Dagger Green Boat Kayaks

That's Steelhead Falls in the picture. It's on the Deschutes River in Oregon near the old "Crooked River Ranch."

That river is where my introduction to the Dagger Green Boat began very innocently. It was an invitation for a 3 day getaway down the Deschutes River along with some friends, provided I would agree to evaluate a Kayak they would supply.

That's all I was told. It was assumed (by my friends) that my previous experience would see me through. To be honest here, my previous 'experience' had ALL----been in smaller kayaks.

To say I was fairly intimidated when I saw the Dagger Green Boat Kayak for the first time? Well that was an understatement. Not only was I was worried about it's length, but also how well I would be able to handle that kayak when I attempted to paddle into class III's and IV's on the River..

But as is the case with most worries, they dissipated as soon as I paddled the Dagger Green Boat Kayak into the current.

The boats listed on this page are the Dagger boats I either own or have used and evaluated as noted.

The river offers calm water to Class III's and IV's

All eight of us had Dagger Green Boats to use and I have to tell you, I was a bit intimidated by it's size when I first laid eyes on it.

At just under 12' long, it sure looked like it was going to be a handful and the Deschutes River is a Whitewater river with several tricky falls and rapids but.......as it turned out, the Dagger Green Boat was not only easy to handle, but fast as well.

If you know the Deschutes, there are several Class III's and IV's to navigate as well as a few small falls to go over and this boat was great, even for me, a first timer in this long kayak.

I have to say, the Dagger is a great Any Water boat, not only for the novice (like me at the time) but for the thrill seeker's as well. Along with the Dagger Green Boat Kayak I was testing, came an ATX paddle, (more on that later) a paddle that I had also never used before. I had used different types of paddles before this trip and thought nothing of what kind of paddles were available, but boy was I wrong

After donning the requisite life vests, helmets and paddling gloves etc, we embarked upon a great three day, two night camping trip. The Dagger Green Boat Kayak had room for everything and I was hooked from that day forward!

On that weekend, the Dagger Green Boat became.........the only kayak for me.

First? How you will feel riding in this kayak? From my initial paddling out into the river until we stopped ashore that first night, I was in love with the Dagger Green Boat and here's why.

Length

My first fear was of it's length and how I would be able to handle it and despite the length? This kayaks inherent knife like design loves to be paddled and believe you me it slices through rapids without ever losing my line.

Set up

It's set up with molded seats, (buy a gel pad for the seat, regardless of what kayak you have, you will be glad you did) When you try this boat, move the seat around as well as the foot braces until you are comfortable. Being all of the way forward may not be right for you.( I know, because I tried that thinking it would make me snug.) I adjusted the seat back later on, for more body freedom and then used the adjustable hip pads and adjustable back bands to a point where I not only felt comfortable, but snug in the cockpit. Doing so still left me tons of free movement.

Holds it's line

Want to talk about free movement? How about the picture to the left there, of going over Steelhead Falls?

The total 'package'

When paddling or going over falls and through rapids, there is no bashing about or sliding in the cockpit. How about storage? At nearly 12 feet long and 2 feet wide, there is plenty of room for storage and you will still be able to handle it like a smaller kayak because of it's design innovations. All Dagger Kayaks have easy lean and are made to cut and run which is really prevalent on the Dagger Green Boat. If you dial the rocker's in at both ends, you can spin this kayak with ease. But best of all? It punches through those eddy's keeping a bow up presence.

If you don't believe padded and adjustable foot braces are important, just ask anyone who kayaks

The Dagger Green Boat Kayak was originally designed to race in the Green River creek kayak race, located in western North Carolina. So..It simply stands to reason that the kayak would in fact be named for the Green River .

While in it's first race, the Dagger Green Boat won 4 of the top five spots. (they have even etched a map of the Green River into the deck).

This picture was taken of the Green River

As we progressed that day down the Deschutes, I found myself doing things I had never done in a kayak before and just plain old having fun. I could spin with ease like I said, but the most interesting point of all, was how forgiving the boat was in turns and drops. How many times have you gone over a drop and worried you were slightly off line, or were just OFF your line? Well the Dagger Green Boat Kayak will help you out.

As we ended our first day, I also realized my shoulders and arms didn't ache like they had in the past after a long day of paddling. Part of that was due to the length of the Dagger Green Boat, as it helped with the speed and the rest of why I felt better, was the ATX paddles we were using

My impression at the end of day one? This boat and the ATX paddle were both.... flat out keeper's.

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Why I like this boat

From my introduction on the Deschutes River in Oregon, to present....I have yet to find a better all around kayak than the Dagger Green Boat or any kayak in the Dagger series. The Green Boat has only been around a few short years (commercially since 2008) but has continued to garner positive talk as well as wins.

There are some who dismiss the Dagger Green Boat Kayak and try to label it as a whitewater boat only. But for me, this boat is.at ease in a creek, a river or in Class I through Class IV's and V's. It's an entirely new paddling experience for all who try it. Paddling is easy and the boat is so forgiving that it totally boosts your confidence.

The more you paddle it, the better you feel. The more rapids or falls you experience, well, your skill set improves as well. From a day paddle on a local creek or river, to a multi day trip down a fast river, this IS......the boat. If you currently own a play boat of some kind or even a Mamba, (all good boats) try a Dagger Green Boat 11.5 soon. You will be amazed and all others will seem sluggish once you've paddled this kayak..

I definitely recommend this boat to anyone who wants to kayak, or ANY kayak Dagger makes. I have included some of my favorites below.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you on the trail--CampingmanNW