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Vaag
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Vaag Description
The Vaag is a true British style sea kayak made for play boating and rough conditions. It is playful, speedy and stable, yet easy to edge and roll. This kayak is a great all around sea kayak with good storage for both day trips and camping. The high rocker profile is truly made to catch and play in the surf. These kayaks comes standard with retractable skeg, front and rear hatches, front and rear fiberglass bulkheads, recessed deck settings for safety lines, chart holder bungees, keyhole cockpit with hip and knee braces and a comfortable low profile seat. With the skeg up, the Vaag is very maneuverable. Put the skeg down and it tracks straight even in side wind conditions where most kayaks weathercock (turn up wind).
Vaag Specs and Features
- Structure: Rigid / Hard Shell
- Cockpit Type: Sit Inside
- Seating Configuration: Solo
- Ideal Paddler Size: Average Adult, Larger Adult
- Skill Level: Advanced
- Ideal Paddler Size: Average Adult, Larger Adult
- Skill Level: Advanced
Boreal Design
Vaag Reviews
Read reviews for the Vaag by Boreal Design as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!
I'd finally arrived at an…
Realizing that having TWO hulls was better than one, it was a no-brainer to seek a MATE to the Force5 for rock-play, surfing, and general fun. The Vaag has proved to be all of this.
Its strong rocker allows amazing turning on waves and in rock-play, as well it accelerates strongly. It's only a bit less skeg-dependent than the old Cetus, but is generally easier to bring around. Although quick off the line, its tracking is less stable than the Forces, of course, especially in chop. Although not as noisily percussive as the Cetus, it's like a puppy that will, in automobile tire parlance, "tramline" easily. This grows tiresome on a long day. So I reserve the Vaag for what it does best: surf as well as ANY hull I've tried, play in the rocks; although it keeps up with most hulls on long days, it's more work doing so than the Force (or other long-waterline efficient cruisers.)
Dealers try to sell the Vaag (and shorter/smaller Vital) as great all-rounders, but it's clear that the genesis...a perfect surfer for a big guy (Maelstrom's founder)... is what this fun hull is all about. Further, the maker describes the hull as being a great "side-surfer". In the hands (and butt) of a skilled paddler this trait allows extreme hip-flick maneuverability. But one must pay attention, as following quarter seas can side-slip the stern a bit unnervingly, too. Trimming via loading the rear hatch first tames this a bit.
So if you can afford two hulls, you should check out the Vaag (or Vital if much smaller than my 5'11" 180lbs) for the fun-play-surf-rock end of the spectrum, and chase a fast cruiser for the long-mileage days. Note that all-Kevlar Vaags were made in the last year of Boreal's production, are superb, and a nice 50lbs. A Brunton 85R sits perfectly on the bow, and is much more readable than a 70.
Now the bad part: I HATED the OE seat system, as I did the Impex's. So BOTH kayaks now have P&H Cetus seats and backbands carefully glued/screwed into them. Indeed it's nice to have a playboat and cruiser that are nearly the same length, weight, and have identical cockpit accoutrements. I think I'm done....