Bel Haven Paddlesports  Bel Haven Lake 

1953 - 2008 CELEBRATING 55 YEARS OF SERVICE!

 

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Dagger Kayaks

Recreational, Touring and Whitewater

We come from all walks of life.. We come from all four corners of the globe… We are traveling nomads that live to paddle and paddle to live… We are Dagger.  With names like Tao Berman,  Brad Ludden, Andre Spino-Smith, and Ben Selznick, Dagger's reputation stands alone.

For those of you that have not heard, Dagger is made up of the world’s most dedicated paddlers whose love for adrenaline and pursuit of excellence has propelled them and their designs to the forefront of the paddling world.  We love what we do because its all about the Water!

 

Dagger Kayaks Recreational Kayak Page

I f you were content on settle for a lesser kayak, then you wouldn't be reading this. We put the same exhaustive research and development into our Recreational Kayaks that we put in our Whitewater and Touring ones. In fact, most of our Recreational designs draw on those other boats for inspiration. It's theories and elements that have been proven over time in conditions far more difficult than most of us ever paddle that we draw upon to make boats like these as fun and easy-going as they are. Let that reassure you, but don't dwell on it. We certainly don't: Dagger Recreational boats are meant for fun first and everything else whenever. It's just that our idea of fun is spending as much time on the water as possible-and we won't settle for a boat that doesn't perform. If that makes even the slightest bit of sense to you, then you belong in a Dagger Recreational Kayak. Dagger Recreational kayaks like the Element 10.0, Element 11.2, Blackwater 10.5, Blackwater 12.0, Zydeco 9.0 and the Approach 10.0 can be test paddled at Bel Haven Paddlesports, were every day is a DEMO DAY!

 

Dagger Kayaks Touring Kayak Page

You can read all the catalogs and specs you can get your eyes around, memorize those "Which boat should I Buy" charts you find on the web, and do all the ciphering and sciencin' you can stand for as long as you like. And it's clear... Touring kayakers are some of the most ciphering and sciencin' folks around. But at some point the reality of you, the kayak, and the water have to enter the picture.

We of course do our best to provide all the measurements and numbers and descriptions and feature charts and component breakdowns and all that stuff between the information that makes the difference. How can you possibly bind the kayaking experience with the numbers? Try to wrap a spec around "How it paddles" or "How it makes me feel." Or "Today I was surfing a wave next to a pod of bottlenose dolphins." Those are the things that drive Dagger designers to build kayaks like this. It's just that information can't define them. Dagger Touring Kayaks like the Catalyst 12.8, Catalyst 13.0, Specter 14.0, Specter 15.0 and Euro X 16.8 can  be test paddled at Bel Haven Paddlesports, were every day is a DEMO DAY!

 

Dagger Kayaks Whitewater Kayak Page

It isn't about the umpteen prototype version that go into each design. It isn't about CNC mills and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. It isn't about the top designers in the industry, and it isn't about all the awards, championships, and accolades we've won in all our years of building kayaks.

It's about checking river levels every afternoon from your computer at work. It's about that grin you barely conceal when everyone else is complaining about another rainy weekend on the way. It's about stinky booties that never seem to get dry. It's about frying eggs at the put in parking lot. It's about that little spot behind your bumper where you stash your keys. It's about untying your kayak, carrying it to the water's edge, and setting on nice sloped rock you always try to get to before your buddy does. It's about splashing cold water in your face, pushing off and stroking towards the first drop of that same familiar river you've never paddled before. Dagger Whitewater Kayaks like the Dynamo 7.4, Kingpin 6.1, Kingpin 6.2, Kingpin 6.3, Mamba 7.5, Mamba 8.0, Mamba 8.5, Nomad 8.1, Nomad 8.5, Agent 6.2, Agent 6.4, Agent 6.0, RX 6.7 and RX 6.9 can  be test paddled at Bel Haven Paddlesports, were every day is a DEMO DAY!

Dagger Kayaks History

Toward the end of the 80’s, Joe Pulliam and three paddling buddies decided to pool their considerable experience in the fledgling paddlesports industry and create their own boat company. After a tiresome search for the perfect location, they finally settled on Roane County, TN. The deciding factors were close proximity to a variety of quality paddling and cheap rent – but not necessarily in that order.

Thus, in 1988, Dagger Canoe Co. was introduced to the world. In those days, Joe was as likely to be delivering a trailer-load of boats to Minnesota as he was to be in the plant shaping a plug. He and the other three owners quickly realized the tragic irony of this industry – when you’re spending all your time designing, manufacturing, selling, and delivering boats, there’s not much time for paddling them. They made do. But mostly they made boats.

Since then we’ve moved to a new facility in South Carolina, and grown a bit . These days, our shipping warehouse alone is large enough to hold our entire Tennessee facility. When we started, there wasn’t even a separate area for R&D. Now, we have a state-of-the art R&D facility with more space and better equipment than some manufacturers’ entire plants.

But though we’ve grown bigger and changed locations, our commitment to the sport, to innovation, and to you the paddler remains as strong as it was in our dirt-floor days. At heart, we’re still just a bunch of paddling buddies. Except now, there are enough of us sharing the load that we all get to paddle quite a bit. It’s pretty cool, really.

 

Dagger Kayaks

 

 

 

          

 BEL HAVEN PADDLESPORTS

Full Service Paddling Center

1227 Route 542 Green Bank, NJ  08215

1-800-445-0953

rentals@belhavenpaddlesports.com

sales@belhavenpaddlesports.com

Shop Hours:  Tuesday - Sunday   9:00am - 5:00pm Extended Hours For Sales & Service Thursday Evenings Till 7:00 pm!  Closed Monday

Perception, Native Watercraft, Wilderness Systems, Dagger, CROCS, Necky Kayaks, Ocean Kayaks, Jackson Kayak, Current Designs , Heritage