Well, I want to dispel a few myths. I have just taken delivery of my new Vajda Oscar and I think it only fair that I try and provide some feed-back on the kayak.
I haven’t paddled for more than 20 years and wanted to get back into paddling. I have occasionally paddled a P&H capella RM 166 over the last few years but now living in Coogee near the beach and harbour I decided I wanted a surf ski instead of a sea kayak.
My aim is to train for the 2012 Hawkesbury Classic so I wanted a kayak that offered both reasonable speed and good stability.
Over the last 12 months I have read every article and review I could find and test paddled a lot of the kayaks available in Australia. In the end it came down to 2 kayaks, the Epic V8 and the Vajda Oscar. Obviously I had to wait until last week to see and test the Oscar for the first time.
I agree with everybody that on paper they seem very similar. The Oscar is a little narrower and, in reality the same length. Based on my research and testing what I was most interested in was if there was any difference in the seating/comfort. I am 135kg with a wide pelvis and large "tight head prop" thighs. I was assuming the stability would be similar.
Here are my observations.
1. When looking at the boats from the side and/or top they basically look identical.
2. When I took the Oscar for a paddle the seat was a better fit for my backside as it is a little flatter and possibly slightly higher and wider – this is subjective but I’m certain someone else can verify. I didn’t get as much pressure on the sides of my hips.
3. As I said before, I think the seat is slightly higher. It is still a “deep well” so I put a 25mm pad in to lift me higher so I now feel like I am paddling a more traditional kayak probably not ideal for stability but it suits me as it compensates for my lack of flexibility allowing me to get more forward purchase/reach.
4. As for stability I paddled the Fenn XT, Spirit PRS, Epic V8, V10, V12 and V10S, I didn’t get a chance to paddle the Think, Eos or Carbonology skis but from everything I read it seemed Fenn and Epic were enough as a comparison. I am definitely not ready for fully competitive skis like the V10, V12 or Orca and found the V10s seat a little bit uncomfortable, narrower but with a 25 mm pad it probably wold have been fine. The V8 was definitely a lot more comfortable and seemed more like the V12 seat position. There is no doubt the V8 is a nice ski. Stability wise I found the Oscar to be a little bit twitchier than the V8 but it has as good secondary stability. It is 3 cm narrower that the V8. Taking to the guy’s at the shop they think the Oscar might be slightly quicker but for me that is hardly relevant because I am still struggling to get all my power into my stroke without losing balance.
5. I want to dispel any ongoing suggestions the Oscar is a rip off of the V8. Yes its true on top other than the actual seat they look similar but when you turn them over and have a look at the hulls the execution is completely different. What I noticed is the V8 has a much wider flat area under the seating area with much more squared off sides. The Oscar is more rounded with a less distinct flat bottom and a slight ridge running the length of the centre line.
In the end I decided to buy the Oscar for the following reasons.
1. I personally found the seating position slightly more comfortable and a little bit wider.
2. For me the Osacr is as stable as the V8
3. The Oscar is “quicker” ok I just added that in to tease you all as I have no real grounds to make that statement
4. Because I can’t see inside the ski I decided to look at the Vajda K1 and K2 kayaks which are beautifully finished so I am assuming the quality of the Oscar matches their Olympic kayaks.
5. For the same construction and weight they are slightly cheaper that the Epic V8
6. I also think it is a beautiful looking ski
7. In the end I think the Oscar is probably very similar to the V8 but it is not an "Epic Rip off" that is unfair. If anything it is more a cross between teh V8 and V10s