Boat Insider by Scott MacGregor
Dagger MAMBA Like the Trusty Seven Iron
Tiger Woods carries 14 clubs with him on the golf course. Which is to say, really, that Tiger’s caddy Steve Williams carries 14 clubs. Can you imagine if paddlers were that choosy about which boat to paddle in different rapids? If Tiger were sponsored by Dagger his boat bag would look something like this: for long straight rapids with no hazards he’d have a touring boat, per- haps the Halifax 17; for vertical shots and to get out of hazards he’d need their Nomad creeker; when parked on the green near the hole Steve Williams would pull out the Crazy 88 freestyle boat. But if Tiger had to carry just one club for everything he faced he’d prob- ably tee up with a seven iron. What’s the seven iron of whitewater, the boat that can play the fairway, handle the rough and chip around the hole? Reach for the new Dagger Mamba.
The river runner category is emerging as creek boats and playboats grow further apart in design and purpose.
At first glance the Mamba looks remarkably similar to the Nomad creek boat, so much so that you might wonder why Dagger bothered releasing both boats. Put the two boats on the water and the differences become clear—the Mamba is top-half creek boat, bottom-half play boat. From above, the Mamba looks similar to the Nomad, minus a few grab loops and a little volume. Turn the Mamba over and you’ll see a narrowish planing hull, but one with softer chines and more secondary stability than a dedicated playboat.
The Mamba is Dagger’s contribution to a category of kayak that’s emerg- ing as creek boats and playboats grow further apart in design and purpose. This increasingly popular river runner category includes the likes of Liquidlogic’s Lil’ Joe and Hoss, Wave Sport’s Diesel and Pyranha’s H:3— boats with enough volume for big water and overnights on fun rivers without 30-foot-drops.
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www.rapidmag.com
The Mamba is available in three sizes (the 7.5, 8.0, and 8.5 model names indicate their length in feet). Unlike the old days of freestyle boats, when smaller was always better, the Mamba performs best when you’re in the lower end of its weight range. This is something to think about if you’re close to the top of the scale and planning overnights or even day trips with hearty lunches and camera gear. Weight affects performance, so be sure to test it loaded the same way you’ll paddle it down the river. How is the Mamba on the back nine? It’s a boat for all players really—duf- fers and pros—each with their own take on it. Beginner paddlers jumped into it for introductory two-day courses and old schoolers ran it down the big-volume Kipawa River. In the clubhouse afterward you’d hear talk about how the semi-hard chine softens near the stern. The pros were asking for more responsive carving back there while the less confident paddlers were happy that the stern hadn’t tripped them up all day. There’s still enough edge, though, for you to dig in and rail youself out of a sticky water hazard (read trashy hole).
Nineteenth hole banter aside, wanting more from the Mamba—a boat designed to do it all—is a bit like asking for miracles from a seven iron on the tee or the green; you either want more or less of something, but no other category of boat can do everything so well. And by carrying only one river running boat like the Mamba to the river you won’t have to watch your caddy roll his eyes every time you slice into the rough.
MODEL 7.5
LENGTH 7’ 7” WIDTH 25.5 WEIGHT 37 lbs VOLUME 51 gal
WEIGHT 120-170 lbs
8.0 8’
27” 42 lbs 57 gal 160-215 lbs
8.5 8’ 5”
27.5”” 46 lbs
72 gal 210-245 lbs
RANGE PRICE $1499 Cdn, $1049.99 US.
www.dagger.com
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