Dagger Stratos 14.5 S
Maiden Voyage
Summary:
I got a new yak!!!!! I have my agile whitewater boat but nothing great for the Florida rivers and coastlines. After extensive research and many YouTube videos, I decided on the Dagger Stratos 14.5 S. I slept on it, then ordered it the next morning. I was originally going to order through REI and pick-up at a store location when I am near one this weekend and next weekend, but I ended up finding a better deal with
Appomattox River Company. It arrived at my house today, and even though the skies were ominous with a threat of thunderstorms, who would I be if I didn't go on my inaugural paddle the day it arrived.
The Gear:
The Story:
In the future once I have more paddles and experience, I will write a better review, but this will just be pictures and initial thoughts. Conveniently it arrived this morning, and during my lunch break I finished up with all of the
roof rack installation.
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| Kayak arrived from my home state! |
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| It's like Christmas in summertime! |
I did not realize it would come with a Manufacturer's Statement of Origin. How cool!
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| Manufacturer's Statement of Origin |
I live just over five minutes away from
Piney Z Lake, where there is a paddling trail. It's a large enough lake to not get bored quickly, but small enough it's impossible to get lost. There is a land bridge that separates it from Lake Lafayette, which is also part of the paddling trail. You must get out of your boat and carry it across to the other lake. I skipped Lafayette because it was already after 20:00, and it was slightly drizzling out with projected thunderstorms. I'll definitely do a more in depth post about this paddling trail in the future.
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| Arrival at Piney Z Lake |
The lake was peaceful. At first I thought it was just me, my beer, and my Fig Newtons; however, there were two other paddlers at the back of the lake fishing. There were also two people on the fishing fingers as well. It was nice to know other people were present, but it still felt secluded and tranquil.
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| Inaugural paddle toast! |
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| Selfie |
This is probably the fastest I've ever paddled a boat. It is long and slender, and likes to move in a straight line provided I'm actually paddling. As expected, turning is a b****. I've been spoiling myself with the Mamba in how easy that is to maneuver. But hey, different boats, different purposes. I can finally say I'm actually excited to go to the beach to test it out on the surf.
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| Paddling trail! |
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| Cypress trees |
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| More cypress trees |
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| Returning home after the paddle |
Just one more I promise!! (To include the Duc)
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