Venture Kayaks Easky 15 & 15LV Review

What? Another review of the Venture Kayaks Easky 15 and 15LV? Duffer reviewed these boats in 2005 and has to do it again because the lovely people at Venture Kayaks have made a few tweaks to the deck layout and fitting over the last few years.

Despite the fact that Duffer does not paddle along admiring the deck fittings he was quite happy to get back out in an Easky 15 to soak up a bit more paddling ambience.

Since our last review of the Easky 15 in 2005, the Easky 15 has a new deck layout and the skeg operation is slightly different. The designers put Easky 15 on a crash diet resulting in the Easky 15LV (Low Volume). The Easky 15LV is designed primarily for the smaller paddler who wants the forward speed and tracking of a 15-foot tourer but with less windage and less volume.

Duffer isn't sure that is all that was in the designer's head. Duffer's vital statistics would indicate that he should paddle the Easky 15 but Duffer has different ideas. The smaller 15LV with Mr Chunky in it performs out of its skin for a touring kayak. It's not all about weight and size. Some paddlers simply enjoy a wetter, more responsive ride that only comes from lower volume kayaks. Easky 15 and Easky 15LV give the paddler that choice, as does Charleston 14 & 15 and Expression 14 & 15. Talk about being spoilt for choice.

So what makes Duffer go giddy over the Easky? Well, it's not the FlipTop backrest on the seat, which he hates when it is in the up position. This is marketing gone cuckoo. FlipTop seat in the Easky, armchairs in the Charleston and the Expression.

What on earth is wrong with fitting a simple back band that encourages the correct paddling posture, improves the paddler's performance and stability and.............

(note from the Editor: It was at this point that Duffer went into a rant about how marketing shouldn't be leading kayak design. We thought you probably wanted to hear about the Easky 15 instead.) If you would like to learn more about correct paddling posture and why Duffer really didn't like this seat, read his article here.

That's clear then, it's not the backrest he likes so it must be the hull shape.

Wow - a real Duffer outpouring on this one!

When seal skins were stretched over wooden stringers in the frozen North, it wasn't possible to have a hull shape that was anything but chined. Sea Captains reported "strange people in kayaks" paddling faster than their ships were going, even when they had favourable winds. What is better than a chined hull? Yes, you've got it: multiple chines, with seal skins over stringers.

Now if you don't like chined hulls it's about now that you'll start disputing Duffer's legitimacy, but he doesn't care. He still rates the Easky! Age has simply rated the Easky even higher, as pushing his 18'8" composite sea kayak around is losing some of its attraction. Each to their own, says Duffer.

The skeg works very well - in fact it can work too well if fully deployed.

Learn to paddle the Easky 15 without using the skeg so that should it ever malfunction you don't start paddling like a Fiddler Crab. Edge the boat and off-centre your paddles a bit to compensate for any weather cocking. If that doesn't work, deploy the skeg and sit upright again.