Boat Review: Dagger Mamba

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Dagger’s Mamba series of kayaks have generally been classified as river runners. Although I spent some time in the Mamba when I was learning to paddle I always felt “river runners” were a compromise, or half of two boats. There were lots of play boats and full on creek boats at my disposal in our rental fleet at work so for the most part the Mamba wasn’t really high on my list of boats to bring home for the weekend.

Towards the end of last year I started getting the urge to paddle some new boats. For a couple months I don’t think I paddled the same boat twice. Working at a paddling shop does have its benefits. After switching back and forth between Wavesport’s Habitat and Diesel and Dagger’s Mamba and Nomad I really started to enjoy paddling the Mamba more and more. It even became my favorite boat for a while. While I’m sure part of my attraction to the boat was simply that it was different, there were certainly some performance aspects I really liked.

If I could only use one word to describe the Mamba I think it would have to be stable. Compared to the other 3 boats I was using for creeking and river running the Mamba stood out as the most stable. The stability comes from the large flat hull with less rocker than the other boats. This large flat foot print makes a very stable platform for river running and creeking. The boat does have a fairly pronounced chine or edge to it. While this is great for holding ferry angles, and snapping in and out of eddies really quickly, it also made the boat slightly more edgy than the Nomad I was used to paddling. The Mamba is also quite a fast boat, the speed also comes from the long water line with mild rocker.

Dan Bentley on Silver Hope Creek in a Mamba 8.0

One place I really enjoyed this boat was on a big water run we did on Clendinning Creek at the end of last year. Dagger’s website shows the Mamba 8.0 as being 6 gallons smaller than the Nomad 8.1 I was usually paddling. After selling kayaks now for 5 years I’ve learned to take manufacturers specs with a grain of salt. The Mamba seemed to have as much room for gear if not more than the Nomad. The first morning we put on it was obvious right away that the creek was really high, it looked nothing like any of the pictures or videos we had seen earlier. I really came to appreciate the Mamba’s very predictable feel even while loaded down with 3 days gear in a gushing creek in the middle of nowhere. The flat hull and edges made making the huge ferries and “must make” moves above the portages precise and lowered my already peaked out stress level.

Me reemerging from a hole on the Clendinning. The Mamba 8.0 handled the over night gear and big water very predictably. When you really lean forward the aggressive front edges really bite and track well though weird water.

Dagger came out last year with a creek version of the Mamba in all 3 sizes. The only difference is some beefier outfitting and a step out pillar for vertical pins. The seat was also upgraded to the Nomad style seat which appears to be a little more beefy. The beefier outfitting does tack on a couple extra pounds but I feel it’s worth it for the extra safety, and so do all the people I’ve sold Mambas to in the last year. Hopefully this “creeker” name will keep people from overlooking this boat like I did for so long.

While Dagger has come right out and called it a creeker now, there are still a few class 5 boaters I paddle with that worry about landing too flat off a large vertical drop. While a boat with a rounder hull and more rocker will dissipate the impact of flat landings better, I have seen paddlers in rounder boats hurt their backs on small to medium size drops landed too flat. No boat is going to completely protect you from a botched waterfall but I guess every bit helps.

Me running some boulder slalom on Clendinning Creek. Dagger Mamba 8.0

Cynthia McHale doing a little vertical in a Mamba 7.5 in Mexico with Esprit's Week of Rivers

If you have never paddled a Mamba I would recommend giving it a try next time you’re in the market for a new boat. Daggers cozy outfitting and three size options make it a boat that almost any paddler can get comfortable in. Whether you’re well on your way to creeking greatness, or just starting to dabble the Mamba is a boat that’s going to let you progress easily. It seems like play boaters making the transition into creeking find the flat hull and edges more like their play boats which can make getting used to bigger boats a little easier. Don’t just take my word for it, go try one for yourself.

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