Valley Sea Kayaks of Nottingham England is home to one of the largest and most respected ranges of sea kayaks in the world. In an industry where many are quick to claim unsubstantiated “firsts”, Valley can legitimately claim that they were there at the start of the modern incarnation of the sea kayak. The first true sea kayak by Valley, the Anas Acuta, was developed in 1971 and is still in production today. Through the years, a love and respect for the sea has dictated everything that the company has done. Their designs have evolved with the sport, leading to kayaks like the Nordkapp, the first kayak designed specifically for a major expedition and the Skerray, the first true sea kayak molded in polyethylene. The focus at Valley has not been limited to the performance of the Valley hulls. They have sought ways to make the sport safer and more enjoyable, developing features such as watertight rubber hatches, retractable skegs, safety end toggles and recessed deck fittings. Thirty-five years later, Valley refuses to rest on their laurels. Since a change of ownership in 2006 they have continued to develop, test & manufacture the most cutting edge hull designs in the market, with major tweaks to the iconic Nordkapp, and the development of the their new LV range among some significant design achievements. We now have the new Sirona, a boat tested & developed by a throng of Europe's top rough water paddlers over the past 18 months prior to release, opening new chapter in the Valley story.
Nordkapp Forti 2015 is the 40th launch anniversary of undoubtedly the most influential sea kayak ever produced, the Nordkapp! Designed specifically for a 500 mile sea kayak expedition up the Norwegian coast, to the northern most point of Scandinavia, the Nordkapp marked the beginning of sea kayaks being designed specifically for extended recreational sea kayak trips. Whilst, in these intervening years, the Nordkapp cemented its reputation as the benchmark “Expedition” sea-kayak, there were still some who believed it had, had its day. For the kayak’s 25th anniversary it went through a major face lift, in part this was to make it more user friendly, as it had gained a reputation for being unstable, especially with lighter paddlers or those paddling predominantly unladen. This Nordkapp Jubilee, as it was called, again proved very popular but some traditionalists felt that it had lost some of the originals soul. The release of the LV, some years later, gave back the liveliness those traditionalists felt they were missing but there were still those who missed something intangible, about the original. In these past few years, whilst archiving some of Valley’s history and recording the evolution of its range, we were able to systematically look at the chronological development of the Nordkapp model. What came to light was quite revealing and has ultimately led us to produce this new 40th anniversary version!
	Valley Nordkapp Forti Length 548cm Width 53cm Capacity Approx. 380l Paddler Weight 75-105kg $4390 (GRP Layup)
Sirona 16'10 A flatter planing hull than the traditional Vallet designs means the Sirona is more of a blade bat than it's peers, more in the tradition of the Alaw Bach & Xcite. Fast enough to foot it on a dy paddle with mates, enough capacity for a longish weekend with a load, but absolutely brilliant in the close quartering, peaky environment of the coast & surf. Valley'ds most innovative design in quite some time.
	Valley Sirona 16'10 Length 488cm Width 56cm Capacity Approx. 330l Paddler Weight 65-105kg $4190 (GRP Layup) $4790 (Carbon Kevlar Layup)
Sirona 15'10 A more compact design than the 16'10, designed for lighter paddlers. This boat has all of the famed handling of the cult Avocet LV, with a lirttle more capacity for carrying gear, in a genuine small person's kayak.
	Valley Sirona 15'10 Length 483cm Width 54cm Capacity Approx. 310l Paddler Weight 45-70kg $4190 (GRP Layup)
Etain 17'5 A successful combination of the sympathetic secondary stability of the old Valley Aquanaut, combined with a harder tracking hull typical of many Swede form kayaks. The Etain series were designed to flatter, encouraging paddlers out onto the ocean in a kayak that will look after them, while still inherently being fast enough to make them a genuine expedition boat. The Etain boats all carry gear well, their performance isn't hugely influenced by a decent expedition load.
	Valley Etain 17'5 Length 531cm Width 54cm Capacity Approx. 370l Paddler Weight 70-100kg $4190 (GRP Layup) $4790 (Carbon Kevlar Layup)
Avocet LV A pint sized sea kayak which has been entirely down-sized to accommodate a smaller paddler, and thus allow the full performance characteristics of a normal sized boat. The only genuine all-round boat we've seen for paddlers in the sub-65kg weight range, who want a performance boat for rough water.
	Valley Avocet LV Length 485cm Width 52cm Capacity Approx. 290l Paddler Weight 45-65kg $4190 (GRP Layup) - Note only 2 remaining in production.
Gemini SP RM A game changer in many respects, short enough to fit into the standard car spot available in a block of units, fast enough to foot it on a club trip which clips along at 6-7kmh, and a ball-tearer in the surf (see our video of the Gemini in action HERE). Although designed with the surf in mind, a clever hull shape with more V than you'd normally associate with a play boat gives the boat solid tracking characteristics, and also a surprising turn of speed. If you measure a sea kayak by the ease with which it holds a cruising speed of 6-7kmh, then the Gemini loses nothing for being shorter than the traditional sea kayaks we have come to know.
	Valley Gemini SP RM Length 452cm Width 56cm Capacity Approx. 310l Paddler Weight 65-110kg $2295
Etain 17'5 RM A successful combination of the sympathetic secondary stability of the old Valley Aquanaut, combined with a harder tracking hull typical of many Swede form kayaks. The Etain series were designed to flatter, encouraging paddlers out onto the ocean in a kayak that will look after them, while still inherently being fast enough to make them a genuine expedition boat. The Etain boats all carry gear well, their performance isn't hugely influenced by a decent expedition load.
	Valley Etain 17'5 RM Length 531cm Width 54cm Capacity Approx. 370l Paddler Weight 70-100kg $2395
Sirona 16'10 RM At around 16’ (490cm) the Sirona is short enough to be considered an Ocean play-boat but long enough to hold it’s 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.
	Valley Sirona 16'10 RM Length 490cm Width 56cm Capacity Approx. 310l Paddler Weight 70-110kg $2595