Kai Wa'a Vega Arc Surfski Review

[@KealaniBartlett]

So stoked you guys are loving the Vega Arc out there. Hoping it can get more paddlers in the surfski and surf!

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Yes! It really is a great option because it offers that stability, but also offers such good performance -- such a great design!

[@paulreavley5900]

Thanks for the review guys. The Arc is a big hit in Bellingham, WA. When we get ours from the next shipment at Ozone Northwest, Bellingham will have at least 10 Arcs. Not just beginner friendly - an excellent phat boat for bigger downwind days too. This is the kind of surfski that is perfect for many of our older paddlers who are giving up less stable skis but still want to ride waves as often as possible. And the super light weight also has appeal. There has been conversation on surfski info about lighter padders being pushed around too much downwinding in an Arc, but I am not sure that experience is universal for lighter paddlers (some of it may have to do with prevailing local conditions and varying paddler skill?)

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Great points, Paul. It's great to hear you're going to have Arcs in the next shipment for west coast paddlers! We agree the Arc isn't just a "beginner boat" -- we have friends who are extremely experienced paddlers who have purchased the Arc for winter and big conditions. Great points about, erm, maturing paddlers (like at least one of us at the Paddle Channel) who will love the Arc for its light weight, stability, and performance. Thanks for sharing!

[@jodyodell6159]

That wider bucket for thic peeps is essential for the deeper bucket styke of Vega design

[@barryblackburn5910]

Nice job with the video. Kai Bartlett is a great shaper designer.

[@ThePaddleChannel]

He makes great boats!

[@Rcstables]

Nice review guys, absolutely loving my Arc!

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Stoked to hear that!

[@danielspoon1234]

guess ill head out for a paddle tomorrow on my gibbon grx, very nice review for a very nice-looking boat! one day I might have one of these beautiful craft

[@ThePaddleChannel]

The GRX is a cool looking craft! We're hoping to grab a ride in one of those one day!

[@gregf.5643]

Nice. I sometimes feel overwhelmed in my Epic v10g3 in bigger conditions. I wouldn't mind an Arc for go anywhere/do anything conditions. Looks like a fun boat.

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Yes, it's a great choice in those conditions, definitely worth checking out.

[@paulreavley5900]

Rod, what's that high rear camera mount you are using and how is it secured to the Arc?

[@ThePaddleChannel]

Lol, that's some fancy garage-level engineering. The base is an old carbon SUP paddle blade, padded with closed-cell foam and drilled to match the threaded screw holes on the Flex deck, topped by cheap plastic flagpole holder, and using an old SUP carbon paddle shaft as the pole. It's not fancy, but it works pretty well.

[@paulreavley5900]

@@ThePaddleChannel Hey now - don't bad mouth your engineering. The Arc has those same threaded holes on the fore and aft decks, right? This seems like a nice idea and cool feature for Vegas to me. Are the holes the same as universal camera mount size threading or something different? When you get a chance, how about a short video about the mount? I have seen a bunch of different home-made camera pole mounts but I think your method deserves consideration and may be the easiest to install and remove that I have seen so far.

[@guyshadmi657]

How does it compare with a v8 or equivalents?

[@ThePaddleChannel]

It's hard to compare, especially without paddling the two back to back, but the V8 is about an inch wider and a foot and half shorter. Rod feels the Arc is a little more "lively", possibly due to the lighter weight (the standard Arc is about 4 pounds less the the elite V8). In our experience, the Arc offers a little more performance than the V8. Your mileage may vary. :)