Profile

The Dagger Katana is an awesome kayak that is very forgiving and versatile. I’ve been paddling it on rivers, lakes and whitewater for just over a year. There are 7 kayaks between my family of 3 and it is by far my favorite and the most useful. All my kayaking friends who have tried out my Katana have been impressed.

Pros: -It is a great river runner particularly in winding rivers with rock gardens, rapids and sweepers. -It turns easily, and yet it is very stable. I often say it’s like a tank on the water because it goes through holes and rapids with ease.
-There is a lot of room in the back hatch for storage.
-Riding lake waves is a blast! -My Katana survived in a nasty hydraulic for over 40 minutes before it was fished out. It’s badly scratched but otherwise undamaged.

Cons:
-At 56 Lbs (dry) it is very heavy. Add some gear in the back and it can be difficult to portage. -I started to roll in my katana first, but because it is such a high volume kayak I needed to practice on my smaller playboat in order to perfect my roll. Now that I am more confident I can roll my katana with ease.
-Having a drain plug is great, but it’s not in the easiest spot to use.
-The hatch is a little leaky so use dry bags in the back that can’t get a little damp

Suggestions: -The Katana is a wide kayak, I needed a longer (200cm) paddle to feel comfortable. -Stick some airbags or beach balls in the front to make recovering the katana easier after a swim.
-Make sure you tie off your drain plug, I lost mine and use a cork now to plug the hole.