P&H Volan 158 sea kayak

Would you like to field test our new Volan? That was the question I got from Mat at P&H some time ago. My answer was equally straightforward. I had seen the design before its launch in 2020 and was very curious. The first model, the Volan 160, proved too big for me. Eventually, I had to wait until the beginning of 2022 for the Volan 158. I couldn’t even imagine what the Volan had in store for me at that point!

On the P&H website, the Volan is introduced as the compact combination of the Cetus and the Aries. Not everyone has the space to store two different kayaks, and this could prove the solution for those who want the best of both worlds. Both the Cetus and Aries are proven designs and are specialist boats in their own way, whether you like long-distance paddling, multiple-day tours or even expeditions or open crossings (Cetus) or if you’re the more playful paddler that seeks thrill in surfing, rock hopping or tide race paddling (Aries).

I’m not the patient type of guy, and I’ve seen and paddled the Volan 160 before in 2021 (on flat calm water), so I was eager to put the Volan 158 through its paces. The second question I got from P&H was if I would like to test the Performance seat. I have used the Connect seat for many years on all my boats for obvious reasons (see reviews on the Valkyrie and Cetus, and you will know why). Although I had not that much interest in the Performance seat, Mat was able to persuade me. I must thank him for that, but more on that later.

Testing conditions

I took my time for this review as I wanted it to be thorough. Writing a review just after an ‘unboxing’ isn’t my style. Many fellow paddlers from around the world were asking me questions during the past months on behaviour, sizing, and what I felt about the Volan compared to other models. Since I’m testing during summer, I had to wait for bigger surfing conditions.

There is always surf along the Belgian coast, but I wanted to push the Volan into the same conditions as my P&H Delphin. My patience was rewarded as we suddenly had a few rare days with bigger surfing conditions. Besides surfing, I used the Volan to do day trips, rock hopping and a single tide race session. We pushed the Volan through the same training sessions as usual, with many different rescue exercises, even with the Coast Guard involved on two occasions. We also used the Volan as a coaching platform.

I paddled the Volan for more than 500 km (GPS tracked) in different conditions, but always in coastal areas or open water affected by the tide. Conditions were starting from force 0 up to force 6 (so between flat calm and wave height up to two metres). I paddled solo or with my team (using P&H Valkyrie, Delphin, Cetus, Scorpio, Rockpool Taran and NDK-SKUK Explorer) to compare speed and agility.

The look!

At first sight, the Volan looks like a short version of a modern sea kayak. But there is more! None of the other P&H models have the distinctive chines that start on the bow and make their way to the back, disappearing under the water line. The hull in the cockpit area is boxy (where the sidewall meets the hull under the surface), those hard chines are not only nice when seen off the water, but they serve a purpose. The bow and stern are more like the Cetus, so there is no sawed-off stern as with the Aries and no extra volume in the tip of the bow.

However, the hull has plenty of rocker and seems inviting for surf! When looking at the deck, we see that this boat has all the bells and whistles you should expect from an expedition sea kayak. Four hatches, where the day and mini compartments are easily accessible when seated in the cockpit. A compass recess – there was a compass installed in my Volan. On such a high-end boat, you don’t want to see a compass dangling on bungies. There is a recess on both sides of the compass to put the paddle shafts.

Lines run from that paddle recess to the cockpit, giving the front deck a distinguished look. The skeg button is neatly placed on top in the cockpit and mini hatch area. This gives visibility on how much the skeg is deployed without looking at the side, and wire operated. There is enough free space behind the grey Performance seat to put a pump and inflatable paddle float. The foot pegs are easily adjustable and comfortable, and sturdy when seated. The boat has two adhesive knee pads that you can install inside the cockpit depending on your posture and leg positioning. That is a convenient extra as our knees frequently touch the side of the boat, making the cockpit extra comfortable.

