B O A T i N s i D e r
robert Bone above the class V Go left
and Die, Green river Narrows.
PHoto cHristoPHer Port
greeN wiTh eNvy
DAGGER’S GreeN BOat IS DOMINATING THE CRAZY WORLD OF ExTREME CREEK RACING
IN 1996, 16 PEOPLE LINED UP on river right be- they needed a boat that could hammer the flat far Dagger says the Green Boat is being picked
low the Green River Narrows’ Bride of Franken- sections, but also power through the rapids with up by dealers from Pennsylvania to the southeast
stein and hammered the half-mile of class V to a precision and skim over the top of the water to and west to Colorado—wherever there are moun-
pool on river left below Rapid Transit. Ever since avoid deep plugs. tains and creeks. Dagger also foresees a demand
then, the first Saturday in November has kicked Dagger designer Mark “Snowy” Robertson and among old-school aggressive paddlers and those
off the now famous Green River Race, the wild- team athlete Pat Keller examined several differ- looking for long-day first descents who need to
est and most exclusive of all whitewater creeking ent old classics that had the desired speed. Their pack gear and haul ass.
events. Last year 59 paddlers entered the open goal was to match this speed to the agility, respon- “The core whitewater consumer may be a niche
or longboat event, 39 of them paddling Dagger’s siveness and boofing capabilities of Dagger’s per- market, but it’s integral to the heart of Dagger,”
specialized creek racer, the Green Boat. formance creeker, the Nomad. says Cheri Mckenzie, Vice President, Chief Mar-
For the last two years prototypes of the Green “The Nomad was used as a benchmark for keting Officer for Confluence Watersports. “The
Boat paddled by Dagger pros have dominated the stability and forgiveness needed in a creek Green Boat is important to the sport as a source of
this crazy race. It all started in 2006, when Dag- boat,” says Robertson. “But the Green Boat adds new, younger consumers that, we hope, will stay
ger’s Pat Keller finally beat six-time open class in speed by rewarding paddlers who drive it on with kayaking all their lives.”
winner Tommy Hilleke in his now defunct eight- edge using the rails.” Not to mention, dominating the most hyped
time winning boat, the Prijon Tornado. Making a boat so specific seems crazy consid- whitewater race has to be good for bragging
In 2007, team paddler Andrew Holcombe fol- ering what we are told of the research, develop- rights and morale in any kayak company’s design
lowed up with a win in the open class, and a new ment and production costs of cranking out new and marketing department. —Scott MacGregor
Green Race record time of four minutes, 27 sec- whitewater boats. Keller, however, sees value be-
onds. The Green Boat took the top four places yond the monetary return. “Having Dagger place
that year. so much trust in the Green Race community with
This past November, even with a quiet mid-sea- this boat has really legitimized not only the race,
dagger green boat
son launch in June 2008, the production Green but the mentality of kayakers out there that still like LENGTH ...................................... 11’9”
Boat topped the podium once more and took 11 to blaze from one place to another.”
WIDTH ....................................... 24.25”
of the best 15 times. At first, many believed the Green Boat would
VOLUME ................................ 95 GAL
The 11-foot, nine-inch Green Boat falls into the be a limited-edition boat built only for pro ath-
race’s most prestigious and fastest open cat- letes. Not so. It is now part of Dagger’s 2009
WEIGHT ...................................50 LBS
egory. The Green Race combines raw power and catalogue lineup and available to all authorized
PADDLER ....................... 140–260 LBS
anaerobic speed with large rapids and extremely Dagger retailers.
MSRP .........................$1,085 CDN/US
technical manoeuvres. The crew at Dagger knew Who will buy it? It is a little early to tell, but so dagger.com
 Rapid
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