Tahe Marine Reval HV Specifications

We really liked the Tahe Marine Reval HV sea kayak, even after just a short time aboard it felt like a dependable old friend, but a friend that was really up for some fun should the wind and waves come to the party!

For bigger paddlers looking for a boat that’s going to give them comfort and stability, but still pack plenty of performance punch, the Reval HV sea kayak should be a definite on the demo list.

Tahe Marine Reval HV Features

• Shallow V-shaped hull
• Low Profile
• Upswept
• Bow hatch 24cm
• Day-hatch: 15cm
• Stern oval hatch: 44 x 26cm
• Optional Retractable skeg or retractable skeg + rudder

Getting Started

With its excellent rough water capabilities and nifty turn of speed, the Reval is arguably one of the most popular models within the Tahe Marine stable of sea kayaks, and they’ve recently bolstered the already impressive line up of Revals with a brand new Reval High Volume (HV) version to cater for larger paddlers.

We’d heard good things about this boat, so as soon as they hit UK shores we grabbed one, loaded it up on the roof rack and headed for the coast to put the Reval HV through its paces.

Our first impressions were good.

The build quality and finishing was top notch and as soon as we hopped in it was apparent that the Reval HV sea kayak is a very comfortable boat, straight out of the bag.

The seat outfitting is simple but certainly seemed robust, a positive in our book.

The cockpit and seat are bigger than many other models of sea kayak, which is great news in a boat designed for larger paddlers. And it’s easy to get in to, after a few seconds adjusting the easily adjusted footrest we had a comfy but positive position.

It really feels like this is a boat that’s had a lot of thought put in to its design and the needs of the end user, because everything seems to be in just the right place.

It sports large bow and stern bulkheads and hatches and an, ever-useful, day hatch just behind the seat.

Full deck elastics and lines are well placed and we really liked the bomber looking tamper-proof locking point on he rear deck.

It was also the proud owner of one of the smoothest operating drop down skegs we’ve ever had the pleasure of using.

Built with long day trips and shorter multi-day trips in mind, you can see at a glance that the Tahe Marine Reval HV is a sea kayak that’s going to come in to its own in rougher conditions.

Although the specs say shallow, we’d say it has more of a moderate v hull with makes for great tracking, soft chines, but with a fair amount of side wall, mean the HV has bags of initial and secondary stability, but it’s the fair dose of rocker that the HV possesses that really signals its intent.

On The Water

For its length the HV is a fast boat.

No surprise really as Tahe have a history of designing sleek, sea-going speed machines, and the HV still has a relatively narrow hull considering the weight range of paddler its catering for.

It gets up to speed quickly and it’s easy to tap along covering ground quickly.

We’ve banged on about comfort a lot already but on the water the Reval HV really was a joy to be sat in.

Despite its additional room it never felt leaden, just the opposite in fact, it felt lively and nimble, and responded well to edging and dynamic paddling.

It’s fun to paddle!

It’s really stable and even when messing about with cameras, with the deck off, whilst sat in a gusty side wind with some swell slapping the sidewalls it felt solid and confidence inspiring.

We never really got to paddle it in any really rough conditions, but we’d certainly be keen to.

Review Summary

Whilst we can whole heartedly recommend the Tahe Marine Reval HV, you should always consider a few different options when buying a new kayak to find the right one for you and your trips. Check out our other sea kayak reviews and enjoy the time out on the water!