Best all-around sea kayak?? | P&H Scorpio kayak review

The P&H Sea Kayaks Scorpio has been around a long time! Why has it been around so long? Well... a lot of people love this kayak, and that's because there's a lot to love! But is it the right kayak for you? In this video, I do an in depth review of the Scorpio - a kayak that is considered by many to be one of the best all-around sea kayaks on the market.

Gear I'm wearing:

Watch the Ireland sea kayaking adventure:

Other gear I use and recommend:

Paddles:

PFDs:

Dry Wear:

Base Layers:

Warm Weather:

Footwear:

Other Paddling Gear

[mikeisland]

Solid review. I've been camping out of this boat for a number of years. My complaints are the same as yours. I wish it had one big rear compartment and an oval front hatch like a Valley boat. It might not be fast but it's the boat I want to be in when the conditions turn ugly. While I appreciate the toughness it's the heaviest boat I've ever carried.

[ninjazxd]

I bought my first sea kayak a couple weeks ago, I bought a used 2009 Venture Kayaks Easky 17. They’re owned and made by P&H. I picked it up locally from facebook marketplace for $400. It had light use, I replaced the bungees, the back band broke when I first took it out. I replaced the back band with the lounger band from Immersion Research and it’s way better. The Easky only came in a LV and a regular. I sat in the Scorpio HV down in Savannah and it was really nice and fit me really well. I should’ve bought it but I will get the skills down with this one for now. Currently I am 6’6” 270lbs.

[peakandpaddleuk]

I have a Scorpio (and its composite sister the Cetus) and they’re absolutely fantastic boats. People tend to think of them as expedition boats but back in the day, P&H marketed the Scorpio as an all rounder and personally I still feel it’s a perfect all rounder too!

[janeseddon]

Peter here Ken. Thanks for your review of the Scorpio. I have a Scorpio Mk2 LV. I find the cockpit outfitting second to none. You do really feel one with the boat when on the water. My biggest problem was the extremely poor seal between the Kajaksport rubber hatch lids and the moulded hatch rims. All hatches leaked severely. After many options I ended up with a reasonable fix using plastic bin liners under the lids. Not ideal, but on the water who cares. Water intrusion is at least limited when rolling or even surfing. Ironically, when the Scorpio arrived in Aust from the UK after 8 months wait it came with a note in the small front day hatch to beware that that hatch may not be waterproof???. Also I ordered the skeg version. During a paddle with some strong side winds I neded to deploy the skeg. I dropped it all the way down and it essentially disintegrated in the skeg box and needed a replacement. P&H sent a replacement promptly from the UK. Kudos for that. The sail fitting on the Mk2 enabled me to deploy a .7M2 sail without needing to drill any holes other than 2 cleats. The handling of the Scorpio is superb. It is very resistant to weathercocking which means that skeg use is minimal. It is super easy to roll and the low back means an easy roll for those who use a lazy lay-back roll. BTW, I am a big fan of rear day hatches. I have one kayak, a Paddling Perfection Sea Bear, which does not have any rear day hatch and it is an absolute pain having your lunch and coffee and anything else rollong around in the voluminous space created by no day hatch. Also, things such as towrope, stirrup etc, can be handy access on the water. No need for someone to have to come alongside and remove spare paddle and access a large hatch to recover such objects. Just a thought. I very much enjoy for segments and look forward to more. PS, I wish NRS had an outlet here in Australia. Cannot afford the freight from America to replace a couple of NRS Hydraskin tops. My favourite.

[broccolisamurai]

This was my first sea kayak. I love it and get lots of compliments. I use it in Lake Erie and the Niagara River as well as in creeks!

[ihan_perus]

I turned my kayak's day hatch (behind the cockpit) to a cooler box by installing some insulating material all around the inside of it. Then I just throw a couple of frozen water bottles in there with all of the food stuff (mostly beer and sausages ; ) and everything keeps nice and cool for a quick one or two night trip during the summer.
I have a SeaBird R. Scott HDPE in medium volume. Love my boat!

[chrislavigne]

Of all my kayaks this scorpio mv is my go to boat lately. Awesome boat. Very comfortable seating and love the roomy day hatch.i take this boat in open water and against the tide on rivers and its one of those boats that just keeps giving to get you through. By far my fave plastic boat.

[jamesstemmler]

Bought a Scorpio! Had a Pakayak that I've had for the last 2 years (still have it) but have bought my first home, with a garage, so... my housewarming gift to myself now that I have proper storage was a Scorpio as my first tried and true sea kayak😁

[Dacinovski]

Went from Prijon Kodiak to Scorpio. I was reborn with it. I love it. Worth the money.

