Axis 10.5

BEWARE!! Do not buy this kayak!

I'm talking about SHODDY WORKMANSHIP... I ordered a Dagger Axis 10.5 from my local REI store. The kayak arrived, and I was super excited to get it.

After getting it home, I decided to have a real good look at my newest purchase. Unfortunately...it was no where up to the assembly standards I'm used to seeing when purchasing a brand new kayak. You could easily see the bulkhead behind the seat was hastily "thrown in" and had huge globs of glue smeared around it. Then you could tell it was removed, and had a larger bulkhead forced into the space in front of the original one. Then huge globs of glue was smeared onto and around the new foam?? Huh?? It was a total mess inside the dry hatch with glue smeared everywhere and left to dry. The foam bulkhead wasn't even in the space vertically. There was a one inch gap across the bottom that I could slip my fingers in up to the second knuckle. I was beyond livid at this point! I called the factory and sent them pictures of it, and their only answer was to send me more glue? WTF?

On the build card that comes with the kayak said "Builder #12" was responsible for building this boat. You know what? Builder #12 sucks...

So, the next day I call REI back and explain what happened. So I have them get another Axis 10.5 from their warehouse and have it shipped to the store. At this point, I've paid for TWO Dagger kayaks until I return the first one.

A week later I'm at REI again to do the exchange. They bring the new kayak out and I look at the build card.

BUILDER #12 STRIKES AGAIN!!

The new boat REI got from their warehouse had the exact same problem...but worse!!! Arrrrrgh!

NOOOOOOO, NOT BUILDER #12 AGAIN!! NOOOOOO!

It's obvious that Dagger has no quality standards when it comes to their products.

With Dagger, you're "scraping the bottom of the barrel" when it comes to quality standards. I don't understand how those boats even got out of the factory like that?? Didn't anyone look at them before they left?

After this experience, I'll never buy another Dagger product EVER...

If you want a top notch kayak go with LiquidLogic. Their build and quality standards are the best I've seen.

I could go to WalMart or Dicks sporting goods and buy a SunDolphin kayak that has better quality standards than Dagger.

What a joke...

I don’t see how anyone can go wrong with this great multi-purpose kayak. For the last eleven years I have used it on lakes and streams here in the Midwest. It tracks great, is tough and durable, very stable and super fun in the rougher ripples and Class I I have used on. The seat comfort is amazing - I can go all day and never have the need to get out to stretch (I am 5’ 5”, 135 lb female). By utilizing the rear hatch, the area behind the seat, the area in front of your legs plus storage on top you can load this baby up for a weekender if you plan right. I just upgraded to a Dagger Stratos (which I don’t believe is going to haul as much gear) but refuse to sell my little Axis. Others I have let use this trusty little go-to love it just as much as I do. For what it is designed to do and how well it accomplishes it I give it five stars.

New to this kayak and on a relatively quiet, narrow river it's great! Paddled yesterday on the wide Fox River in Green Bay in some considerable chop! Not my favorite experience. Had skeg at 50% which helped a bit but it was a slog for several miles. She rode the waves okay but tough and tiring to control. I like it but will use my touring Wilderness for lakes and wide rivers in the future!

The thigh pads and seat rivets have ripped out in only 8 trips down the river. Now the scag isn't working .....it handled great in all the rapids I've taken her through but I'm very disappointed......

Great boat can well carry my 82 kgs. Good speed and efficient to paddle, I always end up front in a group and it's not me it's the kayak.Easy enough to throw on roof of my car .

After starting with a big box store kayak, I recently upgraded to the Dagger Axis 10.5, and I could not be any happier with it! Plenty of storage, handles great in the water, and is super comfortable for those long trips. Paddle on!

Great for exploring rivers, creeks and lakes. I love the skeg. Ready for anything!

Love it! Really comfortable and flowed through the water easily.

My initial impressions of this kayak were very good. About the only negative thing is that it seems to be a bit thinner plastic than the Otter is. Still very tough, but I'm not sure yet if it will prove to be as tough as my Otter, which has endured hundreds of miles in the back-country lakes, granite-filled rivers, and marshlands of northern Ontario.

But I LOVE this kayak. The skeg is FANTASTIC. This was the first thing I wanted to test, and it proved to be a wonderful solution to my complaint about the Otter. I did some specific testing of this feature, and it's just incredible how this little skeg can keep you straight.

