This is the fourth model in the Volan series from P&H, built specifically with larger paddlers in mind. At 16'2″ long and 23.5″ wide, it’s roomy, sleek, and built for versatility. With a retail price starting around $5,600, the P&H Volan 162 Kayak isn't cheap. But it provides concrete proof that you often get what you pay for!

A Custom, Carbon/Kevlar, Composite Kayak

One of the unique things about P&H Composite sea kayaks is that you have the option to get a fully customized model. What does it mean to customize a kayak? It means you can choose almost everything about the kayak, including the color of its hull, deck, seam, keel, cockpit rim, perimeter lines, bungees, and even the color of the P&H logo on the deck. You get to choose the seat style, whether it has a rudder or a skeg, and perhaps most importantly you get to choose the layup of the kayak. The layup of a kayak refers to what materials are used (like Carbon and Kevlar), and how much of those materials are used. The result has an impact on the kayaks weight, durability and price.

This was the first time that I've ever customized a kayak. I have to admit that it was really fun to use P&H's online kayak customization tool to design my dream kayak. After playing around with colors for an hour or so, I finally settled on a colorway. The layup didn't take much thought, because my plan was to take this kayak on an epic, 10-day adventure on Lake Superior. I needed a kayak that could handle anything that Mother Nature threw at me. This meant the ‘Expedition' layup was right for me.

Lightweight and Durable: A Kayak Built for Real Adventures

The Expedition layup that I choose strikes a sweet balance between durability and lightweight. More specifically, the kayak weighs around 50 lbs—surprisingly light for its size and a blessing when transporting it solo. For comparison, a plastic kayak of this size will usually weigh 65–70 lbs. While the kayak is light in weight, it's not light on durability. The boat is made with kevlar/carbon, and features a reinforced kevlar keel and reinforced glass seam. The result is a boat that's built to handle serious conditions and the most challenging expeditions.

On-Water Performance: Maneuverable and Stable

What makes the Volan series of kayaks one of P&H's most popular kayaks is the fact that it's so versatile. It has the speed to cover large distances, and the playfulness to take advantage of any surf waves, current or rough conditions that you encounter along the way. While it's not the fastest sea kayak on the market, it's fast enough. More importantly though, the Volan 162 feels balanced, stable, and confidence-inspiring.

Comfort and Fit for Larger Paddlers

At 6’2”, I’ve struggled to find composite kayaks that offer a high level of comfort, and that was the idea behind the Volan 162. The largest of the 4 Volan models, the 162 was designed to offer taller and larger paddlers with ample leg room and foot room. That's exactly what it does. The cockpit is spacious without feeling loose. The outfitting—from padded hip supports to the adjustable back band—delivers both comfort and control. It’s rare to find a kayak that caters so well to taller or bigger paddlers. The P&H Volan 162 Kayak does exactly that.

Is the P&H Volan 162 Sea Kayak Worth It?

If you’re a paddler who wants a luxury, all-around kayak that can handle anything from casual day trips to challenging multi-day expeditions—the P&H Volan 162 Sea Kayak is a worthy investment. It's beautiful, it's built extremely well, it's comfortable, stable and fun to paddle. It's also customizable if you have the patience to wait a couple of month to get yours. In my opinion, the Volan 162 is definitely worth the price, but it's not going to be worth it for everyone.

Curious about how other P&H models compare? Check out my reviews of the Volan 160, the Scorpio Sea Kayak, the Virgo and the Leo.

The post P&H Volan 162 Kayak Review appeared first on Hazeadventure.

I did a full review of the Volan here: P&H Volan 160 Kayak Review.

The Big Wave Test for the Volan 160

To test how well the P&H Sea Kayaks Volan 160 performs in big water, I took it down the main channel of the Ottawa River. This paddling mission involves a series of rapids: 

• McCoys. This rapid has a couple of big holes that you want to miss. 
• Lorne. Lorne starts with a big wave known as Garburator and has a range of standing waves, ending with the Waikiki waves.

• The Lunch Stop waves. 
• Normans. Normans is one of the bigger rapids on the Ottawa main channel. All the water is funneled into a mini, low-walled canyon with offset compression waves of a good size. 
• Coliseum. The Coliseum has the largest waves on the river and two major holes. It is chaotic with waves, boils, and whirlpools. 

These rapids provide a fun and interesting set of challenges for the P&H Volan 160. Taking the P&H Volan here lets us see how it actually performs in big waves and rough water. It might not be the sea, but these rapids have plenty of waves to test the kayak on!

Paddling a Sea Kayak on Rapids

Sea kayaks, such as the P&H Volan 160, are not designed for use in rapids. When paddling rapids in a sea kayak, you cannot easily correct your line. Once you have set up, that is where you are going! You have to stick with the line you’ve chosen. With even the slightest wrong angle, a sea kayak can spin and be difficult to get back on course. So you have got to set up your line well. This makes taking a sea kayak down rapids a little trickier, but it also makes it so much fun. It can be much more like rafting than whitewater kayaking at times. 

