Has someone experience with Vega Flex?

Has someone experience with Vega Flex? Stability and Speed?

I'm curious too. Never seen one or paddled one, but a dealer in PA is supposed to get one sometime in May. I'm hoping the "stay at home" restrictions will be lifted by then so I can check it out. Based on the dimensions, I'm guessing it will be similar to the Epic v10Sport. I like the idea of a 20Lb ski, but I've heard the bailer isn't so good. Right now I'm looking at the Epic v10, and the Think Evo. 

I have a new Vega Flex. Love it! Paddled the Vega in the gorge and it went so much like my Ares OC-1 also by Kai Bartlet. I am not writing a full review because others have done that and agree with their observations. Cons- Bailer, there's only a venturi, but when you are surfing, it would be open anyway. Foot plate adjustment - cords are wrapped up on a cleat on the back of each peddle. Pros- Surfing, weight, colors , rigidity, bucket comfort (i do have a thin pad), cover, did I say Surfing!? This boat surfs like a dream compared to any other ski I have been in My favorite surfing ski before this boat was the Swordfish S. I've been wanting a more downwind specific ski, but felt the Vega was just a little too advanced for my needs. I wanted a boat I could toss my legs out of and be comfortable keeping an eye on other paddlers. I wanted a boat I was comfortable in in any conditions. I also wanted that feeling I had in the Gorge when I first paddled the Vega. The Flex feels like a stable Vega. I can sprint the flex in flat water about as fast as any other ski I've been in. I've not time trialed it because I got if for downwind and we've had a good spring, thank Njord! Here are a couple videos of it in action. the first one is just a minute on lake Mille Lacs on a smaller day. The second video is on Lake Superior in 5-7 feet. The superior paddle (5min) was more a chance to let a couple new paddlers see what bigger waves are like. The OC-1 guy was a bit in over his head, and waves were coming from his left (tough for a newer paddler and an ama) but we had all safety precautions in place.

Nice surfing John!

I googled Vega Flex Review and nothing came up. can you link any reviews you know if? I dont see any...

Would you say it surfs better than the SFS?
Primary/Seocndary Stability compared to SFS?

I really want a Flex, but I'm hard limited to 20'0" unless I get rather creative with my storage. Why, oh Why is Nelo the only brand that has advanced/elite skis <= 20'!! I dont even care for Nelo but they sure are easy to store and transport!

That swim looked Cooooooold Superior is only 40*F at the surface! Great waves though. I paddled OC for 2 years so know left quartering waves suck and can easily catch you off guard, but I always laugh when Outriggers swim and Ski's dont. It happened last year at a local race. Nasty 4-5' quartering waves for a 7 mile downwind. Out of 10 OC's, half swam. None of the 5 skis did

Hey that video on lake Mille Lacs is one of the best I've seen! Shows the wave-front you're following really well. Nice tall mast too, got a pic of that?

3 pieces of broken carbon fiber ski poles, 3 suction cups, 1 custom 3dprinted clamp.

Very nice! Thanks for posting!

"downwinda" posted some text that was a review for the vega, you should find it in a search of this forum "Vega Flex".

I would say the Flex is most like a swordfish, although I would not compare the flex to any other ski except the Vega, the build and feel of ozone boats is so different than any other ski I have paddled. Hopefully you get a chance to try one in some conditions. From a stability standpoint, like the swordfish, i feel I can keep the power on through most anything we have around here, and I have yet to come out. I had posted another reply yesterday, but it never posted.

Here it is again from Michael Wood:

Jan 29  

Aloha from Kauai. Took delivery on a Vega Flex two weeks ago and wanted to share my experiences so far. First let give my paddling background so you know where I am on the paddling curve ,and how appropriate my comments may be for you. 
Been paddling skis 8 years, OC1 5 years, paddle year round, split between PNW ,Gorge,and Kauai. Paddle ski/OC 50/50. On mainland paddle Huki S1R (glass/carbon 25#) and Ares. On Kauai Swordfish S (Carbon hybrid 26#?)and Ares. My passion is downwind paddling. I'm a decent intermediate paddler on the high end of barnacle age category. I paddle to chase bumps, will do a race only if decent downwind. 