Being a photographer of wildlife, this is perfect for my needs. No longer do I have to contort my body while trying to capture that moose on the shoreline while my kayak starts turning the second I put my paddle down to grab my camera. This thing just stays straight. The rear hatch seems plenty large and capable of holding all the gear which I stuffed in a dry bag behind the seat of my Otter. Deck cords seem good. The Otter had no deck cords so I can't compare. For my Otters I drilled holes in the deck and used U-bolts with strong bungee cords - a VERY strong system which held gear down in all sorts of weather and river conditions. Time will tell if the Axis cords will handle my type of use.

I have loaded my Otter for up to a 5 day river trip. I am confident that the Axis will have no problem doing the same. The paddle holder works and is a welcome addition since the Otter had nothing. May come in handy for photography. The seat is comfortable and adjustable. I do wonder though, if the lift mechanism will fail long before the kayak does.

I typically am not a fan of more moving parts than are necessary, but it is nice to place that back exactly where needed. Having said this, I never once felt I needed a more comfortable seat than what was supplied with my cheap Otters. I have spent entire days in my Otter with zero discomfort. And the Otter seat has been indestructible (MUCH thicker plastic than the Axis seat).

The other thing I'm not sure I will like is having a fabric seat. Although comfortable, once it gets wet, it stays wet. With my Otter, I could just wipe out the seat before getting in, and have a dry seat every time. Not sure how I will handle this with the Axis.

Foot pegs adjust very easily and seem to be good quality. I have never had (or felt I needed) foot pegs, so can't compare them. The grab handles are great. Love the fact that they retract. I never liked having dangling handles on my Otter. Although I didn't like having dangling handles, the handles on the Otters have proven to be VERY strong. Whenever we portage with the Otters, we never carried the kayaks. We dragged them through the rocks and woods, full of gear, with a rope tied to the handle. 10 years of doing this, same handles. Will the Axis hold up this well? Time will tell.

Stability is close to what the Otter is. The Otter is slightly more stable but not a huge difference. I had no problem adjusting to the slight difference within a couple minutes. Turning this kayak is very easy, with the skeg lifted of course. Even easier than the shorter Otter.

Shallow water paddling is very good, but not quite as good as the Otter, which is to be expected, since it's shorter and flatter. While paddling in back-country areas, you often encounter LOTS of downed trees and logs that are just below the surface of the water. Going over them with the Otter is fairly easy, as you can stick your paddles in the muck and push right over in such a short kayak. With the Axis, it's a bit more challenging, being a bit longer, but it actually slides over the logs easier than I had expected.

The bottom of the Axis sits just a bit lower in the water than the Otter so there were some logs which I normally would have cleared with the Otter, which I had to push myself over with the Axis. No big deal. Keeps it fun.

Cost of the Axis is over-priced when you consider I paid approx. $250 for my Otters. I don't see the Axis being 3 times more valuable. 2 times, yes, but certainly not 3. The plastic is no better than the Otter, which has PROVEN itself in my 10 years of use. The Otter may even be thicker and more durable.

The Otters have no features, other than being TOUGH. So the only cost difference would be in the extra features. So, the question is, are the following extra features on the Axis worth $550:

1 foot longer | Retractable handles | Deck cords | Drop-down skeg | Sealed rear hatch | Paddle holder | Padded adjustable seat | Adjustable foot pegs | Padded knee\\thigh area

Recommendation: This is a great kayak for sure, and one I recommend (based on my preliminary testing and observation) for those wanting a cross-over kayak. The skeg is AWESOME. But if you are a bit tight on cash, you might find a better value from Old Town.

My biggest complaint about the Pelican was tracking. In doing a 2.5 mile trip I would end up probably doing 3 miles with corrections. I needed and wanted something better but also wanted to be able to take it on the river and mild rapids.

This crossover Kayak is perfect! When I first took it out to demo it I put the Skeg down and it went so straight that it was hard to turn with the skeg down! Raise it up and it handles like on doing a race car! I am super pumped about the weight, the size, the handling and the looks of this cool Kayak. I don't see how you could go wrong if you are a lake and mild river runner!

So, what first intrigued me about the Axis was the skeg. With the skeg down this boat tracks like an arrow. Like most recreational kayaks, the Axis is extremely stable. I lean into turns, but have never tipped the boat over. In fact, I have stood up in the boat without tipping it over. It takes some effort to turn the boat over, and I expect that a roll back will be near impossible.

