Product Reviews > Kayaks > Dagger > Edisto

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09-07-2011
Submitted by: JoePaddler - Rating: 9 of 10
     Just bought this boat, but for a 15 year old boat, appears to be made fairly well. Low slung and comfortable. Seat is classic Dagger (hard). May want to invest in cushier seat. No bulkheads, so not real sure how to pack this if I go camping in it. Will let you know more when I finally take out on water...

10-10-2006
Submitted by: MrRv - Rating: 9 of 10
     First I would have given this boat a 10 had it not been for the older outfitting, To be more precise the seat is hard and the back rest is too low,and non ajustable. Other than that this is a great boat, stable and quick enough for me. I bought this boat used. the only way to get one now that Dagger has discontiuned the Edsito. The rudder is a must for a longer boat like this. Most of my use is touring inland lakes and slower rivers. The Edsito does this with grace. Lots of storage is a good thing for a touring boat and this one has plenty. This is my second boat, but I'll probably use it more than the 12 ft Pamlico.

05-24-2004
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 9 of 10
     This boat has been everthing I can ask for out of a boat except having racing hull speed. I have paddled multiday trips on the Gulf in this boat(which I don't recomend unless you have added bulkheads), paddled a 95mile trip on a flatwater river, raced in state games(and won gold), fished, camped, workouts, etc. This boat has easy entry due to its spacious cockpit. Has plenty of room for gear if you want to camp. Has good speed. I cruise at 4mph to 4.5mph and that's GPS certified. I paddle with guys who have long fast cruisers up to 19ft. and I can give them a workout in it. I am a large, 6'1" and was 245lbs but now 210lbs, strong paddler and use the largest blade made by Werner for high style paddling. This boat is comfortable to sit in all day, and has a great seat. This boat is like a cork in 2-3fts swells but it won't sink if you have a good skirt, and don't have to worry about it turning over because of its stability. I have experienced 25knot winds in it and it handles it fine with strong paddling. I can't believe they don't manufacture this boat anymore, because it is ability to handle lots of situations. If you can buy a used one in fair shape that HAS a rudder buy it. I am in the market now for a high-end boat but I will NEVER sell this boat. By the way...If you don't have a good paddle...Go get one because the right paddle can make a difference.

12-01-2003
Submitted by: plasma - Rating: 8 of 10
     Love my edisto and have been paddleing it for 5 years. I did replace the 8" hatch with a 10" for better access on camping trips. Do not recommend it for Class III or above. Would recomend a rudder.

09-26-2000
Submitted by: kh229 - Rating: 9 of 10
     The Edisto is my first kayak. I have used several different kayaks and finally purchased this one. I like the size of the hatch. I am able to store all of gear and still have plenty of room left. It's a fast boat with little effort. I agree that tracking is a bit difficult. I will install a rudder. My first trip was about 20 miles and I had no problems. The Edisto is plenty stable and very comfortable. I do love my new kayak.

06-18-2000
Submitted by: Amy - Rating: 9 of 10
     This boat has done everything I've asked it to. I'm a beginner paddler, small framed and used to packing for backpacking trips. This boat fits well (with the addition of thigh braces and a seat cover, I don't have the expedition verstion) and rolls without problem. I've added the rudder, which I find invaluable since most of my paddling is done on Lake Superior. For all the same reasons previously mentioned, the Edisto was the boat for me.

I don't mind it's slower speed, but I do like it's ability to handle gentle whitewater and rivers. I'm looking into getting a canoe eventually, but for now, I like being able to fish from the Edisto and use it for a bunch of different activities. I love kayaking the more I do it, but I don't see myself going on major sea expeditions. But if I wanted to do that, I'd probably need to find a new boat.

I am looking at getting another boat for my boyfriend and I think I'd like to go with this one (may need to find it used or get it's newer version, the Savannah) or perhaps a Perception. But with the few additions that I mentioned (rudder, thigh braces, additional deck rigging), I think I made a really good purchase. (first time kayak, bought from Rutabaga in WI).

