Check out his thoughts below. Size large available for demo now. Call the shop on 01392 219600 to book a go in the latest version of the world famous creek boat.
For years now I have been paddling a Nomad 8.5, which I
loved but always found it a bit small and quite unstable. I always hoped Dagger
would add an extra size up, and now they have!
The 2016 Nomad has 3 different sizes of boat and the large
one is bigger than the old 8.5.
They have changed the hull shape to give more speed and
stability
So I ordered a new red one in large and haven’t been
disappointed. A few weeks later I spent 10 days in the French Alps kayaking,
which gave me a great opportunity to test it out.
So here are the things I found better than my old boat:
- The Nomad is big, it holds
all the kit you want such as: splits, 1st aid kit, repair kit,
rescue kit, phone, wallet and keys, lunch, drink, throw bag and the
kitchen sink. I got 2 big airbags to keep the kit as close to me as
possible in the boat and for any rescues on the boat.
- I moved the seat forward as
much as possible, this kept the
boat slightly bow heavy to engage the edge more and loosen the stern and
allowed my hands to paddle at the lower/narrower part of the boat.
- The seat has an extra insert which lift your body
up for better reach over the boat and make you feel less low in the boat,
I am not very long in the body and being 5’9 and 16 stone I found big
boats an issue for reach etc, but the nomad felt good.
- The fitting out foam for
the foot rest, seat, hip pads ect was very secure and very comfortable and
never gave me dead legs which is a first.
- The boat has loads of
rocker which meant it didn’t get caught out in holes or pushed around by
random flows, it also made it very manoeuvrable yet didn’t hinder its
forward tracking or speed.
- The hull is slightly
flatter with edges, this helps for stability and carving turns. However it
still boofs and flairs and lands well after drops.
- The boat surfs quite well,
easy to carve and hold position as well as flat spins and control in holes
and stoppers.
- General river paddling has
been made easier which gave me more confidence, but still being able to
change direction when needed and set a new course.
- The boat ran through waves
and stoppers with no problem
- The boat was easy to role
and hold on a large edge
- The fitting out of the
boat and plastic is good quality
My overall impression of the boat
is excellent, from paddling and playing to comfort and confidence, this boat
has it all and I would highly recommend it.
Now the Nomad comes in Small, medium and large sizes, it’s worth taking a demo out as the sizes overlap the old
8.0 and 8.5. The new design has improved an already great boat.
Gary Peverill, AS Ambassador
Director of Inspiring Adventure
Don't catch Pokemon, catch waves. Catch them all!
Safe, solid and great for carry gear. Gary's perfect coaching platform.
Big Nomad, Big volume, Big fun.
Fully functioning Contour Ergo outfitting with lots of in cockpit adjustment for tweaking on the fly.
The Nomad is still very agile.
