Looking at Dagger's new Nomad
models in person I was surprised at how aggressive they look. I'm
curious if they will have the same magic the old Nomad had. That magic
is low performance. The Nomad is slow. It can be tough to move around
in big water. It's incredibly stable, and incredibly predictable. It's
the kayak of no surprises, and that's what has made it so popular for
the last dozen years. To my eye it looks like the team got what they
wanted; a fast, high performance kayak. It looks modern and aggressive.
Big bow rocker and less stern rocker with a long stern make it look
more like a speed machine. Not really what the public were asking for,
as all I heard was requests for a larger low performance machine. Maybe
it's just the visuals. Only time if the new Nomad receives the
following the original Nomad still has.
This weekend I had the opportunity to paddle the new Ace of Spades on
the Feather River in California. This boat is too big for me, but all I
could think of while paddling it is "this is a big Nomad". Stable,
predictable, low performance but no surprises. I'm still not sure if
they'll import to the USA. The outfitting is a mixed bag. Thigh hooks -
there are none better out there. The bulkhead fits you or it doesn't,
and for me it didn't fit. The back band and seat were very meh.
Hopefully they'll refine the outfitting and import next year, I think
this could prove to be a very popular kayak, sizing between the new
Nomad M and L.
The real Nomad 9.0? Time will tell.