So why the Flex? I knew Kai Bartlett was trying to create a ski that surfed more like a one man (OC1). I love surfing my Ares and knew if he could create a ski that had some of those features I was in.
Specs: 18.25" wide x 20.5'  long  22 lbs full carbon
It's a beautiful ski with sleek lines. Has a blunt bow, more volume forward of footwell ,behind bucket,and reduced volume and profile in stern. Comes with a cover. Has same self centering rudder, easy foot plate adjustment as original Vega. Generous bungees forward of footwell and on deck behind bucket.
The footwell is lower volume so less water to drain and gives you solid contact on your lateral lower legs for better stability in bigger conditions. But still big enough for my 12C feet and future booties in PNW. Has single venturi drain.
The bucket is all around comfortable with slight curve on bottom  .I'm tall and skinny so have padded out on sides only for hip contact not for comfort  need or sore spots as on my other skis( sacrum rubbing). Those with more normal or generous hip/butt/thigh combinations will find plenty of room . The hump is moderate allowing good rotation.
One good thing about the Flex is it's very easy to remount. The gunnel is 1" lower than the original Vega and is about 1.25" wide in the bucket area. Which means it doesn't dig into your groin or upper thighs as you pull yourself up out of the water. Also due to it's good primary and secondary stability you can sit side saddle very easily. I did practice remounts in lots of choppy sloppy conditions and never felt sketchy. 
Paddling the Flex I felt solid in the  bucket with no initial twitch that I've experienced in other 18" skis. She definitely surfs more over the bumps than digging in, and once you drop in she runs further than I've experienced in my other skis. I noticed I didn't need to power up as hard nor as long to drop in nor apply strokes as soon while looking for the next bump. I found myself waiting longer letting the Flex run without losing speed. Similar to my Ares. So I'm surfing with less overall effort which is useful. Like the Ares did for me I'm thinking the Flex will help me improve my surfing efficiency and linkage.
This is my first experience paddling a full carbon stiff  22 lb ski so some of the less effort feedback may be due to that feature.. Also because the Flex surfs more over the waves she's a dryer ride. The few times I've buried the nose she pops up faster than my other skis. So far I haven't found a wave deflector necessary. 
I swamped the cockpit a few times surfing across some troughs and the single venturi drains very well. The rudder is an 8.5" elliptical like with a horizontal bottom. In some very big technical conditions I had plenty of rudder bite and never got broached. Which may also be a function of the low volume tail section and more volume forward. For PNW and Gorge a weedless rudder will be useful. 
Overall the Flex feels nimble and playful,easy to surf bumps, change direction, lay over on her rail, loads of fun. 
Due to the surfing characteristics, excellent stability for an 18.25" ski,and ease of remounting the Flex should appeal to a broad range of ski paddlers. 
I don't have any flat water feedback but I'm guessing the Flex can hold her own with the top intermediate skis.
Hope this info is useful. 
Aloha 

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to surfski (started about 9 months ago) and just got my Vega Flex in March. I started out with a V8 Pro, bought a V8, then got on the V10 Sport for a couple of months. During the past few months, I also tried the Vega, Fenn Elite S, and Epic V10L. 

I have paddled the Vega Flex in big downwind conditions, up China Walls, and in the flat. From my brief experience, I personally feel that the stability is somewhere in between the V10 sport (2nd generation) and V10L. It's very light, which makes it a lot of fun when the conditions are right, but it does get more difficult when the wind is coming from the side.

I also noticed pressure areas in my lower back from the bucket.. especially during longer paddles. There are also times when I feel  like I'm sliding down and slouching, as opposed to sitting more upright.  I'm hoping to fix that with some padding. Curious to know if anyone has recommendations on what to use. 

To make simple seat pads, especially while you're experimenting and changing them, I use simple closed cell foam. Often the stuff used to package delicate or high value items works well. Typ. 5mm-8mm thickness is sufficient. Cut to the shape you want, then cover the bottom with PVC tape or duck tape and just wrap around the edges. Cover the top with UHWM tape so you can rotate easily (that stuff is not cheap, but worth it). Then place into the bucket and try different positions, temporarily slide another thin layer of foam below the pad to try different stuff. Once you're happy, use some PVC tape or similar to tape it down along the sides so you can go on a full outing without worrying that the pad may shift.
WRT slouching, consider making a wedge shaped seat pad that tilts your pelvis forward, i.e., pads mostly the rear of the bucket. You don't need to cut a wedge, sometimes pushing the pad a bit back works, sometimes you can use two thinner layers that are offset, etc.

I put round anti-slip stickers in the bucket to avoid slipping. I bought the ones you put on the floor of your shower. 

My first impression after two days is that's it's less stable than a swordfish S but also easier to accelerate and just faster.  I sit more upright. The seat is too wide for me. I would say wider than a swordfish. Today was no wind. Let's see how it is in waves. The quality of the ski is perfect. Beautifully made. The rudder reacts very precise and fast. I have to get used to the self-centering rudder. That feels very strange in the beginning. As soon as you have less pressure on the pedals you go straight again. Definitely the most beautiful ski I have ever seen. A real eye-turner.