Villain S vs Villain review by JK Team | Mar 30, 2011 | Whitewater | 8 comments Just finished writing a long review of the Villain in french on my website. I’m putting an english resume for those who can’t read french. You can also use an online translation site like google to have the full article translated. When the two models came out last year, I didn’t know which one order for myself. I was used to paddle the “big” 80 gallons models but at the same time, with my 5’10” / 170lbs, I’m not the heaviest on the river. So I ordered a Villain S and I paddle it all summer last year. This winter, during my trip to Mexico, I ended up paddling the Villain and loved it has much has the Villain S. Facing the dilemma of which boat is best for me, I came up with the following comparison. The Villain S is fast and it’s really easy to go from one edge to the next. I can also really dig the edge in the water to make it do what I want to do when I want to play in the water. It’s the ideal boat for racing and when the water is low and I want to play down the creeks slalom-style. The Villain is also fast but for me it sit more higher on the water. It’s very forgiving but I need more pressure on the edge to make it react like the Vs. That’s what 13 gallons more do to you! It will be my boat of choice for this big water spring, first D/waterfall when I don’t what to worry about that edge catching and expedition. So in the end, the Vilain series is the best creekboat I ever paddle, and about the sizes if you’re my size… if you don’t want to float without worries, take the big one, but if you like it sporty, take the small one. But give a Vilain a try you’ll love it. You can have access to the full french review here: Jackson Vilain S vs Jackson Vilain, une critique d…: “…je me suis questionné longtemps sur quels modèles commandés! J’étais habitué de pagayer des…” Patrick Levesque www.patricklevesque.info www.kayaksaguenay.com 8 Comments Luca on March 30, 2011 at 10:45 pm Thanks for any information related to the Villain series. I bought a Villain (92.5 gallons), but I don’t know how to set my seat. Ahead? Back? Centered? My weight is 97 kilogramms (213.4 lb) and I’m 1.80 meter (5.904 ft) tall. Please, can you help me? Bye Luca Reply Emily Jackson on March 31, 2011 at 1:44 am Its different for everybody but I would start centered at your height and weight…. Let us know how that feels and if you find yourself dragging the stern around and feeling stern heavy, move forward Emily Jackson Reply Luca on April 1, 2011 at 8:23 am Thanks. I will try any suggestion. Bye Luca Reply Mike Moser on April 1, 2011 at 1:09 am I am about your same weight and I started in the front of the boat and finally ended up putting it almost all the way back. I like the way I pivot and can drive from there. When I was up front, I felt like my tail was getting away from me with the crossing currents and I couldn’t drive it. Anyways, I think everyone is right here…everybody has different tastes and you just need to play with it a bit. Also, another thing I do for both my playboat and creekboat is to put a pipe clamp (like the front clamp) on the rail behind the seat. I always end up pushing my seat past the point where I started, so this keeps it in place a lot better than the front clamp does. Put the clamp there once you know where you like your seat. Have fun!! Reply Patrick Levesque on March 31, 2011 at 1:26 pm Emily is right, this is what I do myself, start centered than move my seat: forward: if I feel I need more tracking (faculty to keep speed in one direction) or if I feel the boat back ender me when I lean forward down a drop. backward: if I feel I need more pivot (faculty to spin the boat around) or if I feel the bow is digging to much while paddling flat water Also, since I hate to discover my boat is not fitted for me in class V (happen to me last year: result with a broken paddle, lots of times upside down, lots of rock its and a little bruise on the ego!), this is how I do it most of the times for a downriver/creekboat: I go to my local slalom course, I place the gates to create a simulated class V run and I try to do the gates the fastest has I can. I will then play with different sitting position on different runs. Once I figure it out, I tight everything including the bracket that hold the seat on the composite beam and I take black market and I mark my hull on the hull (so I will know if it moved to fix it). Reply Kevin on April 4, 2011 at 6:49 pm Can’t find the thread that I was on earlier but what I am trying to figure out is what the recommendation is for my Villain size. I am 5’9″ and 180 lbs. I play boat a good bit so I think my bracing and stability will be pretty good in either boat but am concerned about the fit as I have about a 31-32″ waist and the difference in driving the boats for my size. My past creek boats were a Mamba 8.0 and a Jefe and a short stint in a friends rocker. Driving the longer boats is something I am still working on but have become pretty comfortable on class 4 to 4+. Any suggestions/advice would be helpful. Thank you Reply Stephen Wright on April 4, 2011 at 10:07 pm Kevin, I