Gear Review: P&H Cetus MV Expedition Kayak
Value Rating: 10
Durability Rating: 8
Overall Rating: 9
Location of Test: 100+ Miles of the willamette
Duration of Test: 5 days
Product Name: Cetus MV
Product Brand: P&H Kayaks
Best Use: Multi-day sea kayking or flatwater trips
Sizes: LV, MV, HV Low Volume, Medium Volume, High Volume
The Full Review:
I'll cut straight to the chase...This boat is FAST! I spent 5 days camping and kayaking out of the Cetus MV and it was an absolute joy. The shallow "V" hull with softer rounded chines allow this boat to cover distance with ease. I had quite a few others paddling with me that were in harder chined planing hulled kayaks who were jealous of my speed. This kayak comes with a drop-down skeg for help with tracking. This feature really came in handy on the windy days. It also offers 4 different hatches for spread out storage. My favorite of these hatches was the day hatch that was easily accessible behind my right hip. This truly came in handy and had plenty of room! I had my camelback in there as well as snacks and my radio with plenty more room for a full dry bag. The rest of the hatches had plenty of spaces for a long camping trip.
On my trip, the Cetus provided obvious primary stability as well as great secondary stability. It was just as easy to paddle while I was edging hard as well as upright. This made it confidence inspiring to take into dynamic water like waves and through hard eddy lines. The even the slight rocker pierced through the water extremely well. I never needed to carp a roll out of necessity on this trip, but I did so to cool off occasionally and found it quite easy to roll. The outfitting was comfortable in this kayak but would have preferred a "ratcheting" back band which you can get for these models. Lastly, I was grateful for how light this boat felt to paddle compared to my usual roto-molded plastic kayaks. It truly saved my shoulders after 100+ miles of paddling.
The Good
Light
Comfortable
Fast
Very stable
Lots of storage
Perfectly placed day hatch
Drop down skeg
Tracks straight
Rolls easy
Easy extra paddle storage
semi-displacement hull
Did I say FAST?
Great multi-day boat
The Bad:
Not the best for surfing but can be done.
The Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that if I’m on a trip where covering lots of miles is involved I will surely be in the Cetus MV. It covers great distances with ease, handles whatever dynamic water you can throw at it, and had room for weeks of camping gear. This boat took care of me on a 5-day trip and I would easily do more. It got a great sleek hull design made to speed and stability. I’m 6'1'', 185lbs and fit great in the MV. Find out what size fits you best. The Cetus will not disappoint.
The Full Review:
I'll cut straight to the chase...This boat is FAST! I spent 5 days camping and kayaking out of the Cetus MV and it was an absolute joy. The shallow "V" hull with softer rounded chines allow this boat to cover distance with ease. I had quite a few others paddling with me that were in harder chined planing hulled kayaks who were jealous of my speed. This kayak comes with a drop-down skeg for help with tracking. This feature really came in handy on the windy days. It also offers 4 different hatches for spread out storage. My favorite of these hatches was the day hatch that was easily accessible behind my right hip. This truly came in handy and had plenty of room! I had my camelback in there as well as snacks and my radio with plenty more room for a full dry bag. The rest of the hatches had plenty of spaces for a long camping trip.
On my trip, the Cetus provided obvious primary stability as well as great secondary stability. It was just as easy to paddle while I was edging hard as well as upright. This made it confidence inspiring to take into dynamic water like waves and through hard eddy lines. The even the slight rocker pierced through the water extremely well. I never needed to carp a roll out of necessity on this trip, but I did so to cool off occasionally and found it quite easy to roll. The outfitting was comfortable in this kayak but would have preferred a "ratcheting" back band which you can get for these models. Lastly, I was grateful for how light this boat felt to paddle compared to my usual roto-molded plastic kayaks. It truly saved my shoulders after 100+ miles of paddling.
The Good
Light
Comfortable
Fast
Very stable
Lots of storage
Perfectly placed day hatch
Drop down skeg
Tracks straight
Rolls easy
Easy extra paddle storage
semi-displacement hull
Did I say FAST?
Great multi-day boat
The Bad:
Not the best for surfing but can be done.
The Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that if I’m on a trip where covering lots of miles is involved I will surely be in the Cetus MV. It covers great distances with ease, handles whatever dynamic water you can throw at it, and had room for weeks of camping gear. This boat took care of me on a 5-day trip and I would easily do more. It got a great sleek hull design made to speed and stability. I’m 6'1'', 185lbs and fit great in the MV. Find out what size fits you best. The Cetus will not disappoint.