If you were born in 1997, you’re eligible to get your driver’s license this year. You also just missed the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, the cloning of Dolly the sheep and The Spice Girls’ first album, Spice. Perhaps most importantly, you missed the 1996 release of the most successful whitewater boat of all time—the Dagger RPM.
Not to worry, 16-year-olds (and everyone else), history is repeating itself with the re-release of the boat Rapid magazine readers voted the Most Revolutionary Whitewater Boat of All Time.
Short for Radical Play Machine, the RPM changed the river running game. “Paddlers wanted a kayak that guaranteed them access to all the latest freestyle moves in more spots on the river,” explains Marc Lyle, the RPM’s original designer. “We were assigned with the mission of delivering this design with one additional aspect in mind—it had to be a boat that everyone could paddle. The result redefined playboating as we knew it.”
Within the first year of launch, Lyle went on to sweep the competitive freestyle circuit with six wins and four second-place finishes in the 10 comps he entered.
“Many people have been going back to the original RPM and running their local rivers,” says Dagger Product Manager, Scott Stewart. “There’s limited availability of the original RPM, so it’s the right time to allow those not lucky enough to already own one to experience this classic style of boat.”
Classic indeed. The RPM’s flat stern allows huge squirts. Its displacement hull also has an uncanny balance of stability and rollability. These forgiving characteristics are what make the boat so beginner-friendly.
Dagger left the old-school favorite’s hull alone, but it will be offered with updated outfitting. The snazzy thermomolded seat, a bulkhead footbrace system and adjustable hip pads and thigh braces way outperform any outfitting available back in the days when MTV actually played music.
The RPM is available for a limited time through retailers now. Just like in 1996, it comes in one eight-foot 11-inch, 60-gallon size. No word yet on the re-release of the bigger RPM Max.
Download a couple episodes of Friends and grab a case of Snapple iced tea for the full 1996 après-paddle experience. If you’re only 16, these references are probably lost on you. Fortunately, you can pick up your own shiny new RPM and stop wondering what it was like to paddle in the nineties.
This article appeared in Rapid, Summer/Fall 2013.
