Vajda Oscar Review

I also meant to add an update from Saturday's paddle.

I didn't manage 3 hours as planned but got 1 1/2 hours paddling in at Bondi beach which was fantastic. Stayed in the boat the whole time in small but confused waves. The ground swell and wind swell were running a 90 degrees to each other.

In all good fun and I found I was no longer focusing on staying upright. There were a few moments when I had to brace quite hard but it was only three times and only when I was turning around at the south end of the beach in the larger swell.

The ski is very stable and easy to paddle and even for me at 110kg I found catching the small swell from the northern head land into the beach manageable as I was able to get 100% of my power into my stroke. A first for me.

I'd like to think I was just getting better but I really do believe the single biggest difference between by experience in the ski last Christmas and now is the change in my weight which has really changed the way the ski performs. I was expecting it to glide better due to less wetted surface area but I was pleasantly surprised with the increased stiffness of the ski when rolling in the swell.

Given most of you are probably a lot lighter than me I can only assume that the Oscar will be a very stable ski for even an absolute beginner. Something my 145kg originally masked.

I hope you find this useful

Regards,
David

Hi Ole,
Thought this extract from an ACC pamphlet that explains the obligations of Manufacturers and Importers in Australia might be of interest with respect to your Epics.

Consumers’ claims against manufacturers
and importers
The Act gives consumers who buy goods usually
acquired for personal, domestic or household
use, the right to a remedy from a manufacturer or
importer if they supply goods that:
• are not suitable for the purpose they were
sold for
• do not match the description provided, or any
sample shown
• are not of merchantable quality
• do not comply with an express warranty.
The rights apply whether the consumer is the
original buyer or a subsequent owner (such as
someone who has been given the product or
bought it second-hand).
A consumer can also take action directly against a
manufacturer when:
• a manufacturer does not honour promises
made about goods – these include promises
made in voluntary warranties, claims made in
promotional material, and by sales staff
• the manufacturer does not ensure there is
a reasonable supply of repair facilities or
replacement parts available. What is regarded
as reasonable depends upon factors such as
the nature of the product and its expected
useful life.


You can get further information at
transition.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/322947

Cheers

Hello David,

I can't agree more and I didn't want to criticise any of your observations. I contrast, I think they are great.
Maybe I was a bit frustrated with the experience I made and saw this as an opportunity to let the world know.

Best,
Ole

Hello PhilSE2,

many thanks. Yes, I was thinking that one would have such rights.
I live most of the year at NSW mid-north coast and don't think that it is worth all the hassle. I can live with it (polish regularly) and enjoy the ski nearly everyday (as Bmax mentioned earlier, that's the most important thing).

Best,
Ole

I do the repairs for Epic in Perth.

I don't care who owns the ski when it is brought to me for warranty purposes, either it is warranty or it is not, the owner of the ski is irrelevant.

Ole - if you are "polishing it regularly" with an abrasive wax like car wax - you are most likely taking off the gelcoat yourself. The first ski I bought was waxed weekly until I noticed that the weave was starting to show through as the gelcoat on skis is VERY thin.

ManicNewbie wrote:

did they just flop it, negating the expense and the intellectual (brain power) need required to design such a part?

Decision made.

Hi Manic Hope you use the same logic if you decide to buy a new Epic V14. Compare the hull with a Fenn Elite.

FENN ELITE, are you joking?

Well I suppose it has a rudder, sorry all skis have one of those, it has a bow and stern, sorry again others have that also!!!

From my observations on the Vadja Oscar vs Epic V8 - I think you will find that the Vadja Oscar was the second boat released by Vadja and was on the market before the Epic V8 was released to the market. You often hear in this forum that everyone copies Epic. It was also claimed at one stage that the Stellars were being made from the Epic moulds that Flying Eagle were withholding from Epic. From what I have heard Epic lost that court case with Flying Eagle but there was not much said about that. Stellars were definitely not being made out of those moulds as they are quite different. The truth I feel is somewhere in the ether. Take it all with a grain of salt.

Amazing! Where did you hear all of this? as far as I know you are wrong on every point you brought up.

If you do NOT have any facts please do not spew out this garbage!

By the way I heard Fenn have copied a NASA rocket and are going to the moon!

Ranga wrote: FENN ELITE, are you joking?

No have a look for yourself.

Ranga wrote: Well I suppose it has a rudder, sorry all skis have one of those, it has a bow and stern, sorry again others have that also!!!

Is that a failed attempt to dismiss the post. As above put the hulls side by side and have a look.

JML wrote: You often hear in this forum that everyone copies Epic. It was also claimed at one stage that the Stellars were being made from the Epic moulds that Flying Eagle were withholding from Epic. From what I have heard Epic lost that court case with Flying Eagle but there was not much said about that. Stellars were definitely not being made out of those moulds as they are quite different.

Ranga wrote: Amazing! Where did you hear all of this? as far as I know you are wrong on every point you brought up.

If you do NOT have any facts please do not spew out this garbage!

In hindsight seems pretty JML appears pretty correct to me Ranga have you read the court case? (google it)

The part about Stellar being an Epic copy, even Wally and Boyan were propagating this as you state "spewing of garbage" in older posts on SSI.......

Hi Ole,
I don't know of a manufacturer who will warranty a ski or kayak that is bought second hand from a third party. The reason is simple, we have absolutely no idea what the original owner has done to it, how they have stored it, etc. We obviously can't trust advice given by the seller to the second hand buyer as having the same integrity as the advice we as retailers hand out.
My attitude to after sales service on new products is pretty clear, the customer is always right, but once it's a second hand product, I'll offer sympathetic advice, but not cover anything that could be considered a warranty claim.
Mark.

Hi Mark,

Looks like there is a war going on.
I am new to this sport and didn't expect so much emotional commenting. But what you described differentiates exactly the larger companies from the small ones. I myself own a start-up company and it is always hard to compete despite better quality products and product performance.We always try to provide best service to customers just to differentiate us from the big players.

Best,
Ole

EK Sydney wrote: I'll offer sympathetic advice,

Mark - I love it!