Point XP och RS X-Ray testade i Paddles Magazine

Tidningen Paddles jämför Point XP och X-Ray med P&H Quest och Valley Nordkapp Jubilee. Resultatet? Läs själv:


Point 65°N kayaks are new to the UK market. They bring with them a reputation for performance, quality and value and I was keen to see how they measured up to established leaders in the UK market such as P&H and Valley. This test examines two of their most popular boats, the expedition X-Ray (fitted with rudder and skeg) and the performance orientated XP (skeg only).



Testing took place in a wide variety of conditions over 3 days in the Solway, 2 in the Firth of Clyde and one in the Kyles of Bute. Winds varied from calm to force 5 on open water to force 6 gusting 8 in a sheltered sea loch. For comparison, the Point 65°N boats were paddled with a P&H Quest, a recent expedition design, and a Valley Nordkapp Jubilee, a more traditional Greenland design.

The first impression of the Point 65°N boats is of very high quality manufacture; the moulding produces a ripple free gloss finish which is superior to the UK manufacturers' 2004 Quest and 2003 Jubilee on test. Of the 4 boats, there is no doubt that the Jubilee has the most attractive lines, but beauty is only skin deep! Opening the Point 65°N hatches reveals a thin layer of resin covering the fibreglass mat inside. This makes sliding dry bags in much easier and should reduce water damage from puddles left lying in the compartments and cockpit.



The Point 65°N boats have much less rocker than the UK boats. They also have more volume in the bows and stern, which is partly due to a longer water line length. The top sides are lower than the UK boats and the foredeck is sculpted at the sides to avoid fouling the paddle blade. Both Point 65°N boats have marked chines with V bottoms. From the cockpit back, the XP and X-Ray are similar but the XP has been extended and narrowed in front of the cockpit.

Hatch covers were Kajak-Sport, similar to those on P&H and were much easier to fit and remove than the VCP hatches on the Jubilee. The forward hatch is in the middle of the fore compartment which makes it easier to pack long items such as mats and tent poles. The Jubilee has the advantage of having an oval front hatch. The Point 65°N day hatch is smaller in diameter than the UK boats. This has a disadvantage as heavy items such as packed pans need to be loaded elsewhere, further from the centre of the boat. But there is also an advantage, as it is much easier to undo the hatch yourself. This makes it truly a day hatch. All compartments in the Point 65°N boats remained totally dry even after much wet practice.

Deck lines are excellent, they are larger diameter than the British boats but they do stretch a bit when wet. The seats are moulded fibreglass and comfortable except for larger paddlers who may find the forward support a little narrow. The simple, but effective back strap is supported by shock cord to keep it out of the way when entering. While not quite as comfortable as the excellent Jubilee strap it is far superior to the new high backed, padded P&H seat back. While this has showroom appeal, it folds forward under your backside, seriously hindering wet re-entries. It's not even as comfortable as the old P&H backrest.

The tracks with foot rests (and rudder pedals on the X-Ray) can be slid back and removed for easy adjustment but (potentially) they could slide out in a rescue situation. This did not happen during the test. The rudder on the X-Ray is an ingenious design. When retracting, it flips up only 90 degrees then pulls forward over the deck. The rudder works well but it is not really necessary on the X-Ray and I did not use it.



The skeg is operated by a slider near the cockpit moving a stainless steel wire similar to the Jubilee. Unlike the Quest, the exposed wire is supported by a stainless steel sleeve to prevent kinking if the skeg jams on a pebble.

I weigh 90 kg and I tested each boat unladen and also with my standard camping gear of 35 kg.

The Point 65°N boats both have a long narrow front to the cockpit; this allows the knee braces to be much further inboard than either of the UK boats. The result is an extremely comfortable and efficient; legs in front of you (marathon style) paddling position that really lets you push on the footrests while paddling.

On the water in rough conditions, the first thing I noticed about the Point 65°N boats is how little they pitch in waves. In comparison, a Quest paddling alongside, dipped its bow into the waves (although the water did wash off well before reaching the cockpit). The Jubilee, particularly when paddling without gear, tended to throw its bow high into the air. In windy conditions this resulted in the bow being blown down wind. The Point 65°N boats not only pitch less than the UK boats, they remain very dry.