This Volan was produced in the Infusion Expedition Kevlar-Carbon layup with keel strip. The boat has a very stealthy look with its black hull, dark grey deck, light green cockpit coaming, seam, keel strip and P&H logo. No sharp edges or imperfections; this is a finish that we can expect from P&H!  

General performance

During the first trials, I was focused on speed. I must say that I have a liking for fast boats, and I didn’t want to fall behind when paddling together with others. The Volan 158 is relatively short (479cm) for a sea kayak. How weird it may sound, I could keep up with everyone (in longer, faster boats) without getting my heart rate up on regular trips. The difference in speed becomes slightly noticeable on longer trips or when sprinting. It won’t keep up against a fast sea kayak, but that is like comparing apples and oranges. I like the boat to paddle from the back to the front of the group during coaching.

The Performance seat

I use my upper body more freely during forward paddling than in the Connect seat. Don’t get me wrong; I still love the Connect seat. But two completely different seats and outfitting. One thing that should be noted: the Connect seat is adjustable (certainly the hip pads). The Performance seat is not (apart from the back rest, of course), so, it would be best if you tried it out before choosing. The Performance seat felt tailored to me, with enough connectivity to the side, preventing me from shifting sideways yet still loose enough to allow maximum body rotation.

The Volan tracks very well! During the 500 kms, I almost didn’t use the skeg (unless for checking if it worked for this review). The wind can come from any side it wants, the boat reacts perfectly to any steering or sweep strokes and edging. It’s a different feel compared to the Aries/Delphin; I used my skeg more often in those boats.
When lying still during a break, even when the sea isn’t flat calm anymore, the Volan gives confidence when grabbing for your snacks or camera. The stability is comparable with that of the Cetus. Talking about stability, we did a load of balance exercises to field test this to the limit. Standing upright, in the seat or even on the back deck, is possible!

Applying different steering strokes, leaning, and edging on calm water was also tested extensively. The boat doesn’t have unpleasant surprises waiting for you when putting it on lean/edge. The secondary stability is good, and you can clearly feel the tipping point. Looks promising for rougher conditions! The bow and stern are unlocking the boat nicely when turning on edge, and the turning radius is close to the Delphin/Aries. Rolling the boat goes swift; the lower back deck allows for backwards rolling. There is good connectivity with the boat.

Specific performance

This was the part that I was looking forward to the most! How does the Volan holds itself in rough water, surf, downwind and close quarters? How does it react during rescue training?

Let’s start with deep water rescues! We let the boat sink from the first day! My team members couldn’t stop laughing! “You just got the boat, and you’re already looking how to break or lose it!” So, the Cleopatra’s needle rescue (where the boat partially sinks due to a lost or broken hatch) went well. It’s also an effective way to see if the compartments are sealed properly. The boat is light to handle, when lifting the bow from the water during a self-rescue. Same counts for an assisted rescue, and easy handling during rescues due to its lower weight and shorter length. Good stability is an advantage during self-rescues in rougher conditions.

Let’s move on to downwind and tide race paddling! We primarily tested during downwinders since we frequently have those conditions in our area. We also went to France to paddle a tide race in mild conditions. For the rest, downwind conditions were between force 4 and 6 (from small waves up to 1.5m average wave height).

Now that is where the Volan comes alive and where I could feel for the first time what the boxy hull and the chines are for. The kayak is running like a train on rails when putting it on edge! Steering on waves using edging (outside the turn, instead of leaning/carving) brings the boat exactly where you want it on the wave! Even when picking up speed, the secondary stability on the edge is phenomenal. I usually carve more on waves, but now I don’t.

