There are so many great articles in Ocean Paddler magazine #38 that there was no room for the comparative performance table from the Malin Gometra sea kayak test. For those that thought one paragraph on the Gometra's performance was a bit short for an OP long term test, I attach the full table below.
About the test:
paddling conditions and paddlers.
This test took place during the period February until May
2013. It is based on paddling the Malin Gometra for over 340 km in a wide
variety of waters off the west coast of Scotland: the Solway, the Clyde, north
and south of Ardnamurchan and the Inner Hebrides.
It has been used on open
crossings and on exposed coasts and headlands. It has been tested in winds from
force 0 to 5, in flat water, windblown chop, tide races moving at up to 12km/hour
and in swell and surf on exposed Atlantic coasts and beaches.
It has been
paddled by six other paddlers weighing from 60 to 94kg, varying between novice
and 5* level. The main tester is 1.73m tall, weighs 85kg and has paddled about
18,000 km since 2002. The Malin Gometra was paddled alongside and compared with
a number of other popular "all round" sea kayaks including P&H
Cetus MV, Cetus HV, Quest, Quest LV, Rockpool Alaw Bach, Tiderace Xcite and Valley
Nordkapp LV. The majority of paddling was winter day paddling but the Gometra
was also used for a 4 day camping trip.
Manufacturer's
Summary
The Malin Gometra sea kayak - a great expedition sea touring kayak with a huge carrying capacity, which responds equally as well when used as a day kayak . Being shorter than its bigger brother, the Ulva it is much more manoeuvrable. The large hinged hatches make it so easy to pack and unpack the kayak. This kayak is very easy to roll whilst still being extremely stable. You can't help but be impressed by the beautiful lines of the Gometra. Have a paddle in it. You will not be disappointed.
The Malin Gometra sea kayak - a great expedition sea touring kayak with a huge carrying capacity, which responds equally as well when used as a day kayak . Being shorter than its bigger brother, the Ulva it is much more manoeuvrable. The large hinged hatches make it so easy to pack and unpack the kayak. This kayak is very easy to roll whilst still being extremely stable. You can't help but be impressed by the beautiful lines of the Gometra. Have a paddle in it. You will not be disappointed.
Design.
I first saw the Malin Gometra at the Perth canoe show in 2012. I was very
impressed by the finish and original features in the design. The first thing I
noticed about the profile of the Gometra was its beautiful sweeping "S"
curves at the bow and stern. These allow a very natural handhold, which makes carrying
a loaded kayak much easier.
The second thing I noticed was an almost straight rocker
line throughout a significant proportion of the keel. I assumed correctly that
this would give great tracking but assumed wrongly that this would limit
turning ability.
In plan view, the wide point is just in front of the paddlers
hips.
The under hull has a shallow V leading into soft chines, which wash out
into increasingly rounded sections towards the bow and stern.
The deck has a
very clean look due to the colour matched, flush GRP hatch covers. The Gometra
is a relatively short 518cm but due to the long, straight rocker its waterline
length is similar to longer, more rockered kayaks. This makes it faster than
its length might suggest. At 56cm wide, it is the same width as the Quest/Quest
LV but 3cm wider than the Alaw Bach, Xcite and Nordkapp LV. The Gometra has a
forward main hatch and a forward day hatch but there is only one large rear
hatch, though it has two hatch covers for ease of access.
Construction, finish,
fittings and ergonomics
Although Malin sea kayaks have been building sea kayaks for over 35 years they are not mass produced. Each is individually built by Mike Donald and his perfection and attention to detail show. The construction was faultless and the demo Gometra looked particularly well in its white hull with glossy maroon deck. The deck is actually made in three parts and the sections are near invisibly joined at the edges of the main forward and rear hatch covers. The purpose of this is to allow access to the bow and stern during manufacture to ensure that the inside seam is wetted out and fully inserted right into the bow and stern. Only then is the central part of the deck assembled into place. Inside seam problems at the bow and stern have been problematic in a significant number of European and Far East mass produced kayaks.
Although Malin sea kayaks have been building sea kayaks for over 35 years they are not mass produced. Each is individually built by Mike Donald and his perfection and attention to detail show. The construction was faultless and the demo Gometra looked particularly well in its white hull with glossy maroon deck. The deck is actually made in three parts and the sections are near invisibly joined at the edges of the main forward and rear hatch covers. The purpose of this is to allow access to the bow and stern during manufacture to ensure that the inside seam is wetted out and fully inserted right into the bow and stern. Only then is the central part of the deck assembled into place. Inside seam problems at the bow and stern have been problematic in a significant number of European and Far East mass produced kayaks.
The novel hatch covers are moulded GRP and are hinged at one
end. They sit on rubber gaskets and are secured, opposite the hinges, by
folding levers which operate rubber swell latches. These are backed up on the two
main hatches by twin adjustable straps with buckles. The hatch covers proved
very easy to open and close even in icy conditions (unlike the Valley hatch
covers, which are notoriously awkward). Despite being used in a variety of
places, with sand grains from coarse to fine, the hatches remained totally
waterproof even after extended rolling sessions. Being flush, the covers don't
send up spray when waves are breaking along the deck.
