Outdoor Gear Reviews | ub Outdoors

May 16, 2011 in Featured, Water by Carl H. Martens

Call it a crossover, a hybrid, or a do-all and you’d be correct.  The Approach 10.0 kayak by Dagger is all the above.  It features an adjustable skeg that drops down for tracking in high winds or rough waves.  The Polyethylene hull features a large cockpit and adjustable padded thigh braces, seating system, and foot brace system.  Located at the stern is a bulkhead to store gear in.  This is a great little vessel for river running, lakes or mild moving rapids. 

The people over at Confluence Watersports were generous in loaning us the Approach for the weekend to test on the French Broad River in Asheville, NC.  A group of five of us went out on the river; a canoe, Perception Tribe sit-on-top kayaks, and I was in the Dagger.

My previous kayaking experience has been spent in touring kayaks; a kevlar Perception Eclipse and a fiberglass Perception Carolina.  I grew up in an affluent suburb of Chicago.  The local kayak shop only sold expensive sea kayaks…unfortunately I dropped a lot of money early on, not realizing that it didn’t really make sense for the type of paddling I’d be doing.  Looking back, the shop took advantage of the wealth in the community…they should have been pushing the less expensive river runner kayaks.  The Dagger Approach would have been an ideal.  Most the paddling I did was on the river that ran through my hometown or on lakes in Wisconsin.  Although I lived near Lake Michigan in Chicago I never got out on it.  After my experience this weekend I would recommend this kayak to anyone paddling rivers and lakes and feel every shop should carry the model.  Here’s why…

It isn’t so much a car, it isn’t so much a truck…if I had to choose a vehicle to compare it to, I’d probably compare it to a Subaru Outback.  Second thought, it probably has more appeal than an AWD sport wagon.  I say that only because to the general public the Outback probably isn’t necessarily viewed as “cool”, but this most certainly is.  Now, if you know anything about Subaru’s and the Outback you can appreciate this statement and it will resonate with you.  This kayak doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well, but it will handle just about anything you throw at it.  That isn’t a knock against the Approach.  It is a crossover/hybrid kayak and it fits that title perfectly.

In moderate whitewater it behaves quite well and you can safely catch an eddy and play with comfort anywhere in the rapids.  That being said, she is not a play boat, but very much a river runner with a bit of an adventurous side.  Leaning can be done with great stability and without worry.  It’ll pop right up should you find yourself under water, but if wet-exiting is your means to get topside than you’ll appreciate the giant cockpit making exit easy.  A great feature for those of you just starting off.

The ride on flat water is one for recreation and leisure.  The lack of a sharp entry at the bow slows the boat.  It won’t slice through the water and be as quick as a touring kayak.  It was hard for me to overtake the sit-on-top Tribe which is longer and cuts the water better.  No, this isn’t a kayak to use on the river to go fast.  If however, you want a kayak for the purpose of getting out on the water and enjoying the outdoors around you and perhaps play a little, this kayak is perfect.

It provided an entirely different kayaking experience for me.  One that I enjoyed quite a bit.  The cockpit is large enough to easily pull a leg or both legs out and hang them atop the deck or into the water.  It was liberating and something I’m unable to do in my touring kayaks.  If I were to choose between the two on a river or lake, I’d take the Approach 9 out of 10 times.  There is enough space in the bulkhead to house gear for overnighters.  This is a great little boat and I would recommend it to anyone interested in kayaking whether they be a beginner or someone with experience like myself with a “specialty” kayak looking for something for more general usage.

Note:  I did not get the chance to fish from the boat, but with the large cockpit and ease to get in and out of it while on the water and stability when moving around whether in or out of the cockpit you would have absolutely no problems fishing from it.

Again, the Dagger Approach 10.0 kayak is an excellent all-around kayak providing the ability to do many things well and have plenty of fun.