Playboating Northwest

Looks At The:

KINGPIN 6.3

This month we're taking a look at the next generation of Dagger playboats, the Kingpin series. By incorporating hull rigidity with outfitting comfort, Dagger is throwing down some serious tech improvements in playboat design. The Kingpin is here.

A special thanks to Mark Listowich and SportGroup, Inc. for providing us with our demo Kingpin!

Basic:1=bad - 3=ok - 5=best

Outfitting
Mike:225lbs Ken:190Lbs Brian:180lbs

Hip Pads
3

4

4

Thigh Braces
4

3

2

Back Band
3

2

3

Seat
3

3

2

Foot Room
5

5

5

At Playboating Northwest we realize there's paddlers of different shapes, sizes, and abilities. In order to get a better overall feel for a boat, we've taken the perspective of three of the staff to come up with a true comprehensive boat test. Our goal is to give the reader broader insight compared to reviews based on a single paddlers opinion.

Outfitting: Dagger is working towards a 5 minute outfitting boat, that can accommodate a wide variety of paddlers, while utilizing the stock components. Using proprietary inflatable AirCore hip pads, the pain-in-the-ass, duct tape and dragonskin element has all but been eliminated. The Camlock backband system, with adjustments on the thigh braces, works well, but doesn't suit all paddlers. Some bugs still need to be worked out here. The adjustable thigh braces are huge dimensionally and would be better if available in different sizes. Some paddlers may need to add some minicell to get a tighter fit. THE SEAT..Smaller paddlers don't seem to have any complaints, but larger paddlers have some gripes. To reduce weight, the seat has been significantly pared down, creating a somewhat smaller profile, while leaving the trailing edge cupped up. This caused some paddlers to experience pain between the backband and seat. The foot room and bulkhead in this boat is phenomenal. Not a tester we polled had any complaints here. A short boat, with plenty of room all around.

In The Hole	Mike	Ken	Brian
Loose	5	5	5
Speed Down A Wave	4	3	4
General Speed	3	3	4
Slicy	2	3	4
Steady On End	4	4	4
Bounce	4	5	5

Our boat reviewers are comprised of Mike, Ken, and Brian. Mike has been paddling for over 8 years and is an advanced boater and occasional playboater. Ken has been paddling for over 10 years, is an advanced boater, and avid playboater. Brian has been paddling for over 4 years, is an advanced boater as well as an avid playboater.

Performance: The Kingpin redefines what a stiff hull is all about. With a pillar system that is bolted to the hull via an internal rail, there's less flex than any other boat we've tried. Less flex = more speed. We had some concern with thru-hull screw penetrations, with regard to the rail, but the Dagger rep assured us that the plugs in the bottom of the boat are merely cosmetic. The hull dies are spin welded to the inside of the hull, allowing the rail to be attached securely. The spin welding creates a small void on the outer hull of the boat, necessitating very small plugs.

Speed: For a spud boat, speed down the wave face is excellent. Speed is a major factor for any playboat these days, as aerial maneuvers are becoming a big part of the point system in freestyle rodeos. Ability to catch a wave on the fly seems almost effortless as opposed to the old G-Force. General speed seems to be more than adequate for a boat of this size. Crossing eddy lines, and making ferries for down river running was surprisingly good.

Slicyness: Dagger has repositioned the volume in the boat to make it much more slicy than the G-Force. The Kingpin is definitely not as slicy as other boats in the market, but stay in the hole reliability is superb. The squared bow allows the boat to stay on track when initiating, and provides plenty of lift for air loops. If you want to practice your squirting, get a squirt boat, as this isn't it.

Steady on End: This boat seems to cartwheel very well. The added volume in the tail provides a much more stable feeling when pulling through the pile.

Looseness: The Kingpin seems to be one of the loosest boats any of us have paddled in quite some time, while retaining excellent edge to edge control. We never got the feeling that the boat had a mind of its own, and would get out of control. With it's 25.75" width, there's plenty of surface area to work effectively, but not so wide that the boat feels out of proportion. The edges allow for good carving, while not impeeding the looseness.

Bounce: This baby goes up! The rocker on this boat immediately grabs your attention. The design team has done an excellent job creating a rockered boat that gives up good bounce without taking away too much from the speed department. Back bounce seems to be efficient. All of us have already been chomping at the bit to hit the Skook with this boat to see how high it will really go. Hoo boy!!

In Conclusion: Everyone liked the Kingpin a lot. Outfitting, playability, and the overall paddling experience was excellent. Keep in mind that this is not a big water, or dedicated river-running boat. Experienced paddlers will enjoy down river play, but this truly is a specifically designed playboat.

Dagger Kingpin 6.3

Length: 6'-4"	Volume:54 Gal
Width:25.75"	Cockpit:34" by 19"
Weight:32 lbs	Pad.wt.range 140-220lbs

Dagger Kingpin 6.2

Length: 6'-2"	Volume:50 Gal
Width:24.75"	Cockpit:34" by 19"
Weight: 32 lbs	Pad.wt.range 100-180lbs

Dagger Kingpin 6.1

Length:6'-1"	Volume:46 gal
Width:23.25"	Cockpit:34 by 19
Weight:32 lbs	Pad.wt.range 80-140lbs

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