Kayak Review | Dagger Stratos Recreational Touring Kayak

In this video, I'm doing a full testing and review of the Dagger Stratos recreational touring kayak. Dagger says that this kayak is amazingly stable and user friendly for beginner and novice paddlers, but high performance enough to take in rough water like ocean surf and rock gardens. Does it do everything they say? I'm going to find out as I put the Dagger Stratos through a serious testing!

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:50 Specs
3:58 Flat Water Test and Review
7:48 Rough Water Test and Review

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[michealcojocari]

I want to see gear pushed to its limit, so that we truly know what the boat is capable of. In this demonstration it was in the hands of an expert world class white water kayaker. There is no substitute for experience and knowledge.

[MGCooley]

Push it to the limit! It's nice to see how capable boats are in real world conditions, even it's far from something I'm ready to try myself

[melissabeck]

I appreciate you taking this boat to whitewater. You were fair in clarifying that it wasn't designed for whitewater, but that if it handled that, then it was good for what it was designed for. I was, however, surprised that you didn't mention the bulkhead foot brace "system" -- that was what actually attracted me to the Stratos. I paddle surfskis and use leg drive, and on the one quick test drive I was able to take in a Stratos, I much preferred the feel of the firm bulkhead against my feet instead of the thin little pedals you get in so many kayaks. Keep the reviews coming! You do an awesome job! Thanks!

[absoluteelectricandmainten]

As requested, Here is my appreciation for this review.
Due in part to this video, and a few other review videos, and personal reviews, I purchase a Stratos 14.5L. I am QUITE pleased with this boat. Att his point it is just a little above my skill level. But, I LIKE this. I can grow into this kayak and not feel like i need another one any time soon.
With the skeg it tracks amazingly well. It takes a little bit to get the back band set right for comfort, but once you do this you can stay in the boats for hours at a time.
It is a quick boat. Very smooth, and very nimble. Put it up on edge and you can turn a 360 in four to five wide sweeping strokes. I have paddled in water only about 6-8 in deep without any trouble. This is a definite bonus. I like paddling in shallow tributaries to see the real beauty of areas not often seen by motorized boats, or by canoe and other boaters.
I would STRONGLY recommend this kayak to those who have advanced from the entry level recreation kayak, or even a recreation touring kayak. I had a Tsunami 140 and loved it. I am REALLY looking forward to getting to know this boat better.
Next??? Time to learn to ROLL!!
Also. Push a boat to it’s limits in reviews. Absolutely! Let’s see the real limits of a boat so others can also push themselves and grow with their boats.

[lynds]

Have owned a Dagger Stratos 14.5 for 4 years. Great boat. Mostly use it for touring larger lakes in my area. The other day I had it out in fairly windy conditions. Initially I had the skeg completely down and it really stabilizes the boat. However, what I really liked was pulling the skeg nearly all the way up and going downwind with wind chop and boat wakes. Really a fun experience. Cannot wait to try it again in these conditions. .

[paulbrownlee]

I own one of these and have to agree with everything said. We did the Caledonian canal I Scotland, yeah great boat.

[timwonser]

Just watched Dagger14.5L test/review.Liked&enjoyed it! The answer to your final question, NO you did not do or explain too much! The reason I watch[am subscribed] is because of your thoroughness when doing a presentation, test, or teaching.I know of your credentials and have confidence because you are a person that"walks the walk"[or paddles the paddles?guess that didn't work]At any rate, keep doing the great job on all of the paddle t.v.videos that have set such a high quality standard for instructional/informational videos.