Looking forward from the main rear hatch towards the rear day hatch.
The single large rear
compartment, with two hatches, proved very space efficient and easy to load.
However, the central rear day hatch does give access to the whole space and so
care should be taken opening it if conditions on the water are rough. Some may
argue a three bulkhead design is safer if a kayak gets holed but this does not
concern me as I always use buoyancy bags, if I am paddling unloaded.
The deck
lines are larger diameter than most other manufacturers' lines and are easy to
hold. They are retained by very neat colour matched, moulded in, deck fittings.
The standard deck elastics were too thin and map case and pump were washed out
by surf. You can specify thicker elastics.
There are deck recesses behind the
cockpit to fit the spare paddle blades while the shafts run forward in recesses
on either side of the cockpit. This keeps the splits really flush yet readily
to hand. They do not block access to either of the rear hatches. The deck
recesses are designed specifically for these splits. The paddles are more than
adequate for emergency use, having carbon shafts and GRP blades. At first I was
doubtful about this arrangement but by the end of the test I was even leaving
them stowed on deck while the kayak was on the car roof rack. The convenience
of always having the spare paddles to hand but never finding them in the way
made me really appreciate this original design feature. There is no moulded
recess for a compass on the fore deck but there are moulded flats for towing
fairlead and cleat on the rear deck.
The Gometra has a very large, stiff and effective skeg,
which is easily operated by a non kink wire system. The tube that the skeg wire
runs in has an ingenious T piece inside the cockpit, which allows silicone lubricant to be sprayed
in without disassembling the skeg system.
The rear bulkhead is curved to make
room for water bags behind the seat and the demo boat had a very neatly
installed electric pump here. There is a recess in the deck behind the cockpit
that protects the rubber covered pump switch. The pump proved highly effective.
It means there is no need for a one way valve which would reduce pump output.
The demo boat was supplied with Sea-Lect Designs plastic footrests with easily
adjustable wands but many Malin customers choose a custom bulkhead.
The foam
seat sits on a yellow GRP hanger which can be moved forward or back on the vertical
cockpit sides. We were not aware of this feature during testing and some of the
longer legged paddlers wished they could have moved the seat back. There is
space between the cockpit sides and the hull for storing sponges etc. On the
demo boat the seat hanger was rather narrow (fore and aft) and our bum could
feel the edge through the thin part of the foam seat. We cured it by putting a
little sleeping mat foam under the seat but Malin have since widened the
hanger. Our three biggest paddlers had to remove the supplied hip pads to fit
in while wearing full winter gear. There is a large knee tube under the forward
day hatch. This extends at the back to either side in a T shape and makes the
forward day hatch very commodious and useful. However, two of our larger footed
paddlers found their toes hit the top of the T when they were jumping in
quickly during surf launches. Malin are aware of this and, should you have
particularly large feet, they can make the forward day hatch a simple
longitudinal tube. The underside of the cockpit coaming was padded and the
larger paddlers felt it very comfortable. Smaller thinner paddlers might need a
little more padding but all sizes of our paddlers were pleased with an
ergonomic seating position that allowed a comfortable bracing position when
required and a more relaxed position when cruising.
Performance
The standout feature of the Gometra's performance was its seaworthiness,
especially in rough conditions.
It performed particularly well when paddling
downwind in following breaking seas. Despite its load carrying ability and lack
of rocker, it proved to be highly manoeuvrable and equally as good as a day
boat. Please refer to the table for a detailed comparison of the Gometra with
some other kayaks of differing designs but similar intended all round use. Best
performance is *****. It is not intended that stars be added as some of the
performance features, which we compared, are more important than others and
different people will rate the same feature more or less importantly, depending
on their experience and paddling style.
Conclusions
It was a real joy to use and paddle the Malin Gometra. This is not a kayak
designed by a committee. It is a design that has evolved through 35 years of
development of one man's vision. As such, it has some unique and highly
practical features. In essence it is a short, manoeuvrable kayak with a
remarkable load carrying ability that can accommodate a wide range of paddler
sizes. I was particularly impressed by its seaworthiness in testing "big"
conditions. Lastly, in these days when almost everything we buy needs to be
mass produced in the Far East to meet our expectations of quality and price, it
was a real pleasure to be able to talk to the designer about what could be
customised for a purchaser and to paddle a kayak built in the UK.
Specifications.
Weight (standard construction, adjustable footrests, electric pump and battery, no keel strip, no compass): 24.5kg, length: 518cm, width: 56 cm, cockpit length: 81cm, breadth: 41.5cm, internal height at front of cockpit: 33cm, rear of seat base to front of cockpit: 61cm (as supplied but seat can adjust backwards).
Weight (standard construction, adjustable footrests, electric pump and battery, no keel strip, no compass): 24.5kg, length: 518cm, width: 56 cm, cockpit length: 81cm, breadth: 41.5cm, internal height at front of cockpit: 33cm, rear of seat base to front of cockpit: 61cm (as supplied but seat can adjust backwards).