Gear Review: Dagger Nova & Supernova Whitewater Kayak
I recently purchased a Dagger Supernova from Next Adventure and have been absolutely stoked on its performance. Throughout my 5 or 6 years of paddling whitewater, I’ve been in a wide range of “full slice” kayaks, and this is by far my favorite full slice to date. I already knew that the boat was going to be comfortable since Dagger Outfitting is among the best in the industry. Though, for a playboat, I was happily surprised that I could wear paddling shoes in the boat even with my size 13 feet. At 6’1’’ and 185 lbs., I did have to move the seat a hair back from center to get the perfect fit. For shorter folks, the outfitting kit does come with extra foam inserts to fill up the front of the boat. If you are taller and don’t want to move the seat, then shaving down the foam in the bow or wearing neoprene booties will also free up some space for you.
On the water, the first thing I noticed was that the rocker profile on the Supernova started a little farther back than some of its competitors in the full slice category. What this meant was that I spent way less time pearling while surfing waves which is a huge plus. (“Pearling” is when water piles up on your bow while surfing a wave and can often knock you off the wave.) Its bow and stern rocker combined also allowed it to sit down in a deeper wave with ease. The planning hull with good edges allowed for great speed as well as easy carving back and forth. With that being said, I could see this being a fun boat for surfing in the ocean. When it came to getting the stern loaded into a taille, I had no trouble at all. The boat seemed to have a nice balance point once up in a stern stall. You can lay back and look at the clouds in this boat all day if you wanted! For folks who need a little extra help with that, I recommend moving the seat back a touch. Lastly, because of the rocker, volume, and comfortability; this boat seems more capable of taking on some harder whitewater. If that is a goal of yours, I'd recommend sizing up if you are between the weight range for the two sizes. I look forward to trying it out on some high-volume rivers in the future.
The long and the short of it is: If you are looking for a boat that is fast on a surf wave and excels in downriver play, then look no further. The Supernova is comfortable, capable, and it is an absolute blast to paddle!
Specifications - Super Nova:
- LENGTH: 7' 9" / 236 CM
- WIDTH: 27" / 68.5 CM
- BOAT WEIGHT: 38 LBS. / 17 KG
- DECK HEIGHT: 10.75" / 27 CM
- COCKPIT LENGTH: 34" / 86 CM
- COCKPIT WIDTH: 19" / 48 CM
- VOLUME: 55 GAL / 208 L
- PADDLER WEIGHT: 145 - 250 LBS. / 66 - 113 KG
Specifications - Nova:
- LENGTH: 7' 4" / 223 CM
- WIDTH: 25" / 63.5 CM
- BOAT WEIGHT: 35.5 LBS. / 16 KG
- DECK HEIGHT: 10.25" / 26 CM
- COCKPIT LENGTH: 34" / 86 CM
- COCKPIT WIDTH: 19" / 48 CM
- VOLUME: 46 GAL / 174 L
- PADDLER WEIGHT: 100 - 180 LBS. / 45 - 82 KG
