About the reviewer

Owned 4 kayaks. Experienced.

Test environment

Lake and river.

Review

I bought the Dagger Blackwater 12. I found it slow, won’t glide at all. Like paddling a heavy log! Plows through the water with the greatest of disease. Doesn’t track well unless you have the skeg down and then the drag is even worse than with it up. Way too much work for a sport that’s supposed to be fun. Cockpit is too short and I think could be dangerous if you rolled the boat and had to get out in a hurry. Very tippy. You have to constantly keep the boat balanced by shifting your weight. I couldn’t keep up with a group of kids in canoe that were clunking around and banging the sides of their boat. This would have been my fourth kayak but I bought with a money back guarantee and RAN back to the dealer. Compare to ANYTHING else and buy ANYTHING else. Summary: Slow, no glide, plows, possibly dangerous due to lack of stability. I can’t believe all the reviews where the reviewer precisely identifies the problems with the boat and still gives it a good rating. I gave a rating of .5 because 0 wasn’t an option.

Conclusion

Don't buy one unless you can take it back!