Hi, I need some information and previews on the Dagger Balckwater 11.5, please.

Thanks


CanoeArt

"Keep a Paddle in the Water at All Times"

CanoeArt wrote:

Well, I would like to know how you like the Blackwater and perhaps, why did you
decide on it.

My wife bought hers first. The #1 criteria was that it had to be light
enough for her to get it on and off the car by herself. It's really
more of a bird-watching platform than a method of transportation for
her, so performance wasn't the main criteria.

We went to a demo day and paddled eight or ten different models that met
the weight criteria. Just for comparison's sake I tried some longer
more performant boats. The blackwater was head and shoulders above the
rest of the small lightweight boats. With the skeg down it tracks as
well as a boat several feet longer. Pull the skeg up and it's very
maneuverable.

After she bought her Blackwater, she bugged me incessantly to buy one
for myself, and eventually I found a good deal on a demo model. Had
that deal not presented itself to me, I probably would have shopped
around for other models, with a high probability of buying a Blackwater
anyway.

I like the boat, but recognize it's limitations. We mostly paddle
rivers and very small lakes and the Blackwater's a good choice for that
usage. Sometimes when there's a long stretch of fla****er to cross I
wish I had a longer/faster boat. More often, I'm negotiating a narrow
windy river and am glad that I've got what I've got.

I understand it is a stable recreational kayak and can be used
in Class 1 or II water. I have heard some pro anc con about the seat.

Yeah, that's about right. I'm not a whitewater enthusiast, but it holds
up well in up to Class II and is reasonably preferment on fla****er.
The seat is ok - I can't say there's anything wrong with it, but it's a
sit-in-the-boat design as opposed to a wear-the-boat design. Serious
kayakers may have a problem with that. I don't. It gets a little
uncomfortable after six hours of paddling, but I don't know that any
seat will be comfortable for that length of time.

Bottom line: It's the best lightweight rec kayak I've paddled. I'm
totally sold on the concept of a drop skeg, and wouldn't consider a rec
kayak that didn't have one.

The only problem I've had with it is that the skeg fell off. The
original (first season) Blackwater had a poor way of mounting the skeg.
They fixed this design flaw it in the second season, so if you're
getting a Blackwater 10.5,11.5,or 12.5 this shouldn't be a problem. One
tip for increasing the tracking is to lengthen the skeg halyard so
there's more skeg in the water - it comes from the factory tied too
short.

I will be paddling around Seattle area, Lake Washington hopefully Lake Union,
and any rivers I can find for recreational paddling.

I'm not familiar with these lakes. If you're going out on large bodies
of open water, you might want to consider a boat more appropriate for
that usage.

--
//-Walt
//
// "Fair and Balanced"