Review: 'Capella' by P&H Company

Manufacturer's Design Statement: Many ranges of polyethylene kayaks now include a model deemed suitable for the sea. "Let's fill the gap, let's design a sea kayak." At P&H we manufacture a range of world-class sea kayaks we have been doing so since 1979. The Capella is our first polyethylene sea kayak, and it has drawn upon the very limits of our knowledge, expertise and energy.
.......The kayak is aimed at the paddler who wants the exceptional durability and cost benefits of a polyethylene sea kayak, yet would like the performance of a fiberglass model. The Capella's 22" beam means that it falls in the middle of most sea kayak ranges, providing an ideal balance between the desirable attributes of forward speed and stability.
.......The kayak is 16' 5" in length, ensuring that it is ideally suited to all-around kayaking, long enough (and therefore fast enough) for sorties across open bays, while retaining enough maneuverability for coastal exploring. Though we refer to the Capella as a sea kayak, it is also ideal for touring lakes, estuaries and fjords. We are proud of our new kayak and hope that you will like it. P&H

Reviewers:
TS 5'10", 165-pound male. Several day trips and one overnight with camping gear. Winds to 15 knots.
VS 5'2", 160-pound female. Day trip in calm seas with light breeze.
CC 5'7", 140-pound female. Light winds, three- to four-foot swells. Two- to four-foot breakers on shore.

......."Graceful lines make this a pretty boat" (TS). CC noted that the "attention to detail in the construction looks high, and the kayak felt pretty rigid for a plastic kayak." The Capella was comfortable and balanced well for a solo carry. The hand grips are "well placed at the very ends of the kayak [and] are long enough to keep the fingers from being trapped if the boat spins" (CC).
.......The Capella's recessed deck fittings are fitted with a grab line around the perimeter and shock cord across the deck. VS and CC noted that the shock cords behind the cockpit cross under a deck fitting on the centerline. The deck fitting gets in the way of slipping a paddle bade under the shock cord for a paddle float rescue. They recommend loosening the recessed deck fitting and releasing the bungies from it.
.......The accommodations of the Capella drew high marks. "For me, this cockpit really works. I could get in and out of it easily, and the seat was great. The padded knee braces are really comfy and well shaped and placed" (VS). "I was impressed with the cockpit because its beefy thigh braces were comfortable and allowed for excellent control of the kayak. I was confident enough of my fit in the boat to take it out in two- to four-foot breaking surf" (CC). TS thought that the height of the forward end of the cockpit was "too high for comfortable Greenland-style paddling, but fine for a large-bladed paddling style." CC sat comfortably in the seat for three hours. TS felt the seat and low back support facilitated "active paddling, bracing and rolling."
.......The foot braces are easily adjustable and provide solid support. The Capella is equipped with a retractable skeg, which is "simple and effective" (TS) in adjusting the tracking of the boat and in countering weathercocking. During one launching, TS discovered a pebble had jammed the skeg in its case. Pushing on the control cable to force the skeg down only kinked the cable where it meets the skeg. To avoid damaging the cable, the skeg should be pulled down directly by hand. A paddling partner can reach under the boat to free it if necessary.
......."The Capella has a sporty feel without feeling excessively tippy. [It has] comfortable secondary stability when put on edge" (TS). "A light initial stability and a nice secondary stability. This is the feel I prefer in a boat, easy to lean, with a feel of security at a secondary point" (VS).
......."Without the skeg deployed, the Capella responded to leaned turns quite well, in fact too well. In flat water it showed a tendency to yaw" noted TS. CC, however, thought the Capella tracked "pretty well" without the skeg, and was easy to steer using paddle strokes. With the skeg down, the Capella "tracked like it was on a train track" (TS). With the skeg partially deployed, VS found the Capella "was nicely maneuverable without falling off course too readily. TS, in 15-knot winds, noted that the Capella weathercocked without the skeg, but could be made to hold course with the skeg deployed.
.......The foredeck sheds water well and doesn't throw spray. At cruising speed all of our reviewers noted that the Capella kept pace easily with other boats: "no problems keeping up with the fast boats in the group" (TS). "It picks up speed well and can hold it without having to be driven" (VS).
......."Wheeee! The Capella surfed wind waves quite well. The excellent cockpit and knee braces made control easy and the bow didn't pearl. Handled the shore break well for a sea kayak—I got some nice rides in it. I did not feel the Capella flexing a lot as I have in other plastic kayaks" (CC). "Accelerated well to catch passing swells. Fun and effective with the skeg deployed and maddening when it was stuck" (TS).
.......The large hatches make it easy to load the kayak. The polyethylene bulkheads are welded into the kayak. Only VS reported water getting into the aft compartment. TS thought he could easily pack enough gear in the Capella for a week-long trip. With an overnight load aboard, he noted, the boat handled well and "became more stable and tracked better."
.......TS thought the Capella's skeg deployment needed improvement, but overall thought "the Capella has the potential of being a really fun intermediate-level touring craft." "One of the better designs in a poly kayak. A boat for both the experienced kayaker and the newbie" (VS). "Some people assume that because a kayak is plastic it is inferior to a fiberglass boat. The Capella will change their minds. You get a lot of kayak for the money. It is sharp in appearance, well made and handles wind and surfs well, and has one of the best cockpit designs I have seen in a kayak. And you don't have to go into bankruptcy to buy it" (CC).
Designer Response .......We are very pleased with the review and would like to thank all of those involved with testing the kayak. We are particularly pleased that all our efforts in seat design and sitting position were noticed—our "are you siting comfortably?" policy has been a major factor in our design work during the last few years.
.......A few comments were made about the skeg sticking if obstructed (i.e. by a small stone, etc.), and leading to the wire at the hand-operated slider possibly "kinking." The slider on all P&H sea kayaks was already under review and has now been redesigned. The slider itself now runs along a stainless steel bar and subsequently is much less likely to be kinked. This allows for much more positive results when pushing the slider to help dislodge any skeg obstruction.
.......All P&H hatch systems (glassfibre and polyethylene kayaks) are certified 100% airtight when leaving P&H. Welding bulkheads into polyethylene sea kayaks is a difficult and technical operation but is by far the best method.
.......For those of you opting for glassfibre, the Capella is now available in glassfibre. It is easy to produce a "sea kayak" but very hard work designing an excellent sea kayak. Here at P&H we have been designing sea kayaks since 1978, and we hope that nearly two decades of knowledge is apparent in our designs.
.......For those on the Internet, our web site is a good source of further information: http://www.phcompany.co.uk, email phseakayaks@phcompany.co.uk. We are always pleased to hear your comments. Our distributors in the USA and Canada will be pleased to hear from you and send you a copy of our new 1997 Ocean Exploration brochure. Thank you Sea Kayaker for testing the Capella.
The P&H Company
Options and Pricing (1996 design)
Standard Lay-up: rotomolded polyethylene, welded polyethylene bulkheads
Standard Features: retractable skeg, deck lines, recessed deck fittings, hatches and bulkheads. Check with dealer to see if thigh grips are included.
Approximate Weight: 58.6 lbs.
Price: Set by individual distributors and dealers.
Availability:

Impex International
1107 Station Road, Bldg. 1
Belleport, NY 11713
Phone (516) 2862988

Sea-Trek Sports Ltd.
9813 3rd Street
Sidney B.C. V8L 3A6
Phone (250) 656-9888 Eastern Outdoors, Brunswick Sq. 39 King Street
St. John, NB E2L 4W3
Phone (506) 6342530
Mid Canada Fiberglass Ltd.
Box 1599
New Liskeard, ON, P0J 1P0
Phone (705) 647-6698