I have taken the boat on trips of 8 to 12 miles and have never been the last in line. I am 5' 7" inches tall weighing around 170 pounds, and I have plenty of room. I love the adjustable foot rests. I can move the foot braces while I travel which is great for the longer trips.

This is by no stretch a touring boat, but there is a roomy rear hatch and compartment in a water tight bulkhead. I have been in 15 MPH cross winds in a six inch chop and had no problems.

This is not a fast boat, but with the skeg down, I can concentrate on my stroke and not worry about keeping the boat straight with each stroke. I can maintain 2.5 to 3.0 MPH for hours. With a snake behind me, I can crank it up to 4.0 to 4.5 MPH., but that takes some effort, and I cannot keep that up for long. I must add here that I am a not particularly athletic - senior citizen. I recently did a short paddle of five miles with an average speed of 3.3 MPH on flat water with no wind using what I thought was an easy going paddle stroke.

It is stable enough to use for nature photography and comfortable enough for an extended stay. However, I do use a couple inflatable cushions in the seat if I know I am going to be in the boat for several hours.

I love this boat. You can put it in your pocket and sail across a wet wash cloth.

Because I didn't want to spend a lot of money (and after having bought both my and my wife's kayaks on deep discounts at end of season sales last fall), I was looking at big box store kayaks. I was considering the Old Town Vapor, Perception Sound 10.5, and the Ascend (Bass Pro) FS-10. The Vapor has good reviews, but I really don't like the enormous cockpit opening. I had trouble finding any reviews on the Perception, and the Ascend is tough to find on sale. What I really wanted was a Wilderness Systems Aspire 105. With it's drop down skeg and 400 pound weight capacity it seemed like it would be the perfect boat. Perfect, that is, except for the price.

While visiting the in-laws in Vermont two weeks ago, we decided to take a drive to New Hampshire and stop in at Eastern Mountain Sports. I was happy to find that they had an Aspire 105 in stock. I thought I would take the opportunity to check it out to see if it was worth spending the extra money. The seat was very comfortable, but I just wasn't as impressed overall as I thought I would be. Then I noticed the Dagger Axis 10.5 and thought I would check it out as well. It's narrower than the Aspire, and the cockpit opening is quite a bit smaller. Even so, I could still get into it fairly easily, and once inside I liked it much better. I like being "inside" a kayak rather than feeling like I'm sitting on top, or out in the open like I felt in the Aspire. The Dagger doesn't have a "dashboard" like the other kayaks do, but it does have a really cool "console" built into the hull stiffener. I liked that feature better than the dashboard. The seat isn't as comfortable for me as the Aspire, but it's better than my Old Town and it is more adjustable. I like the leg lift feature a lot.

I was a bit unsure of buying it because I thought it would be too unstable for me, plus it is more than I wanted to spend. The Axis has a shallow arch bottom, and also some rocker front to back. It leans to one side when sitting on the ground, while the Aspire sits upright due to it's wide, flat bottom. The Axis also has a lower weight rating, so I thought the Aspire would be the better kayak for my needs. Still, there was something drawing me to the Dagger. It's has a lot of aesthetic appeal, and sitting in it just felt good.

After talking to the girl in sales, I found her to be very knowledgeable. She didn't push me in either direction, but said she thinks the Dagger would be good for my needs. She agreed that the Aspire may be a little better for the shallow water, but said the Dagger should still be fine for my application. She said the Dagger would be easier to paddle and turn, and that the stability would still good. Comparing the two designs, it was obvious that the Aspire wouldn't be as efficient or as fast on the flat water, and one of the reasons I didn't like my Heron was because I had a hard time keeping up with my wife without exerting a lot more energy than she was.

I still didn't think I wanted to spend that much on a kayak, but then found out they were having a 20% off sale, plus no sales tax in New Hampshire. That was enough to make me pull the trigger. Not a bad discount for this early in the season, and none of the box stores by me sell Wilderness Systems or Dagger kayaks. I didn't want to go all season in the Heron to wait for another fall sale.

