Trinidad

by  Dagger

This Product Has Been Discontinued

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Trinidad Description

The Trinidad is a kayak brought to you by Dagger. Read Trinidad reviews or submit your own review to share with the paddling community. Check out a few other kayak recommendations below or explore all kayaks to find the perfect one for you!

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Trinidad Reviews

Read reviews for the Trinidad by Dagger as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!

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5

I’ve bought the Trinidad…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 3/6/2024

I’ve bought the Trinidad Dagger second hand about 11-12 years ago. In that time I’ve found it to be excellent for stability even in wild ocean water. It handles large swell very well particularly if the forward paddler can power a bit to keep us riding swell. Landed many times in surf back onto the beach again riding some surf in is important to maintain direction, the rudder assists but both paddlers at times need to help. As others have mentioned not the fastest but it still gets along alright with two good paddlers. The length is great for stability and that that little added speed due to that little bit of extra width. Has enough storage. Only down side I can really say about the kayak is its weight. I am now getting a bit older (over 60) and getting it on top of the 4wd is not so easy. Started to use a hydraulic system but the weight of this is still on max parameters and needs manual assistance. A smaller vehicle would struggle with its length. The previous owner had a Ute and he had it over the cab via rail and then hanging over the end.
I’ve also utilised in river and lake which is very easy conditions for this craft. Large bodies of water I have been caught with strong winds and steerage is a bit of struggle, particularly if you are on your own. Best feature is its robustness and strength.

4

Been paddling the Trinadad…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 4/5/2012
Been paddling the Trinadad since last summer. very pleased with the kayak as a multi-day boat. I used it all winter... where ever there was open water. Living in Montana, it handled the winter well, including trips up semi frozen rivers and lakes. Very rugged although heavy and awkward to portage.

Packs well for touring and carries weight evenly though out its length. Although strong paddling is required to truly enjoy the Trinidad on multi-day trips. Especially in windy or rough waters. I've happily taken it on 10-20 mile (per day) weekend trips and never had a real complaint. Its stability is impressive and its 'not likely to tip' unless careless behavior is involved - such as standing up in the kayak in open water.

Because of its size, weight and width it may be quite difficult to "tandem roll" back up after a tip in sea waves or white-water. I've taken it down class I, II and short III's. In such conditions, "wet exits" would be the standard in this kayak. But with practice, the skill of performing the "tandem eskimo roll" is possible for strong experienced paddlers to acquire.

Overall, a great kayak. Even if I buy another lightweight tandem in the future, I'll hang on to this one as my bombproof multi-day'er . I'm planning on buying a wind sail for longer expedition type trips. 100+ milers.

4

Decent low cost tandem kayak.…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 3/19/2012
Decent low cost tandem kayak. Depending on what you are looking for the length and weight may be an issue, as it was for me: it is 18' and 92 lbs. With RA and a bit of an anterior deltoid issue this just wasn't right for me and my young daughter. I had to move/load the kayak by myself which is not easy. Because of the distance between the cockpits, if my daughter was having trouble up in the front cockpit, like opening a snack or water, I'd have to head for shore and get out to help her.

My review score isn't reflective of the above problems but I wish I had thought of all that beforehand. For healthy adults and/or older kids the kayak would work just fine (especially if you have a larger vehicle too). In fact the long distance between the cockpits pretty much makes it impossible to hit paddles like in shorter tandems. Plus ours had a rudder which should be required for ALL tandems from the factory. The material is very thick and solid, and ours was old and obviously stored outside for a while and the hatch covers and all were still in great condition, and there was no leakage anywhere nor between the bulkheads.

For the price even new this is a lot of boat for the money. Paddled surprisingly smooth but was nearly impossible to turn without the rudder the way I was using it (again, should be required!).

4

We have paddled the Trinidad…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 2/10/2006
We have paddled the Trinidad for two years on day trips and 4 camping trips. With careful packing you could pack 4 days worth of gear. Very secure and predictable in rough water, though a bit slower than a fast single even with strong paddlers. Because the rear paddler is so far back, it maneuvers very well w/o the rudder, and there is little risk for paddles clanking. Should the rudder jam, the rear paddler can actually reach it from his cockpit, a good safety feature. Central hatch with bulkheads is a great feature,and seats ar very comfortable with good knee bracing. To make this boat ideal, it would need 2 more feet of waterline length to utlize the power of 2 paddlers, 15- 20 lbs lighter weight, and the maybe 3" narrowere width. VG quality.
4

I just got back from racing…

Submitted by: paddler230419 on 11/24/2003
I just got back from racing my Trinidad in a canal race in NJ where the water was dead still, and we averaged just over four mph over a distance of 10.6 miles. Tough, stable, roomy, well designed (recessed deck rigging) and fairly fast for such a wide stable boat. Considering the storage capacity and the ability of this boat to crash through some hefty whitewater, I'd have to say the boat is versitle and watertight and tracks surprisingly well. Stability is great, even in chop.Lots of leg room even for larger paddlers. Only drawback is that the plastic version is pretty heavy. Buy a cart or take a strong partner. Portage is a dreaded word if this boat is full of touring gear.

Of the tandems I've seen and paddled, this is the best for secure tandem kayaking where evil rocks, chop, or standing waves may appear.It's very tough and the rudder is very effective. The boat is now marketed as the Perception Carolina II with no discernable changes except seats.

4

We have had a Trinidad for…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 6/19/2002
We have had a Trinidad for two years now. We bought it for my wife and then 7 year old son to paddle, but it turned out to be too heavy for her to handle with just his help. With he and I (I'm 6'1", 190 lbs and a strong paddler)it works fine. I need his help when it is really windy or rough. With two adults it moves right along about as well as can be expected for such a wide boat (29"). Tracks well and will turn surprisingly quickly if you throw in a bit of a lean, helped out by the fact that the rear cockpit is pretty far back in the boat. If it's really windy, the rudder will be needed. The heavy looking bow actually works quite well in riding over waves and keeping the front paddler dry. Not a speed demon, by any means, but works well on the medium sized lakes in the Adirondacks. We choose this boat over other tandems partly due to the bulkheads between the front a rear cockpits, resulting in easier pumping if you should get the full of water one way or another, plus the two paddlers don't have to paddle in synch. Works well as a weekend tripper if you pack lightly and throw a drybag or two in the bow. Quality is up to the usual Dagger standard.