In windy conditions The XP is the last of the 4 boats to require the use of the skeg when not edging. The XP and Quest both have a slight tendency to weathercock in very strong winds. The X-Ray had a slight tendency to leecock in force 6 plus gusts coming over the hills into a sheltered sea loch. At the time I was using a deck bag but I also used this on the XP in similar conditions with no detrimental effect. The more rearward position of the cockpit in the XP may explain the difference.

At rest, the initial stability of the X-Ray was less than that of the Quest and the XP was better than the Jubilee. The secondary stability of the X-Ray was really good allowing pronounced edging to aid turning. For a boat with a long water line length, the XP was very responsive to edging requiring only a slight lift of a knee to initiate turning. Its secondary stability was also good. Good though the XP was, its response to edging was not as good as the Jubilee. In this company the manoeuvrability of the Quest ranked last. It can be turned quickly by extreme degrees of edging, but then it is on the limit of its (very good) secondary stability.

Paddling in a straight line, the XP tracked best and the Jubilee tracked least well. Maximum sprint speeds (unladen, skeg up, no wind, into an ebbing tide and measured by GPS) were as follows: XP 10.9km/hr, Quest 10.5km/hr, K1RS 10.4km/hr and Jubilee 9.8km/hr. I think the XP's waterline length was the major factor in this difference. Average speeds while paddling as fast as I could between my two favourite rocks, 1.6km apart: XP 9.2km/hr, Quest 8.9km/hr, X-Ray 8.9km/hr and Jubilee 8.8km/hr. Interestingly, paddling at my steady sightseeing speed on the return 1.6km resulted in each boat averaging 6.9km/hr!



One day testing involved a Force 5 wind against an ebbing tide with a decent 1m swell coming up the Solway Firth. (My dedication and commitment to the testing process is indicated by the fact I did not spend the whole tide windsurfing on my 8'6" Naish wave board!) The XP was very fast on the wave and least likely to broach but the Quest consistently picked up these waves most easily. I think the long waterline length of the XP, the slight bias to the rear in the cockpit position and the greater volume in the bows made un-weighting the stern (by leaning forward as the wave began to lift it) more difficult.

I fitted in both Point 65°N boats cockpits without requiring much padding. I found both very easy to roll. (There was little difference between any of the 4 boats and I suspect poor outfitting is the major factor in rolling difficulties in sea kayaks.) All 4 boats handling in rough water improved when laden. The Jubilee is the least comfortable unladen. The XP has a very large volume front compartment and care needs to be taken not to put to much weight forward. This affects turning by edging and makes it wetter in short, steep waves.

Point 65°N are manufactured in Sweden (www.point65.com) and are distributed in the UK by Knoydart www.knoydart.co.uk. He is in the process of setting up a UK dealer network. The prices are very competitive and even include a day's instruction, tow eye/cleat and outfitting foam! Point 65°N are very receptive to user comments and points raised during this test have already been modified for 2005 UK boats. These include wider front seat support, non removable footrest track and non stretch deck lines. 2005 boats will be further enhanced as follows: the 3 bulkheads to be made of mini-cell foam to provide emergency flotation; new stiffer, lighter Kayak-Sport hatch covers; Seal-Line footrest tracks that can be adjusted while sitting in the boat. Prices are expected to rise a little but will still undercut the UK boats.

In summary, both Point 65°N boats offer test leading quality at incredibly competitive prices, test leading lack of pitching in rough water and test leading comfortable and efficient paddling position. The X-Ray is an excellent all-rounder, has no vices and you can just forget it and concentrate on enjoying your paddling. Highly recommended for all paddlers! The XP offers test leading speed and tracking together with very good manoeuvrability, yet it is still suitable for intermediates. It is an outstanding boat. The manufacturer is responsive to customer feedback and suggestions. Any potential purchaser of a composite sea kayak should consider these boats. At this price point, I would not even consider a new polyethylene boat at £1,000. I think the UK manufacturers will be facing some very serious competition in 2005 and that can only be good for everyone.

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