So far I've had it out twice. Once on a big lake with little to no wind, and once down the Swatara. My first trip out on the lake made me wonder why I was ever concerned about the stability. I find it to be more stable than my Heron was, and secondary stability seems to be very good. No issues at all in the stability department. The boat is definitely faster and easier to paddle than my Heron was (at least with me in it), and I had no problem staying ahead of my wife without padding hard. It's also quieter going through the water. Tracking with the skeg up isn't bad on the flat water, and it's excellent with it down. It glides perfectly straight with the skeg down, which is a very welcome trait.

Out on the Swatara, the boat is easy to handle and paddle. The skeg is nice for the slow, deep sections between the rapids. It's no worse than my Heron in the shallow water, and might be better. I did have to portage twice, but once was because I picked the wrong line. Had I picked the right one, I wouldn't have had to. The Aspire may have been better in the shallow water, but I think more the better efficiency and better handling design of the Axis more than makes up for that. Perhaps the Aspire wouldn't have even been better in the shallow with it's wider width. Maybe it would have made it harder to sneak through the really narrow areas with scraping. Tough to say.

Overall I'm very satisfied with my decision. The Axis is very high quality for the price, and it has really nice lines and "curb appeal". The wife says it looks like it "fits" me better than the Heron and the Aspire.

The other choices in this category are the Necky Rip and the Liquid Logic Remix. The Necky just doesn't do much for me, but I've never paddled it. The Liquid Logic is out of my price range, and I don't think I would have bought it anyway due to the reviews saying it's very slow on the flat waters. I think my Axis 10.5 is the best "compromise" for my situation that is also affordable. More color options would be nice, but the Lava scheme is pretty cool. I would highly recommend it to anyway in the market for this type of kayak. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because I didn't paddle the other boats in the same category, so it's hard for me to say that it's the best. Perhaps it is.

At 10.5 ft and 50 lbs, the Dagger Axis is easy to load on to car top, even for those of us "vertically challenged". This is a real keeper and ACK (Austin Canoe & Kayak) customer service & immediate shipping (arrived 3 business days after order was received) makes them a 10 star kayak outfitter.

I researched crossover kayaks quite extensively and the reviews for the Dagger Axis 10.5 match my own experience. My paddling venues range from lakes to creeks to slow moving rivers and Class I & II rapids. If your paddling venues are similar, you can't go wrong with the Dagger Axis 10.5. I didn't consider the Axis 12 because I needed a kayak that would maneuver in some of the narrow creeks.

My paddling buddy and I are in our mid-60's and for price and features, this has to be one of the best crossover kayaks currently available.

I can pick it up with one hand at only 50#, it glides better than my Swifty, is only slightly slower than the 11'6", much faster than the 12'6"sot, tracks like a dream with the skeg down, and turns on a dime with it up. good seat.
After 4 not quite right ones, this is a keeper

After a few months of paddling the otters around, (and I proved my fears of kayaks being so unstable as unjustified)I decided to stroll in to our local kayak store to see what they had on display. I gazed around at the rows of boats standing against the walls while wiping drool from my chin. But... I wasn't looking to buy, only window shopping as it were. After several minutes of looking around I was heading for the door when one particular boat caught my eye. The Dagger Axis 10.5 in red. For a month I thought about that boat until I admitted to myself I had to have it. So I bought it, licensed it and set out for a nearby lake to put her in.

I found the boat to be very roomy. (The Otter forces me to curl my toes due to the low deck height. The Axis has enough room I could wear work boots in it... though I never will...)

The boat is very stable, comparable to that of the Otter and the cockpit is roomy enough for me to get in and out with very little effort. There is NOT a lot of room between the seat and rear bulkhead, but there is a little. Just don't expect to store much behind the seat. The dry storage at the stern is room enough for storing gear for a day trip or an overnighter if you pack light. There is also room in the bow to store some small things if needed.

I was impressed with the forward deck rigging as it comes with a netting of sorts. This is perfect for storing small items that would normally fall through the normal bungie rigging. It also has a console of sorts inside the cockpit with a cup holder and a tray with a couple bungies to stash small items.

The seat is quite comfortable and has an adjustable back.

When paddling the boat with the skeg in the raised position it is very maneuverable if not a little...loose(?)... But once the skeg is dropped this boat will track very nicely even in strong winds.

In all, I am very pleased with this boat and would definitely buy another. My wife being somewhat shorter than I found the deck height on the Axis to be a little more than she wanted. She said it felt like too much boat to her. I ended up buying her a Dagger Blackwater 10.5 which has a lower deck.