Her Name Shall Be Phoebe

This kayak is the original P&H Cetus, the predecessor to the subsequent partitioning into the LV, MV, and HV Cetus models. This particular kayak is a carbon/kevlar composite version, weighing only 49.6 pounds. It has 4 hatches:

•     bow hatch
•     stern hatch
•     day hatch
•     glove box hatch, just fore the cockpit

The seat and backband were quite comfortable. My compromised lower back is quite fussy so the comfort was marginally wondrous. The back of the cockpit is slanted to allow one to lift the bow to drain any water lurking in the cockpit. To my knowledge. this slant was pioneered by Nigel Dennis in his first NDK Romany. The foot pedals are easily adjusted on the fly, but seem somewhat flimsy. I wonder if a large kayaker in difficult conditions might break these.

My first trip was a 6.8 nmi. out-and-back paddle on the Pend Oreille River. The water was quite flat on the way out, whereas the way back was into a light east wind and into a near negligible current. The kayak was lightly loaded, more or less evenly, bow to stern. The kayak weathercocked quickly, even in a light wind. It’s nearest descendant, the Cetus MV, is said to weathercock only slightly. Were I significantly heavier, the weathercocking may have lessened. In any case, the skeg allowed me to tune out the weathercocking completely. The wire skeg control was situated on the left side of the coaming.

For my next try, I’ll load the stern more heavily and hope for stronger winds to see how wild the weathercocking becomes. As soon as the water warms a bit more (above 60° F), I'll try a rolling session. I don't imagine that the Cetus will roll as easily as the Explorer. At 17' 9" long, 22" wide, and a large cockpit, the Cetus is clearly too large for me. However, if it rolls easily enough it may be good enough. Turning 80 years of age later this year, I am not nimble and the voluminous cockpit is welcome. I no longer wish to 'wear my kayak'.