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You’re a seasoned paddler who’d love to take a partner out for a tour through the Topock Gorge, around the lake, or on a coastal exploration. Choose the Old Town Dirigo Tandem Plus Kayak as your paddling-steed of choice. Old Town’s StabilForm hull mixes initial stability design (the flatter section under the paddler) and secondary stability (the shape of the sides that uses the boat’s resistance to aid in quick turns). This way you won’t feel like you’re about to tip over, and it also won’t take you half a mile to turn 45 degrees. The backrests on the seats adjust up, down, forward, and back, and shape-molded EVA foam supports your butt and back all day long. Stash your sunscreen and snacks in the bow or stern hatches.
This tandem has lots of nice features that make it very enjoyable to paddle such as cupholders, paddle bungees, mini drywell in the cockpit.
It is relatively easy to paddle as far as recreational kayak is concerned. I wouldn't take it on very rough water, but if you are paddling across the wind, the rudder option would be a nice addition. I have found this to be a very stable kayak, particularly in the primary. As a recreational boat, I don't ever get it fully into secondary, and I couldn't imagine flipping it on accident in calm water.
It is a very wide boat, so this might cause problems for low-angle paddlers. The seats are comfortable, the rear drywell is very easy to open/close from the cockpit.
Some deck rigging would be nice for the stern paddler, but with such a large cockpit, there just isn't room.
The boat is much more responsive when paddling solo, primarily because of the reduced weight.
Yes. If you look at the picture of the rear cockpit, the child seat is the black box in front of the seat. It is just a slightly contoured plastic box for a child to sit on (legs forward). It is removable by two thumb screws near the cup holder on the dash. (seen as black dots in the picture) I don't have kids, nor do i ever plan to take kids in my boat, but I haven't decided if I am going to remove the child seat or not. It only takes about 30 seconds to remove. It hasn't gotten in my way yet, and it adds a bit of rigidity to the hull when transporting although i'm not sure how much it adds.
My wife and I bought an Old Town Dirigo tandem kayak two years ago. We used it three times. Each time it felt a little tipsy. While primary stability (getting in and out) was not bad, secondary stability (once you get going) presented a problem for us. Several times we felt as if it would tip over, but it never did. However, the sensation of tipping over was enough to make us return the craft. The craft had great features (large storage compartment, cup holders, small storage compartment, and paddle retaining bungie cords.) We loved the way the craft looked. Too bad it didn't work out.
Could someone recommend a garage storage rack for this boat? I am looking at various hoist or J hook style racks, but I am concerned about deforming the hull while it is in storage.
Write your answer here...Todd, I have seen several "sling" type designs that use the dual pulley system. The best one that I saw used the foam "plumbers" pipe insulation on a piece of 2 inch wide strap that was attached to the ropes that go through the pulleys. The foam and the straps cradled the bottom of the kayak, preventing any damage.
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