Dragorossi, the new Italian kayak company, says it wants to bring something new to each and everything that they do. With the new Fish they wanted to offer the customer what they already expected in a rodeo kayak and at the same time create a design that would encourage paddlers to grow beyond their current ability. Dragorossi says the Fish is no more designed for experts than it is for beginners; in the hands of a paddler who has an open mind and is willing to explore and reach for bigger and greater things, the Fish is a dream come true.
Dragorossi designer Corran Addison was right when he said that he has designed a boat that makes you re-learn how to paddle. The Dragorossi Fish is like no other boat in the lineup and it scared the skirts off half our test paddlers, paddlers who score well in local rodeos. Persuading paddlers that Dragorossi’s new thigh-hook outfitting holds them in place is easy; convincing them it’s safe is going to take a larger campaign.
It takes a special kind of nut to enjoy this boat, and luckily we had a few of them with us. As promised, the Fish is a fast, hard carving wave boat. It’s a boat we’d like to play with in the ocean. Trouble is, no one—not even the nutbars in the group—considered him or herself good enough to really paddle it. They could rip up the face of the wave okay, but aerials and even spinning in this boat are altogether different—there is a different sweet spot. They wanted more time to get the knack of it.
PROS: Fast and razor sharp carves. Different.
CONS: Sketchy outfitting. Steep learning curve.
SPECS: length 6’6” | width 25” | volume 56 US gal weight 30 lbs | price $1699 Cdn/ $1400 US
This article first appeared in the Summer 2005 issue of Rapid Magazine. For more great boat reviews, subscribe to Rapid’s print and digital editions here.
