P&H Orion

The Orion was some of the last designs from Derek Hutchinson for P&H. It is clearly a descendant of the older IceFloe and Fjord designs. Reading many positive reviews on the internet I got the feeling this boat is a bit underrated here in Holland. May be the large beam makes people think this is a slow and heavy boat for fat people.

The Orion has a high but not very buyant bow

On the contrary, the Orion appears to be a very vivid boat. Very manouverable. Reacts very quick on edging. Of course this is a benefit of the wide beam in the middle. On speed it tracks well and in rest you can turn it on a dime. The stability is much better and the boat feels very confident. Despite it's width it rolls easily. Well, it must be slow then? Actually, the Orion seems a bit faster to me then the Dawn Treader Odin. May be because of the simple hull design. With no integral skegs, it looks much more like a surfski than the complex hull shape of the Dawn Treader with it's deep V and sharp ends.

Simple shaped bottom

Are there no drawbacks? Well, I noticed the Orion tracks less convincing in following seas. The tail is sometimes pushed aside even with the skeg down. It is easy to correct though as the boat is very maneuverable but the Dawn Treader Odin does this better. Also the bow is not that buyant, I get much more spray into my face. And while surfing, a large part of the bow burries itself into the wave. Even with small waves. Not very assuring.

The non original foam seat with integral side pads

The seating position is much better even with (or because?) the non-original foam seat. The deck is lower which is a good thing for a tight fit but there is less room for my feet. I get the impression the overall volume is not that large as many people think. With my 95 kg the boat is lying already enough deep in the water. No need for ballast. The front compartment looks smaller than the Dawn Treader Odin. The aft compartment looks longer and wider. As you can see the Orion has also no hatch behind the cockpit. This still has to be added.

Overall, I am happy with the Orion. It seems to be a better allround kayak for me at the moment. If you compare it to the Dawn Treader Odin it is much more fun to paddle and a better platform to develop skills and technique on. However I didn't paddle it yet under more demanding circumstances so my opinion may change. I am especially curious to it's behaviour in a big surf...