My Disappointing Experience with the…
My Disappointing Experience with the P&H Cetus
I’m very disappointed with my P&H Cetus kayak. I purchased it two years ago for around €4200, expecting a high-quality product. However, after only a few months of use—and despite always storing it indoors at our kayak club’s boathouse in the Netherlands—mould started to appear on the bottom of the kayak. I was unable to remove it.
I bought the kayak through Arjen Bloem. At first, they were skeptical and didn’t believe it was mould. But after inspection by a repair specialist, it was confirmed to be mould, likely caused by a faulty epoxy layer. This defective layer had tiny pores that absorbed water, allowing mould to develop inside.
Arjen Bloem ordered a replacement kayak for me. However, they weren’t fully reimbursed by P&H, which was already disappointing. In May of the following year, I received a new P&H Cetus. Due to work and holidays, I didn’t use it frequently at first—but when I started using it again, I noticed the same issue: mould was developing again.
This is incredibly frustrating, especially for such an expensive kayak. Even worse, P&H suggested the problem was due to improper use on my part. But the kayak was always stored properly, in a dry and covered space at my kayak club, where I have my own designated storage slot. P&H even suggested I should dry the kayak after every use—which I find absurd. It's a kayak; it's supposed to get wet.
Even though I followed their advice and dried the kayak thoroughly after each use, the mould still returned. I attempted to post about this issue in a P&H Facebook group, hoping for some acknowledgment or support, but my message was not posted and I never received a response.
To make matters worse, a friend of mine bought a kayak from Aquarius around the same time I bought mine. It was half the price—and she hasn’t had a single problem.
I would not buy a P&H kayak again and cannot recommend them based on my experience.