A Side Note on Paddles

One major learning experience that came when paddling the Lorne rapids was actually with the paddle. After hitting one of the big waves, I did a brace stroke and caught the versalock lever of my telescoping paddles, on my skirt. Because of this, all of a sudden my blades were rotating. Both halves of my paddle were loosely connected, with one half in each hand. This is not exactly what you want in the middle of a rapid! 

To solve the problem, I stabilized myself, squared the paddle off to zero, and snapped the clip shut again. But, in the future, when kayaking in big waves and rapids, I will either stick to using a fixed paddle or tape the lever down so it cannot inadvertently pop! 

How Did the P&H Volan Sea Kayak Perform in Big Waves?

Despite not being designed for running rapids, the P&H Volan Sea Kayak 160 took me safely and successfully down the rapids on the Ottawa main channel. The boat took me down more than just successfully, it was also fun. I had a good time! 

The Volan 160 performed exactly as I expected it to. It is a sea kayak so it is not designed to handle all the different currents you get in rapids. It is not supposed to handle like a whitewater kayak, and, unsurprisingly, it doesn’t. 

That said, it is a very maneuverable sea kayak. It has enough rocker to be able to deal with big waves and use the waves to turn. More generally the rocker helps it turn well. 

For the mile or so of flat water between the rapids, I was able to drop the skeg and paddle. The skeg helps the P&H Volan track very well. It tracks like an arrow. 

What Improvements Could There Be on the P&H Volan 160?

One big takeaway from this trip is the outfitting of the boat. The Volan 160 does not have aggressive thigh hooks. There is enough support there for my knees to be able to edge or even roll the kayak. It provides enough to allow you to handle the kayak as needed. However, it could provide more support, allowing for better leg control and making the kayak more comfortable. 

To solve these issues I can contour foam around the knees, giving my leg more to grab onto. For me, it is worth doing this as I intend to carry on using the P&H Volan 160 to run more rapids like these. However, for most people using this boat, people who will not be running big rapids, it is not worth the effort.  

All in all, this was a very enjoyable trip that allowed me to test the P&H Volan Sea Kayak 160 out in big waves. And that test was very successful! Read more about the P&H Volan and the other Best Kayaks and Canoes of 2023.

Kayak: P&H Volan 160
Paddles:  Aqua Bound Manta Ray Hybrid
PFD:  NRS Zen PFD
Clothing:  NRS Short Sleeved Guide Shirt

The post P&H Volan 160 Big Water Test appeared first on Hazeadventure.

I love touring kayaks

As someone who loves a touring kayak that can handle rough conditions, and that offers speed, maneuverability and comfort, I’ve been excited to test out the P&H Sea Kayaks Virgo touring kayak, which seems to check all those boxes.

The P&H Sea Kayaks Virgo touring kayak is an all-conditions touring/sea kayak. It’s available in three sizes – the LV (low volume), MV (mid volume), and the HV (high volume).  The version I’m testing is the Virgo MV, which is designed for ‘average’ size adults.

P&H Virgo Specifications

“The P&H Sea Kayaks Virgo touring kayak is an all-conditions touring/sea kayak. It’s available in three sizes – the LV (low volume), MV (mid volume), and the HV (high volume).”

Suggested Retail Price: $1899 USD
Length: 14’5”
Width: 23”
Weight: 56 lbs (25 kg)
Max Capacity: 220 lbs (100 kg)

Ranging between 14’ and 15’ in length, the P&H Virgo series of kayaks can be considered short sea kayaks, or long recreational touring kayaks. While they’re quite narrow for recreational touring kayaks, they’re not overly narrow compared to other sea kayaks, which tells me that they’re designed to be fast, but wide enough to offer a level of stability and comfort.

At 56 lbs, and being shorter than most sea kayaks, the Virgo MV is a very reasonable weight for a polyethylene (plastic) kayak, and easier to get around than some other kayaks in its class.

Features of the P&H Virgo

The Virgo has all the standard features you expect from a sea kayak, including perimeter lines, deck bungies on the bow and stern, two bulkheads that separate the kayak into three watertight compartments, and large hatches at each end to access the compartments. The Virgo also features a retractable skeg and a small day hatch immediately in front of the cockpit.

P&H Virgo Words

“The Virgo is a compact but uncompromising sea kayak for weekend warriors, at a length which provides ample hull speed for short to medium journeys whilst keeping the boat weight to a minimum. The compact design and a defined carving rail combine to give responsive manoeuvrability for exploring varied coastline environments, and high stability ensures you can venture into the unknown with confidence too.”

To appropriately test these claims, I took the kayak on a 3-hour test paddle on my local river. I tested its performance at casual ‘touring’ speeds, while paddling aggressively on flatwater, and in class 1 and 2 whitewater. Here’s what I learned.

Speed of the Virgo as a Touring Kayak

At 14’5” long, the Virgo MV was as fast as I expected it to be.  It isn’t as fast as longer sea kayaks, but it’s quite fast compared to other recreational touring kayaks. It accelerates very well, glides nicely, and tracks very well. This is what you'd expect from a 14’ foot kayak that has a skeg.

