kayaker’s
journal
1]
2]
P
hotos: a
L
ex
M
atthews
3]
InsIde Out by ALex mAttheWs 1) tOSS It In tHe GLOve BOx!
a brilliant little hatch on the fore deck
provides access to a small but handy
cetus
storage compartment for items like
sunscreen or snacks.
by P&h
2) a PInCH OF SkeG
Rather than a cable, the cetus relies
on an unconventional shock cord to
P&H’s newest boat is a good blend of sleek here nor there as the kayak feels both efficient
hold the skeg in the down position and
Brit sea kayak and serious load-carrying expe- through the water and easy to place on edge.
a string to pull it up. the slider rides on
dition workhorse. Primary stability is very solid as is secondary,
a notched track and moves when you
The Cetus is a very attractive kayak with an with the Cetus happily sitting on edge and
squeeze a trigger.
upswept bow and stern, full perimeter lines, yielding very tight turns for such a long boat.
three bulkheads, a drop skeg, and four rubber Unloaded and with a light paddler, the
3) are yOu SIttInG
Kajak-Sport hatches. That’s right: four hatch- Cetus exhibits very light tracking and easily
COMFOrtaBLy?
es! In addition to the usual oval stern hatch wanders off course. Dropping the skeg a little
P&H has the seat dialed; it’s both
supportive and super comfy. the
and round day and front hatches, there’s an ex- solves this problem and with heavier cargo
corrosion-prone rachets previously used to
tra day hatch in front of the cockpit. This is a tracking improves. Of course everything is a
adjust the backband have been replaced
great feature that we’ll likely see more of. compromise, so when surfing, the rockered
with new buckles that look bombproof.
Build quality looks good and fit and finish hull and light tracking are pluses, making con-
is clean inside and out. In the excellent seat, trolling the boat and milking longer rides that
the fit is roomy enough for bigger paddlers much easier.
SPeCS
to be comfortable, but not so big that smaller Although the Cetus doesn’t really feel like a
length 17 ft 10 in (543 cm)
folks feel lost. The fore deck is surprisingly low big boat, there’s a ton of room below deck. This
width 21.5 in (54.5 cm)
considering the inclusion of that fourth hatch. is really where the Cetus stands out. There are
depth 12.2 in (31 cm)
cockit 34.25 x 20 in (87 x 51 cm)
P&H has done a great job divvying up the quite a few “British style” sea kayaks that are
total volume 100 gal (379 l)
available space so that the hatch space doesn’t fun to paddle and that handle very well in
weight 64 lb (29 kg) fibreglass/
cramp the seating area. One weaker aspect is wind and waves, but not many can swallow
diolin (as tested)
the almost vestigial thigh hooks, which left me gear like the Cetus.
57 lb (25.9 kg) kevlar/carbon
longing for a better grip on the boat. The Cetus is set to make friends with seri- MSRP $3,399 US (fibreglass)
Official specs put the Cetus at 17 feet, 10 ous expedition paddlers who need large capac- $3,899 us (kevlar/carbon)
inches long (correct) and 21.5 inches wide ity and an efficient hull. Or indeed with any-
$4,199 us (ultralight clear hull)
(incorrect). In actual fact the boat is closer one who wants a Brit boat but doesn’t fancy
phseakayaks.com
to 22 and 3/8 inches wide, but this is neither scrimping in the packing department.
8 Adventure KAyAK | FALL 008
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