[oOJadonOo]

Could you do a Paddle review? Im a newer kayaker and im starting on a budget but i want to know if i was to invest in a better paddle what to go for, maybe different price points, pros and cons of paddles themselves? Please. And thankyou. Your channel is awesome love the content really informative.

[jmwlr]

Next time you are in NC, come by and take my P&H Valkerie out and play with it. JW

[kevincasey]

The compas well is far enough forward to see the compas over a foredeck bag. That is a feature I appreciate.

[HIM.BlackTheBillionaire]

I loved this review and can't wait to get into one of my own Scorpios

[snowleopard]

Those day hatches behind the cockpit steal a ton of room from the main rear compartment due to the appropriate 4” foam bulkhead, between the day hatch and the main compartment. Someone told me they are used on the HV models of some P&H boats mainly because they need that 4” foam bulkhead as a hull stiffener. I’m not sure if that’s true or not. I thought about the HV Virgo, but decided against it just because I couldn’t get my cart into the shallow short rear hatch, due to the day hatch and that skudder box eating up all of the room behind the cockpit. I have a P&H Venture Islay 14 and it has tons of rear storage because it doesn’t have a day hatch or that skudder box, but it still has a skeg.

[TheExtraTerrestrial]

Thanks for the vid! I just picked up a MK2 MV. My usual long boat was a WS Tempest 170, but I always felt it was a bit too much volume for me (almost 6' and 155 lbs). Turning the Tempest was a chore, initial stability is poor, and it really got blown around the wind. So far, the Scorpio feels much better. It turns much easier (considering its length), stability is wonderful and it's plenty fast. I think this will be my go-to boat for quite some time.

[stanleyprank]

Hello, I read the comments under the film and I am a bit surprised by so many positive opinions. There are many films on the Internet where people talk about its flaws and show them. Leaking hatches are standard, but an unacceptable defect that should never occur in such an expensive kayak is the leaking bulkheads of the luggage compartments!!! - Yes, the bulkheads are poorly glued which can be seen with the naked eye in some copies. Last year, just before Christmas, I saw a film from England where a guy bought a Scorpio MK II in blue and after pouring water into the cockpit, he noticed that the rear bulkhead was leaking significantly. He made a complaint and returned the kayak. He got an expensive new kayak with which he did the same, pouring water into the cockpit and here, in turn, the front bulkhead was leaking. It is simply a scandal, but this is what happens when you move production somewhere to China, because I will never believe that these are kayaks manufactured in England. I was in Dublin-Lucan in I-Canoe in the spring and I saw a few pieces of the Scorpio MK II kayak, the ones from the last modification they underwent. Not only the colors have changed recently, but it is clearly visible that the form for making kayaks has been slightly reduced. I was at a friend's and I tried his kayak from before this change and the HV model in the Sun Beam color is slightly larger in size than, for example, the blue one from the last third edition, which I have checked personally. And one more thing, the kayaks in the store were completely new and unused and in the 1st class of quality, and out of 4 kayaks only one did not have bubbles and that was on the outside of the shell!!! - When I wanted to take pictures, one of the sellers said that if I started taking pictures of these defects, he would immediately ask me to leave the store. Maybe it is a kayak with good nautics and all, but I don't want Scorpio MK II HV anymore because I bought myself a 3 times cheaper kayak from DAG Miwok model and I will say this: It is in no way inferior to Scorpio, but it is surprisingly better made and has no defects. Maybe Miwok doesn't have the best polyethylene, but Scorpio doesn't either and it is not at all as stiff as they say in reviews and in this film it is also said that the kayak is very stiff, but that is not true. Yes, the first Scorpio model was really good, but now the last ones are a failure. I will not buy Scorpio even if the price dropped to 500 euros. I am very disappointed and disillusioned with P&H and its products.

[Kayaking_to_escape_family]

For once this kayak is cheaper in the UK. I have a feeling P&H is own by Pyranha and British made. That why it maybe cheaper here.

[chiefenumclaw]

Excellent review as always! I'm looking at boats for lake Michigan. Safety is important, but I'm also really cheap. Therefore, my logic is to buy the absolute CHEAPEST boat possible and then get the best GPS rescue beacon money can buy.

[Bonkylikestopaddle]

Yessss let’s go. Been waiting for this one

[tommasobrentari]

love your drysuit.. you can tell that is new from the sound... ;)