Boat of the Week - Dagger Atom

[Sir Adam]

That will depend on how you want it to paddle...

At 160 (ish) or under it is challenging to get the stern under for a pivot unless you are very skilled, or crush the stern a bit. Still a nice cruising boat, except when the stern edge trips you up (I had a nice long swing in the Alley on the Kennebec when I was a new C1er in the mid to late 90's).

I think (and I'm sure others will disagree;) ) that 180+- is probably ideal for the boat. 200 is probably OK. 220 or 240+ it may be not quite as fun. Hopefully someone other than me (150 when I paddled mine more) will chime in.

[Kelly-Rand]

I would say that 170 to 200 lbs is the sweet spot for this boat. I think if you are tall you have more leverage to make those stern pivots at a lighter weight. I have to say that when I started paddling the Atom I was in the upper 160's in weight but I'm 6'4 in height and did swim alot. When I started biking and my weight increased to 180 the boat became more controllable and more fun. I had less uncontrolled experiences in holes. The Atom is about the easiest to roll of any boat I've paddled. I still don't make rolls at the end of the day, but age and reduced days on the river are a contributing factor.

[billhay4]

I had one of these for a while. Very squirrely, but if you could keep it upright, it was fun to paddle. And when if flipped, it flipped fast.
Not my favorite c-boat.
Bill

[johnd]

I've always wanted to get an Atom, it looks like it would be fun for citizens slalom racing. I'm a bit heavy for it but my weight is almost down to the point where I could sort of paddle it. It was fun to read this thread. Maybe some day I'll get one.

[Bruce Farrenkopf]

Hello JohnD,
The Atom is a good boat for Class 3&4 sections. It paddles a little like a low volume slalom boat. It will teach you something about your boating, because it demands more of you. After selling my first Atom , I picked another up recently. They may be hard to get, so don't wait to long.
SYOTRiver,
Bruce