[pappasally]

Ken, have to say thanks for the review. Currently working in Okinawa, Japan, and do open ocean paddling (off-limits to paddle on the few short rivers we have). I wanted something in between my performance touring, open ocean and whitewater crossovers. Something that will carry more gear (camping, snorkeling, underwater camera rig) than my "Dagger Katana 10.4", not such a behemoth as my "Wilderness Systems Tsunami 14.5" and more stable than my "Riot Brittany 16.5" (which is way too small for my 1.9 m x 100 kg lard butt). When I first got this, could not figure how to get the most out of it. After staring at the hull design, started paddling it more like a whitewater than a touring boat. It is now my favorite boat for play days, overnighters in rough conditions or landing at the numerous small, tight, nasty beaches along the cliffs, as well as getting into rock gardens, barrier reefs and sea caves for snorkeling. In calm open water, use outside edge for minor course corrections or holding against crosswinds. Only use the skeg for those 35-50 kmh days like we had over Christmas/New Years break. When in tight areas or surf, put it on an inside edge to carve (relatively speaking) tight turns. Love the way it locks on edge and find the primary stability not at all lacking. It is though not a speedster. And yes, you do have to pay attention when putting the hatches on (luckily no implosions, yet).

[CptOblivious]

Picked up my lime green 14.5L today. I'm in the U.K and this video helped my decision to buy the Stratos! Thanks for your video and also putting it through its paces! I'm 6.2 and 18 stone (250lbs) it's a good comfortable fit for me and I can't wait to take it out next weekend! Thanks again and I look forward to watching more of your videos. Have fun. Stay safe.

[charles-mroz]

I have one of these. I only paddle in the sea around West Wales. I have done everything in my Stratos that the members of my club have done in boats costing twice as much. It's not as fast as the longer sea kayaks and I think I have to work a bit harder but the longest day paddle was 40km . When I first started more experienced paddlers kept telling me that I should learn to use it without the skeg but I think you need the skeg for a lot of the time. It is very easy to turn in the tight spots around our fabulous Pembrokeshire coastline but I find it a pain to keep in a straight line without at least a bit of skeg. It's a brilliant boat and has given me a great deal of pleasure over the last few years.

[markmartello]

That was pretty cool! You were testing my boat. Same size, same colors. It was great to see what someone with WAY more WW skills than I have can do with it. I got it for it's ability to cover distance on flat water, and still turn easier than an oil tanker when the skeg is up. Thank you!

[rickquist]

Great review.
I've seen a number of these out & about. I've never met an owner that had any noteworthy regrets.

They're popular camping yaks, and something that one can take from the beginner level on up to a competent paddler.

I'll toss out a tip that I've seen work to improve those "Tupperware Style" hatches:
Spray the lid liberally inside & out with 303 Marine UV Protectant, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe with a soft cloth. Spray a little of the stuff on a rag and thoroughly apply to the hatch combing.
Easy on/off & they'll stay put during a significant hit.

Thanks for the presentation!

[davehaessig]

good review. I like the versatility of the Stratos and I think you demonstrated that.

[ChadPalmer]

I just purchased the 12.5 L last week and have been testing it out all week and LOVE it. I watched this video over a year ago and was like "I need to try that bad boy". Thanks for the great video and pushing it to the limits 🙏🏻

[ianroberts]

@10:30. Can confirm. I have put several wilderness systems hatches on *not quite* all the way and they have flown off going down the highway during transit. The hatch leash isnt beefy enough to keep the hatch on for more than a few seconds of it flapping in the wind

[danielmoniz]

I got a 12.5L this spring as my first sea kayak. I love this boat. Also got a wood greenland paddle. This is an amazing setup. I will be out surfing it as soon as I figure out a roll.

[FreedomNetwork]

One of the best reviews that I've seen. As a newbie, I want to know what a boat is capable of before I buy, so the boat can grow with me. :) Thank you so much. More reviews please.

[jwiereng]

9:15
" I would love to try the Stratos 12.5 " - I would love for you to do a review on that boat

[MrTans]

Great review… I bought a Stratos 14.5L after watching this and I love it. Mainly coastal adventures around Devon and Cornwall. I’m a bigger paddler and it’s solid in all the conditions I’ve tried so far 👍🏼

[TimberHillRedboneDogs]

Yes like gear pushed to its limit. Thank you. Have a great day and week