I am looking for opinions about the Specter 14.0 by Dagger.
I am 5.11 // 210 pounds. I live in Connecticut. I will use it in rivers, lakes, and the Connecticut shore (Long Island Sound) and Watchill (Rhode Island)
Thank you
P.S.Please, don't forget to talk about the seat.
If in the Sound…
That’s big water, even if you don’t realize it now. Maybe the area in RI too - I don’t know it. But I know that anywhere around Narragansett Sound has a habit of surprisingly even very good paddlers and causing messy rescues.
From what I can tell on Dagger’s site, the Spectres don’t have perimeter rigging. That is, rope that runs around the edge of the boat front and back and gives you something to help hang onto the boat and re-enter if from the water should you capsize. The only in their Touring lineup for the US that seems to have that is the Euro X, 16 ft or so. They do have sealed bulkheads front and back, another huge safety factor, so that’s good.
Also, Dagger themselves doesn’t really recommend the Spectre for something like the Sound - “The Specters are built on modified expedition touring hulls, with the handling, tracking, and capacity you need for multi-day trips, and the stability and comfort you want for an evening workout at the lake.” No mention of ocean or coastal waters.
In order to get the perimeter rigging and the bulkheads, and certain handling features that you’ll likely be hearing about on this thread appropriate for the Long Island Sound, you may need to look at a longer boat, like 16 ft. Before that all starts, do you have a paddling group you can hook up with, or would you be alone, are you planning to take lessons, that kind of thing. Bigger water translates more boat, more skills and more prudent precautions.