I have a 12’ wilderness pungo ,and i want to step up to a touring kayak mainly for river paddling.I am looking at the prijon "touryak "(15’),or the dagger “spector” (15’). I intend to paddle both these boats (hopefully),before buying. I am 6’ and 180 lbs. This is only my second year paddling and the touring kayak i buy i would like to have for several years. Any thoughts on these kayaks? thanks… $1500 list price is the most i can afford…
I can speak for the Touryak…
…the Prijon plastic is about as indestructable
as you will find.
While I can’t say the following is true of the
other boat, Prijons have adjustable thigh braces,
adjustable seats, and far more comfortable foot
pegs than any of the other boats I’ve tried.
The deck rigging and paddle rest are excellent ideas.
The Touryak has a very stable feel without coming across like a barge.
My white waterboats are prijons because the
plastic is strong enough not to need the center
pillars.
I bought my Prijon Barracuda because the only
boat that was even close in fit and feel had
“keepers” foot pegs and cost twice as much.
I demoed the Touryak and it’s leading the rest
as my next boat.
I do not now nor have I ever had any financial
relationship with Prijon/Wildwasser other than as
a consumer.
Prijon
the Dagger boat may look more slick or have more features but for long term durability I’d go with the Prijon.
I’ve paddled
the Spector a few times as a paddling buddy has one. I’m 6’0, 205 and the cockpit fits but if anything feels a little big on me. The airalite is attractive and makes for a pretty boat. The deck is very high and I did notice the wind “catching” it more than some other boats I’ve paddled. Overall it paddled well, seemed to have acceptable speed but was a little darty in the wind.
demo of a Dagger
hi dav: say, you don’t mention what height/weight/inseam you are, but the Dagger Specter is a High Volume kayak (not just IMO but also described as HV by the dealer) designed for the larger paddler.
Had a Specter demo last summer just for fun (I’m small person who had 20 minutes during the two hour water demo and said what the heck). I demo’d 6 different kayaks that day from a CD Kestral to a CD Squamish)
So I demo’d a silver Dagger in Airalite on a Class I river. Despite my beginner technique it moved well through the water. It was fairly responsive to sweep turns, a little less so to edging. I will admit my 115 lbs could’ve affected that, but still I would’ve expected more agility from a kayak only 15’5" and made of light material.
The wind effect mentioned by the other poster is a good point but I couldn’t speak to that due to the windless day.
One thing I did not like (and this is not meant to spark a nuclear level debate of skeg vs. rudder) is that, AS SUPPLIED, using the Dagger’s rudder meant taking your feet off the pegs to work the rudder. To me this was disruptive to my paddling rhythm.
I also can appreciate what other posters have said about beginners and rudders… too much rudder usage can make a paddler rudder dependent, esp. if as a beginner they are still learning basic strokes.
I am a beginner, too, and know it can be bewildering. Take your time, don’t be rushed, and demo as much as you need. I demo’d one kayak twice and bought it a few weeks later, convinced it was right for me. Also try kayaks you might not even have considered (either for design or price reasons) - just for fun and for comparision.
Also as far as $$ with some searching you can hook up a damn fine fiberglass kayak, used, for $1200-$1500. There are lots of them for sale, many by people who DIDN’T do their homework and decided that kayak really wasn’t for them.
Good luck and let us know what you get.
that was good advice
Look for used, friendlyfire is right - you may well find a better boat. And demo demo demo.
We’re coming upon the perfect time for both demoing and used boat sales.
6’ 180 is what he said.
yes thank you
I did reread and see that… that being the case, he is not a large man, so a high volume kayak might not be a good fit for him.
At his weight and height he has dozens of choices!
He is very fortunate! Any good used FG kayak in his stated price range could make him forget about a plastic Dagger Specter…
It ain’t the plastic. I paddle plastic.
…and I’ve kick the asses of many of the fancy
expensive boats.
Sure plastic vs glass or composite can make a big
difference in the hands of an expert.
but how many are experts?
I paddle a Prijon Barracuda. And I’ve smoked
many people in the facy boats who turn theirt noses up at plastic.
Touryak - my 2 cents
Hey Dav,
I have owned a Touryak for over a year now so maybe I can help out. I was paddling a rec yak for several years prior, an OT Loon 138. I took the kids out with me (one at a time) when they were little and we had a great time until they eventually got too big for us to comfortably fit. So, similar to you I decided to upgrade.
Although I now consider the Touryak stable, it still took 4-6 hours of paddling before I got used to it’s stability, you will probably notice the same thing, coming from a Pungo. You should notice increased speed right away. The features on the Touryak are really nice, the hatches are really nice and include D rings if you need to store extra gear on top, deck netting is excellent, foot pegs are comfortable and the recessed paddle float behind the seat is nice. Prijon’s plastic, as mentioned, is really nice.
I do notice some issues when I was in windy conditions and purchased the rudder within a few months. Being mostly on rivers you may not need it, but it really smooths out the paddling.
Bottom line, I am very happy with the Touryak and consider it a natural upgrade from a rec boat like the Pungo.
Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions. I’ll be glad to give you my honest opionion.
Jay
I was talking about the Dagger
not the Prijon.
I was talking about the demo in the Specter, not the Prijon.
take a moment willya you are way too sensitive.or
are you insecure?
Either way I don’t care. I’m dropping this. You can get your last shot in, that’s my gift to your insecurity.
dav, definition so we can help
mainly for river paddling what do u mean?
I’m not insecure…
…are really that much into cheap armchair
psychology?
Head on over to B&B, you’ll fit right in.
You didn’t specify what kind of plastice, you
merely said plastic and recommended a 'glass boat.
And there is a very strong bias on this board
against plastic boats.
And I wanted a person who sounded new to know that there is nothing wrong with plastic.
Get over yourself.
I think he means…
…River the Mainly.
(With apologies to you old Mad magazine lovers.)
Upgrade
You may want to look at the Current Design - Kestrel 140. For your size this would be ideal and also a great kayak. Stay away from a high volume kayak unless you are planning on long trips with lots of equipment.