05-01-2000
Submitted by: Dan H. - Rating: 8 of 10
     I bought the Ediso as an all-round boat, but mainly for Michigan's inland lakes and rivers, with the understanding that I'd get a sea kayak for the Great Lakes. It's done everything I asked it to, once I got it set up. For starters, I added the Dagger LA (Less Aggressive) WW thighbraces, which made bracing and rolling much easier. The boat even edges better (not its strong suit, though). I also added full static deck lines, additional deck shock cords for paddle-float rescue and spare paddle rigging, a deck compass, and a gel-flo seat. Over the winter I parked it in the basement, cut out the screw-in fore hatch with its useless day bag, and screwed & glued in a VCP 7.5" rubber hatch. I then installed a 3" minicell foam bulkhead just forward of the footbrace rails. Now I have a 14' 6" sea kayak that rolls, tracks okay, runs Class II rivers, yet is stable enough to loan to my friends, and rescues much easier with its increased forward flotation. Note that Dagger has discontinued the Edisto and replaced it with the Savannah which has (surprise!) a forward bulkhead and round rubber hatch. Mine's got a finer bow and better flatwater speed, however. Even though I later bought & sold a used Chinook, and now have a Valley Avocet (love it!), I'm keeping the Edisto for the same reason I bought it.

03-20-2000
Submitted by: Mike Chatterton - Rating: 7 of 10
     As the first kayak I have owned I think it was a good choice due to its versatility. After a year of ocean paddling with my three friends, two of which have perception chinooks and one with a perception sea lion, I find the absence of thigh braces to be my biggest complaint. In swelling surf and chop you have to jam your legs to the side to maintain contact and control of your boat. On the up side, I have found that it is much faster than a dedicated sea kayak and can explore inland waterways much further due to my overall length being only 14'6'.

06-21-1999
Submitted by: Steve Mann - Rating: 7 of 10
     Everything said by the previous folks is true. I would highly recommend adding a rudder. I bought mine without, and at my skill level I found myself wandering easier than I thought I would. I'm sure a better paddler will find it's tracking adequate. Otherwise, it's a decent all around kayak.

04-07-1999
Submitted by: SWJ - Rating: 7 of 10
     The Edisto is a great Swiss Army knife sort of kayak, much like the previous review said. It does a LOT of different things. The problem with that, of course, is that it doesn't do any of them spectacularly. I use mine on area lakes (big Corps of Engineers impoundments and little lakes), big lazy rivers (White River in AR), and even some smaller rivers and creeks. It will handle up to Class II water, but nothing very tight, as it's too long for that. I've taken mine down the Buffalo National River and it did just fine, especially in the lower flat parts. It's plenty stable to photograph, bird, or fish out of. I use mine to flyfish local lakes, and it's a great fishing platform. Secondary stability is OK, but nothing like a dedicated sea kayak. Easier to roll than I thought it would be. Tracking is adequate (flat bottom doesn't help), especially at slower speeds. Turning is excellent for a touring boat. However, it doesn't lean turn very well. It still takes some big sweeps to get it turned or to correct when it wanders off course. Leaning helps turning, but not much. I would definitely recommend the rudder for tracking and turning, though it can be paddled without it. Speed is good for such a short, wide boat, and it can keep up with longer, narrower boats. A paddling friend has a new Perception Shadow, and I could keep up with her at a casual touring pace with no extra effort. Even though it sounds like I'm trashing the boat, I really like mine. It's very stable (great for a beginner, or for fishing, etc.), maneuverable, pretty fast, and it holds plenty of gear for a weekend trip if you pack well, longer if you use backpacking camp gear. I'll add a bigger touring boat next fall probably, but I'll keep the Edisto for fishing and for rivers.

02-18-1999
Submitted by: Richard Walker - Rating: 7 of 10
     The Edisto is a decked kayak, plastic hull, with a fairly large cockpit. It has a very canoe-like, flat bottom, which makes handling in rivers and extremely shallow water relatively easy. On the other hand it does not lean turn at all. It does roll easy enough, surf well enough, and is stable enough to throw a cast net from. The large cockpit makes re-entry from deep water quite easy. It is not a very fast boat, but is faster than most sit on tops which are optimized for diving and fishing. If you want to fly fish on a narrow, fast flowing river from the same boat that you do a 10 mile open+rough water crossing in; then the Edisto may be your answer. If you want to do a lot of *different* kayak tricks, I'd strongly recommend the Edisto. For someone with a more specific role in mind, you might want to look elsewhere. For my log of various solo kayaking day-trips: http://www.neosoft.com/~rww/kayak_log.html

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