Stability of the Virgo

At 23” wide, the Virgo gives up some stability for speed.  That being said, I’m surprised at how stable it is.  It’s a kayak that offers enough stability to put down your paddle and relax, without feeling any type of unsteadiness.  I probably wouldn’t put a nervous beginner in this kayak. I would be very comfortable putting a more confident beginner in this kayak. When tilted on edge, the Virgo showed tremendous secondary stability as well. It clearly enjoys being held on edge, which is a key feature for handling varied conditions.

Maneuverability of the Virgo

Shorter kayaks typically trade speed for maneuverability. I expected the 14’5” long Virgo to be more nimble than a 16’ or 17’ sea kayak.  Even still, I smiled like a kid while testing the agility of the Virgo. The boat tracks well when traveling forward. When placed on edge, the accentuated rocker and the hard chine work together and allow the kayak to carve aggressive turns.

This gives the boat a wonderfully playful feel. Turning a sea kayak around from a stationary position is usually something I dread. When placed on edge, the Virgo spun 180-degrees with a couple of well-intentioned sweep strokes.  This flatwater maneuverability translates directly to the rougher water as well. As long as you’re a confident paddler and skilled enough to hold your kayak on edge in those types of conditions.

P&H Virgo Kayak Comfort

The P&H Virgo cockpit is simple and comfortable.  It lacks the bells and whistles found on some recreational kayak seats, but with that it gains durability. This is a seating system that will hold up over long tours, or when paddling in the roughest conditions. The reinforced thigh braces are not only very comfortable, but they offer a level of confidence that I appreciated, as did the easily adjusted and robust foot brace system.

I was concerned about the day hatch consuming too much space in the cockpit area, even though I love the idea of having a day hatch there (instead of behind the cockpit where it’s awkward and uncomfortable to reach), but those concerns proved to be unfounded. The hard-shelled day hatch wasn’t an issue, even for a long-limbed guy like myself.

The boat has plenty of space in the cockpit for bigger paddlers. At 6’2” tall and 195 lbs, I had lots of room and could imagine someone quite a bit bigger enjoying the kayak as well.

Fit and Size of the Virgo kayak

The P&H Virgo MV is cast as a touring kayak for paddlers up to 220 lbs (100 kg). Being 195 lbs, I would consider this to be an appropriate rating for the kayak.  While I didn’t feel over-weight for the kayak, I also didn’t feel that I could load the boat with camping gear without the kayak feeling overburdened.

For someone my weight, this is a very playful kayak, but not a great multi-day kayak.  If you’re goal is to do multi-day trips, I would recommend this kayak for people under 180 pounds. Further to this, I am clearly at the tallest range for what this kayak can accommodate. At 6’2” (188 cm), I had the foot pedals pushed to their limit, and the kayak didn’t offer me much space to move around.

This formed fit provided excellent boat control, but if I were getting the kayak for long touring paddles or multi-day trips, I believe the Virgo HV would be the better option for someone of my size. My feeling is that this kayak is best designed for someone 6’ (183 cm) or less.

Quality of P&H Sea Kayaks Virgo

“Overall, the P&H Sea Kayaks Virgo MV is a beautiful kayak. It is a very well designed boat with high quality construction.”

One imperative for a kayak that is designed to be paddled in rough conditions, is quality construction. It’s not only a matter of confidence, but a matter of safety. In this area, the Virgo truly shined.  It’s evident that a lot of thought and expertise went into the hull design. On top of that, it’s clear that a heavy amount of consideration went into building a kayak that would hold up to the rigors of paddling in rough, saltwater conditions.

The impression I get from the Virgo is that the designers were asking themselves, ‘how can we make this better?’, rather than, ‘how can we make this cheaper?’. I am very impressed with the quality of its construction and I believe this kayak will hold up to the rigors of paddling in any type of conditions.

Summary of the Virgo kayak review

Overall, the P&H Sea Kayaks Virgo MV is a beautiful kayak. It is a very well designed boat with high quality construction.  At 14’5” long, it’s not the fastest sea kayak, but it offers a great balance of stability, speed and maneuverability.

If your main interest is multi-day paddling trips, this likely isn’t the right kayak for you, as it lacks the storage space that longer sea kayaks or wider recreational touring kayaks provide. That being said, it can still get the job done for 2- to 3-day overnight trips. If your only interest is relaxed paddling in calm water conditions, while this kayak wouldn’t be a bad choice, there are better options out there.

Who is the P&H Virgo Touring Kayak for?

This kayak is for intermediate to expert kayakers who enjoy being able to paddle and play in all types of conditions. Furthermore, the Virgo has enough stability to be a great entry-level kayak for eager beginner paddlers who want a kayak that will continue to serve their needs as they develop their skills. If you’re one of these type of people, then I believe you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better kayak on the market.

Otherwise, here’s some links to gear that I was using during this kayak review.

Shorts: NRS Benny Board Short: https://bit.ly/2VIbK0L
Dry Bags: NRS Ether Lock 10L Drybag – https://www.nrs.com/product/55034.01/nrs-ether-hydrolock-dry-sack

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The post P&H Virgo Sea Kayak Review appeared first on Hazeadventure.