think that most folks your size with your background would be happiest in a Villain S. I say that because it’ll paddle a little larger than either of the other 2 boats you mentioned (mamba 8.0 and Jefe). You should find the S to be more stable than either of those, with a more “fun” feel to it. You could certainly paddle the full sized Villain if you like the feel of a larger boat–but you’d want to sit up higher on more foam or a sweet cheeks 200 and consider foaming in the knees a bit for a better fit. It would PADDLE great, just fit large. Your other option is to consider a Super-hero sitting a bit higher–that would be a very easy transition in and out of your playboat and the 2011 is a SICK shorter creeker! I’m planning to do all my creeking in a Hero this year. Hope that helps to further murky the waters!!! Stephen Wright Reply Kevin on April 5, 2011 at 1:33 am Ha ha. Thank you for the feedback. Looking forward to Breaking in my new Jackson Reply Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. 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Luca on March 30, 2011 at 10:45 pm Thanks for any information related to the Villain series. I bought a Villain (92.5 gallons), but I don’t know how to set my seat. Ahead? Back? Centered? My weight is 97 kilogramms (213.4 lb) and I’m 1.80 meter (5.904 ft) tall. Please, can you help me? Bye Luca Reply
Emily Jackson on March 31, 2011 at 1:44 am Its different for everybody but I would start centered at your height and weight…. Let us know how that feels and if you find yourself dragging the stern around and feeling stern heavy, move forward Emily Jackson Reply
Mike Moser on April 1, 2011 at 1:09 am I am about your same weight and I started in the front of the boat and finally ended up putting it almost all the way back. I like the way I pivot and can drive from there. When I was up front, I felt like my tail was getting away from me with the crossing currents and I couldn’t drive it. Anyways, I think everyone is right here…everybody has different tastes and you just need to play with it a bit. Also, another thing I do for both my playboat and creekboat is to put a pipe clamp (like the front clamp) on the rail behind the seat. I always end up pushing my seat past the point where I started, so this keeps it in place a lot better than the front clamp does. Put the clamp there once you know where you like your seat. Have fun!! Reply
Patrick Levesque on March 31, 2011 at 1:26 pm Emily is right, this is what I do myself, start centered than move my seat: forward: if I feel I need more tracking (faculty to keep speed in one direction) or if I feel the boat back ender me when I lean forward down a drop. backward: if I feel I need more pivot (faculty to spin the boat around) or if I feel the bow is digging to much while paddling flat water Also, since I hate to discover my boat is not fitted for me in class V (happen to me last year: result with a broken paddle, lots of times upside down, lots of rock its and a little bruise on the ego!), this is how I do it most of the times for a downriver/creekboat: I go to my local slalom course, I place the gates to create a simulated class V run and I try to do the gates the fastest has I can. I will then play with different sitting position on different runs. Once I figure it out, I tight everything including the bracket that hold the seat on the composite beam and I take black market and I mark my hull on the hull (so I will know if it moved to fix it). Reply
Kevin on April 4, 2011 at 6:49 pm Can’t find the thread that I was on earlier but what I am trying to figure out is what the recommendation is for my Villain size. I am 5’9″ and 180 lbs. I play boat a good bit so I think my bracing and stability will be pretty good in either boat but am concerned about the fit as I have about a 31-32″ waist and the difference in driving the boats for my size. My past creek boats were a Mamba 8.0 and a Jefe and a short stint in a friends rocker. Driving the longer boats is something I am still working on but have become pretty comfortable on class 4 to 4+. Any suggestions/advice would be helpful. Thank you Reply
Stephen Wright on April 4, 2011 at 10:07 pm Kevin, I think that most folks your size with your background would be happiest in a Villain S. I say that because it’ll paddle a little larger than either of the other 2 boats you mentioned (mamba 8.0 and Jefe). You should find the S to be more stable than either of those, with a more “fun” feel to it. You could certainly paddle the full sized Villain if you like the feel of a larger boat–but you’d want to sit up higher on more foam or a sweet cheeks 200 and consider foaming in the knees a bit for a better fit. It would PADDLE great, just fit large. Your other option is to consider a Super-hero sitting a bit higher–that would be a very easy transition in and out of your playboat and the 2011 is a SICK shorter creeker! I’m planning to do all my creeking in a Hero this year. Hope that helps to further murky the waters!!! Stephen Wright Reply
Kevin on April 5, 2011 at 1:33 am Ha ha. Thank you for the feedback. Looking forward to Breaking in my new Jackson Reply
