A picture says a thousand words...

This should work I hope.

wow RAB i am guessing that looks like Vadjas new double for 2012

superted wrote: wow RAB i am guessing that looks like Vadjas new double for 2012

That's funny. I was just looking at the new vajda "oscar" online and thinking the appearance and specs are quite similar to the v8...

i have a kayak and surfski shop in france , epic and vajda ,
i received on oscar vajda today and i can say , it is totally different of the V8 , different hull ,narrower , a bit longer , very different shape , i will try it tomorrow and i'll tell you more.

Do you think that the Orca and V10 hulls are different as well?

Does anyone else think 'Oscar' is a seriously flawed name for a boat that err, looks kinda familiar…? It would be like Hungry Jacks calling their new burger a Ronald!

Just being cheeky, I did think it was a pretty bizarre name, maybe a great moment in marketing, or maybe a cultural/language misnomer….?

Errr...photos of the Epic V10 double; available to purchase early December in Australia.

I think that the name Oscar is simply Vajda's way of telling Epic that they know there is pretty much nothing Epic can do to stop them copying their hulls.

I imagine it would cost more to launch any sort of legal action, (and there is probably no clear legal basis for it anyways) than to simply do nothing.

Seriously, apart from some forum mischief, and man there is plenty of it here, I doubt that. I reckon it's just one of those bizarre and poorly thought through names, which in hindsight is rather hilarious, given the accusations that fly.
From now on I'm going to call it the Vajda Ronald, and spare them the pain!

About time Epic got a double out there. Would be something if the Epic bosses show the rest of the field a clean pair of blades on Saturday. Great intro into the market but unlikely (and how could Vajda possibly steal that thunder)

Cheers

S.S.

EK, the Orca is a blatent copy of a V10, I doubt that the new Oscar has any different roots.

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

i have both , V8 and Oscar in my shop and i totally agree with you , they are both beginners surfskis but totally differents , the V8 is a little more stable if it is possible than the Oscar , and the Oscar is a little bit faster , we did tests on flat water , it is something between the V8 and V10s .
jp