Product Reviews > Kayaks > Dagger > Drift

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07-28-2003
Submitted by: DT - Rating: 10 of 10
     Very flexible kayak. I've taken it out solo on the ocean, and with 2 adults and even 2 adults and a small child. The boat is pretty fast for a rec boat, quite maneuverable, and very stable. No problems with my daughter hanging off the side trying to catch fish, or my father in the front sort of paddling. Make sure you balance it front to back with each new paddling partner. We really got spun around by the wind when I put my (heavier) father in the front and paddled behind. Fast enough for lakes, maneuverable enough for rivers, and even OK on calm seas. These are great family kayaks since they are so flexible for seating.

08-01-2002
Submitted by: DRD - Rating: 10 of 10
     I have tried about every tandom rec kayak I could. I bought the Drift because it was very comfortable and had the largest cockpit I could find. I hav had no problems with keeping the front seat where I want it. The third seat option is a real seat unlike some other brand. The boat is very quick and is easy to control either alone or with a partner. I liked this boat so much I bought a second Drift for friend I interduce to Kayaking. If you have children under 10 you can accually take a couple of kids and another adult with you. Great boat all around on rivers and lakes.

01-21-2002
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 8 of 10
     Got the Dagger Drift mail order from Outdoorplay.com. Good service and pricing due to holiday sales. The rudder arrived without any instructions. Vendor said Dagger doesn't provide instructions if the rudder is ordered at the same time as you buy the boat. Go figure. I am waiting for info from Dagger, as the rudder kit has perhaps 50 parts, including screws, cables, foot pedals and brackets. Thank goodness it is winter time and I can wait. I agree the bow seat is held in place by cheap and insecure plastic thumbscrew. The bow seat slips back when you lean back. Other aspects of the boat seem fine--materials, seats, etc.

(2/6/2002) -Follow-up:
Dagger has apparently put together clear instructions with photos to install the rudder on the Drift (and possibly other models). This according to Outdoorplay.com, from whom I bought the boat.

However, it may not be just a matter of instructions. The rudder kit seems to be an assortment of parts, possibly, for the Calypso model. I had a local kayak shop put on the rudder, and the technician reported that he needed to add cable, cable holder brackets and and a few other minor bits of hardware to get the kit to fit on the boat. He was able to figure it out only because he has done dozens of rudders. I would have gone nuts.

08-17-2001
Submitted by: Biker - Rating: 8 of 10
     I looked for quit a while for a tandem recreational kayak. Went for the Dagger Drift after using a demo. We took the kayak on seven large lakes in Wyoming which were located in the Tetons, Wind Rivers, Yellowstone and one in Canada. Camped with my wife for three days on Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone. Not enough room for large camp items only small and light weight back packing equipment.

We found the Drift to be very stable, fairly fast for a wide recreational Kayak, tracks quit well, and big enough for two adults to enjoy with camping gear, and realy quit easy to turn. When in strong cross winds a rudder would be very nice. You spend alot of effort and energy keeping your course in the wind and after several days it adds up. Dagger really needs to develop a splash skirt for the Drift. With water at 45 degrees at Shoshone Lake you need all the help you can get to prevent swamping. Let me comment on two other item that Dagger needs to improve on the Drift. THE FRONT SEAT WILL NOT STAY IN PLACE WITH THAT MICKEY MOUSE SPRINKLER PIPE THEY PUT ON WITH A SCREW. SECOND, THE DIRECTIONS TO MOUNT A RUDDER ON THE DRIFT ARE REALY HARD TO FOLLOW. DAGGER NEEDS TO IMPROVE THE INSTRUCTION FOR MOUNTING HARDWARE. POSSIBLY MORE ILLUSTRATIONS WITH BETTER VERBAL DISCRIPTION MAY HELP! If it were not for the front seat and the terrible rudder instruction I would given the Drift a rating of 10.

06-25-2001
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 9 of 10
     Just bought a Dagger Drift (without rudder) for my wife and myself after much research on recreational tandems. Had it out last night (we live on the Nova Scotia coast)and it was excellent. Good tracking, good speed, fine stability, comfortable seats and easy to turn. We compared the Drift with similar 15-16 footers - the Old Town Loon 160 (only fair tracking and turning), the Perception Aurora (too heavy) and the Wilderness Systems Pamlico Excel (seats too uncomfortable). One downside to the Drift. Dagger released this new model kayak without any skirt being available for it. Not smart.

02-08-2001
Submitted by: Ray Willard - Rating: 10 of 10
     My wife and I are new to Kayaking. We did a lot of looking and demo testing, we decided on the Drift. It isn't the least expenses, but it had what we wanted. cargo hatch, comfort seating and even a small middle seat and it has large storage area.We been out three times and we know we made the right choice.I'm so glad we didn't buy anything smaller.

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