Video Gear Review: Dagger Phantom Whitewater Kayak

Just as its name suggests, the release of the Dagger Phantom has been surrounded by a lot of mystery and rumor. With several different prototypes out over the last few years, and the plethora of fast creek boats that now occupy the market, the hype around this boat has been somewhat lackluster. I got a chance to paddle this thing a week ago, and what I found was a fast boat that surprised me with how easy and normal it felt to paddle. I say "normal" from the perspective of growing up paddling planing-hulled river runners that were essentially sidewalls and a flat bottom. This boat felt like a tuned-up 9-foot race boat inspired by the newest Mamba (the comfort king). It sits up high and flat on the water, and the bow just seems to guide you downstream. I like narrow (almost tippy) boats, and this felt like the width was perfect, with edges right below my knees and easy to control. In so many other boats, I feel like I'm sitting too low, and the cockpit rim digs in below my ribs when edging. The Dagger outfitting felt amazing and it placed me high enough to where my hip bone sat just below the deck. There is significantly more volume in the stern than the 9R and I noticed that the stern edges seemed to hang up at times rather than releasing when I wanted them to. I feel that I could probably get used to this, and the added volume would accommodate overnight gear well. One interesting detail was the lack of drainage channels on the cockpit rim. This is apparently to increase rigidity here, which, after having seen boats start to fold in this zone, I am all for. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but from what I can tell, this boat seems like it's going to do really well at a lot of different things. It feels fast enough to be competitive in the short-boat class at any race, yet I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a big water multi-day or attempt a steep new run with it. I'm pretty confident that this would be a lot of fun to surf as well. I haven't had the chance to paddle the Nirvana, the Toro, or any of the Waka's except the original Tuna, but I feel like if you're considering any of those boats, it would be worth comparing the Phantom as well. The 9R has long been my favorite boat for sporty LW laps, but after paddling the Mamba on some difficult runs California this summer, I gained an appreciation for boats that excel in more defensive paddling scenarios. While the Phantom is still a really aggressive boat, it feels like a step back towards the middle of the spectrum. Dagger may be late to the party with this thing, but they've arrived in style with a fast boat that feels like it can do anything. I'm happy that they've finally entered this market because their outfitting is great, their warranty is legendary and their boats are (moderately) cheaper than some European imports. Give it a paddle and let me know what you think!