Downwind waves are longer than surf waves, and I could easily manoeuvre on the edge instead of leaning/carving. It takes every wave nice and clean, the boat doesn’t tend to broach, and you can bring it back from side to side when riding the waves. The cookie box I spoke of in the beginning acts like a V-shaped hull (when on edge), giving the boat a good direction when speeding up on waves.
According to the many questions I got from fellow paddlers, you want to know how the boat surfs? For me, this was the biggest surprise! I’m used to surfing the Delphin, and I love its characteristics. So, for surfing, I was biased towards the Delphin, and I had reservations for the Volan on that level. The Delphin/Aries still has the most rocker. I started with very mild surf and built up to the rough stuff (from 0.5m to 2m average wave height).

I must say a word about the surf in my area. We rarely have clean ocean swell; the wave period is short. This means that in case of a capsize, you mostly have one shot of rolling back up before the next wave hits you. The wave pattern is irregular due to the many shallows (sand banks). Most big waves equal strong wind. We always say that you can surf anywhere if you can surf over here.

In the mild conditions, just like downwinding, the Volan allows for steering on the wave when edging outside the turn. Now here it comes, the bigger waves: the hard chines on the cockpit area (I like to call it the cookie box) are screaming for carving!

The Volan handles more directional than the Delphin/Aries due to the hard chines, leaving more time to consider your trajectory on that specific wave. To be honest, I was thinking about the lack of volume in the Volan’s bow compared to the Delphin. I thought it was going to nosedive the whole time, but it didn’t! At least not more than the occasional nosedive with the Delphin. After much testing and observing the video footage, the nose doesn’t frequently dive because the whole boat is placed in a leaning or edging position. That way, the bow unlocks a bit more, preventing purling. I had a few pop-outs, but it would have been the same with the Delphin.

The Performance seat stood its ground compared to the Connect that I’m so fond of. The Performance seat allows for more gentle steering in the surf, whereas the Connect will encourage a more aggressive style. Nevertheless, the Performance outfit won’t let you down even in bigger conditions! I didn’t shift sideways during carving or lose contact when I had to roll. To end with a number: the maximum speed I reached during surfing was 27.2 km/h (measured with a high-quality GPS). Awesome! But I’m already thinking about beating that number on the next surf session with the Volan!

A minor footnote for those surf addicts among us: the Volan surfs well backwards due to the shape of the stern. Since the stern has similar characteristics to the bow (shorter, of course), it reacts to steering strokes on the waves better than a sawed-off stern.

Conclusion

Again, P&H is pushing the pedal to the metal regarding development and renewing with this Volan! I found the Volan to be everything I’ve wanted in a slightly smaller package. If I were only allowed to have one boat (also the question I got the most during the past months), I would have strong doubts between the Cetus and the Volan. The Volan is slightly slower but still fast enough. It is very manoeuvrable without losing track during forward paddling. It’s lighter due to its shorter length, so even better to put the boat on your car. The shorter length also means that you need less storage space after your sessions.

The Volan doesn’t cut back in necessary outfitting; on the contrary: it looks the same as a full option expedition sea kayak, only shorter. The design makes this boat one of, if not the most versatile sea kayak currently on the market. I love it for its surfing characteristics with the capability to bring me anywhere I want in no time. Also, it looks very distinguished with the ‘cookie box chines’ and the extra lining in the front deck. The comfort of the cockpit is unrivalled, whether you go for a Performance or Connect seat. The

Performance seat invites to more torsa rotation and gentle steering. Connect seat invites to a more aggressive paddling style. Don’t just take my word for it: go and try the Volan yourself and be prepared to be surprised!

For the critics among you, yes, I paddle for P&H, and at P&H, they know I don’t hold back on feedback and comments during the development process of their boats. This means that the prototype is altered and improved, allowing them to launch a state-of-the-art boat. The fact that P&H listens to its paddling community is always for the benefit of us all. Better boats, more fun!

We have made a video where you can see the whole boat, with all the details up close, should you not be in the possibility of checking the Volan at your local dealer. www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9_obhyvupA

Also, we have uploaded many action footage (pictures and short videos) on our Instagram; check out: @NORTHSEAKAYAK.

Have fun, and take care of each other on the water!