The Large would be my choice if I were looking to run Class V with it at my size or spending LONG days on the water (think Grand Canyon), while the Medium would be my go to for most Class III & IV runs. The Large, which didn’t feel ridiculously larger (like the Axiom 9.0 vs 8.5 did), and felt more forgiving. I fit comfortably without having to move the seat back from center. For the record, I’m 6’2 / 200 lbs / size 12 shoe, and felt that I was in the upper end of the weight range of the Medium, which was perfect for the playful feeling I was looking for. I’ve had the opportunity to paddle both the production version of the Medium and the “final” prototype of the Large. Initial and secondary stability seem to be spot on, stable without feeling like a barge and easy to roll. The tapered edge profile starts at the bow, gets strongest right under the seat, then fades away at the very end of the stern, giving it a responsive feel without feeling “grabby” like the Ripper. While the Rewind may not surf quite as well as the Axiom did on fast flat waves, it does surf short steeper features better by keeping the bow from pearling (something the Axiom really struggled to do). The stern has just enough volume and length to make it feel like a true river runner, but easy enough to bury in a squirt or pivot turn when you want to. Boofing the Rewind was super easy with the high-rise bow that quickly clears the drop quickly and helps it to rise fast on rock-assist boofs. The sleek design is also fast and responsive (maybe not Ripper fast, but not far off either), while still feeling “forgiving enough”. The first comment I made after paddling the boat was how it felt like miniature Phantom), making it ride up and over larger hydraulic features with ease. The Rewind borrows its hull rocker profile from the ultra-popular Phantom (and it shows. CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE DAGGER REWINDĭagger (and designer Snowy Robertson) seemingly took their time with this design, looking at how to make a boat that would perform and play well in almost any condition. The Braaap also doesn’t really surf worth a darn with its lack of edges. But it was a little too playful at times with its displacement hull and super low volume tail. This left me preferring the Party Braaap overall thanks to the ample rocker and its playful stern. On the opposite end, the Ripper never felt playful enough and is certainly not a very forgiving design (it sure is fast though and a very fun down-river design). The Antix is fun, but always had too much of a playboat type feel than the fast and sleek feelings of the Ripper and Braaap. While I’ve paddled the Antix, Ripper and Braaap fairly extensively and enjoy all of them, none of them really fit exactly what I was looking for. Dagger took the hint of the burgeoning popularity of such models and decided to up the ante with Rewind. While the Axiom was ahead of its time in regards to the “retro revolution” of slicey-stern downriver play boats, it lacked the rocker and all-around usability that many of the new boats like the Jackson Antix, Pyranha Ripper or LiquidLogic Party Braaap offer up. Taking place of the ultra-popular Axiom, the new Dagger Rewind is a familiar, yet different breed of animal. Dagger may have just hit the proverbial nail on the head with the new Rewind.
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