Our first kayak was an Old Town Dirigo Angler 12-We like it. But I paddled a Cayuga and liked it's superior speed and tracking. So then I run across the Old Town 'Vashon' at REI. I don't have an official source but talking to various store employees it seems the Vashon is the Cayuga for REI. Same specs, same hull, etc. That being said I would refer to the Cayuga 130 reviews as I can confirm all the nice things said about it are true and the negative things about the single layer polyethylene are NOT true on the 2011 model I have. The Dirigo Angler I have is a triple layer polyethylene hull and it is only marginally thicker/stiffer than my Vashon/Cayuga. The older (2008-9) Cayuga I borrowed seemed like it was thinner than my 2011, as it did seem to 'oil can' a bit. My 2011 is plenty rigid but lighter than our shorter Dirigo, with only slightly more flex than my old 3 layer Dirigo. Maybe Old Town found a happy medium of weight and performance for 2011?
I actually found a 2007 Cayuga and was leaning towards getting that one as I had concerns about the hull thickness, and the '07 model had fancier thigh pads too. But after close examination of the 2011 Vashon, I liked it it's lighter weight, color and paddle keeper vs the 07 Cayuga and it's older seat 3-4 lb. weight increase and the $200 additional cost (different retailer). It also has the nicest fitting hatches around!
