lighter-weight option like this one. For longer journeys, especially when you’re needing to carry a lot more gear, the Cetus is a truly exceptional kayak, and unless your requirements truly necessitate that Heavy Duty construction, I personally feel the Lightweight Kevlar/Carbon Infusion represents the best return on investment; this is particularly pertinent when considering the longevity of these boats, as ardent paddlers will likely (hopefully!) continue paddling well into their retirement years, when that lighter weight and ease of handling will be of particular benefit. And this applies to any other kayak model too.
I absolutely loved my few weeks with the Lightweight Cetus MV, and while I won’t be replacing my own beloved Cetus with a lighter-weight model, that’s simply because she still has the benefit of having been custom-made for me, and she has a lot of sentimental value too. She’ll remain my long-journey boat, when I’m generally paddling in a group with additional hands to assist with handling when needed. But if I could go back in time, I’d definitely have chosen differently. Despite my belief at the time, lighter weight does not have to mean a significant compromise on durability; indeed, the Kevlar/Carbon Infusion construction is extremely strong, certainly more than sufficient for most paddlers, and with demonstrable benefits, both in the short and longer term.
If you’ll allow me to end this paean with a criminally terrible pun, when it comes to kayak layups, I’ve definitely seen the light.
I’ll get my coat.
I shot a film of my trip on Loch Lomond, which you can watch via the YouTube link below.