Manufacturer’s Design Statement:
Performance touring kayaks don’t necessarily have to be high-priced composites. Plastic touring kayaks have gotten an undeserved rap for some time now. With the new EXL plastic to work with, we decided to see just how good a modern plastic touring kayak could be.
The Magellan hull form extends from the Meridian with “next-generation” ideas incorporated. We geared the Magellan for a little more extended touring. It’s slightly longer (6″) and a little stiffer than the Meridian, but still lively and easy to lean and carve a turn.
This boat has speed and efficient glide, but it is the bow-to-stern innovation that says this is a different kind of plastic kayak. The injection-molded deck fittings are recessed, and designed to make it easy for paddlers to customize the lacing patterns. The bow toggle doesn’t flop around annoyingly, but is ready when needed.
The Magellan bulkheads are welded to become one piece with the boat, and take up much less storage space than foam-type bulkheads. The bulkhead’s complex geometry adds rigidity to the hull while still being able to flex under severe stress and retain its water tightness.
The clear material of the bulkhead also lets light into the compartment, a welcome feature when unpacking and hunting for that elusive item you know is in there somewhere.
The seat lets you lock in when you need it, and thigh braces from Dagger’s whitewater boats can be added for the hard core. With EXL polyethylene construction for rigidity and durability to top things off, the Magellan makes a great package.
Reviews
VS 5’2″, 160-pound female. Day trip in wind to 10 knots, 1-foot chop.
DL 5’10”, 185-pound male. Pool session, day trips winds, to 15 miles per hour with gusts to 25. Waves to two feet. Gear loads from 25 to 85 pounds.
TW 6’1″, 180-pound male. Day trips in calm conditions.
“The appearance of the [Magellan] was excellent. The strength of the deck and hull was exceptional” wrote DL, noting that the hull and deck supported his weight with some flexing, but without buckling. The blended blue and red color drew a little flak: VS thought the color combination was too dark for visibility, and TW just thought it was “ugly.”
The Magellan has a feel of “overall sturdiness” (VS) and strength “to withstand rougher beaches” (TW). The Magellan balanced well for a solo carry, but at 59 3/4 pounds, all of our reviewers thought it heavy. For VS, it was at the “limit of being too heavy for me.”
The carrying toggles are set in from the ends, the stern one placed where it would be if a rudder were present. The toggles have a length of bungie cord that pulls the toggle tight against the deck when not in use. The deck fittings are “excellent” (DL), “great” (VS).
A safety grab line runs the perimeter of the deck. Bungie cords are located forward of the cockpit for charts and aft for paddle-float rescue. The lines and bungies are fixed with recessed deck fittings.
The large cockpit is “roomy and comfortable” (TW) and allows “very easy access and egress” (DL). DL’s spray deck “kept popping off while stretching to scull or roll.”
The rounded edge of the coaming and the slickness of the plastic makes the coaming more sensitive to the fit of the skirt than a fiberglass coaming. When using a neoprene spray deck, it is important to use a spray deck that is cut to fit the Magellan’s coaming shape. Sanding the sides of the coaming provided enough friction on the spray deck to keep it in place.
The seat is equipped with a fabric-covered pad. While it was a comfortable arrangement, it slid around when paddling or bracing.
It also remained wet after sponging it off, a problem if you are expecting to keep your backside dry (DL). The seat back “was comfortable and infinitely adjustable while paddling” (DL).
The back support can fall forward during a reentry but “it is not a problem to grab and put back in its place when necessary” (DL).
The underside of the deck is padded “for comfort and provided more thigh support than many off-the-shelf kayaks” (TW). Dagger also has thigh braces available as an option to provide an even more secure fit.
The foot braces are adjustable by means of a nylon strap. Because the foot braces do not lock in place, they are not as firm as they could be for a rudderless boat.
The pegs can also slide aft, occasionally requiring some fishing around before you can get your footing on them. DL thought the plates on the foot braces were small enough to cause some discomfort on the balls of his feet on a long stint of paddling.
The Magellan’s stern is molded to accommodate a rudder, though none was provided on the kayak we tested.
The Magellan has comfortable stability characteristics. “The boat felt secure to be in and was responsive to leaning” (DL).
“The responsiveness to turning the boat by leaning was directly related to how much I leaned it. Very maneuverable and a joy to turn in tight quarters” (DL). The Magellan is not stiff tracking, but because of its responsiveness to leaned turns, it is “not hard to keep the boat on course” (VS).
The Magellan has a slight tendency to weathercock (for VS only when going across or slightly off the wind), but this was easily corrected by edging the boat.
For VS, “the configuration of the deck and hatches shed water well.” DL found the hatch and deck lines could flip some water up into the paddler’s face in winds over 15 miles per hour.
The reviewers thought the Magellan had average speed. “It accelerated quickly and maintained a touring pace with ease” (TW). VS thought the spongy foot bracing and slippery seat made it difficult to apply her paddling power.
Only DL had surfable waves to test, but he was paddling with a load of gear aboard and wasn’t able to catch long rides. The Magellan has more than enough space for cruising gear for a week. The hatches are large enough to allow easy access to gear.
The neoprene lids were difficult for DL to put in place because of the slick, rounded hatch opening flange. The plastic hatch lids are tethered. DL reported the only leakage-a couple of gallons in the forward compartment during a pool session. The plastic bulkheads are welded in place and watertight.
When carrying a load of cruising gear the “loaded boat felt extremely stable, turning and steering was nearly as good as when unloaded, no problems experienced. Tracking was excellent with no weathercocking experienced” (DL).
DL thought the Magellan wasn’t up to heavy load carrying, but thought it made a “good day and short-trip boat.” VS liked its “stable and responsive feel” and felt it is a “very comfortable boat that should appeal to a wide range of paddlers.”
TW thought the Magellan was “fun to paddle and [it] nicely fills a niche in the market for a smaller, less expensive, maneuverable sea kayak.”
Designer Response
Thanks to your intrepid reviewers for getting out there and test paddling the Magellan over the cooler months. Their remarks were interesting, and I appreciate their noticing the performance and quality of the Magellan and its outfitting.
We put a lot of thought into the boat and it shows. I have spent quite some time in a Magellan and agree with the comments on its quick acceleration and the ease off maintaining a touring pace.
Most people will find that they do most of their paddling in day trips or weekend excursions and the boat suits that style perfectly. We’ve put the Magellan through its paces in fairly good conditions with a load similar to DL’s and found it to be more responsive than he seems to have. (This can easily be the case with two good paddlers with differing styles.)
Even with a load we could run out in front of a break on a long surf, though the Magellan takes a bit more coaxing than the Meridian or Apostle in this respect.
I don’t know which version of the seat pad you had, but we have a newer one that pops out for drying and none of us has noticed VS’s slippage problem. Different boaters are sensitive to different things, so we’ll take a look at our seat pad system. (You gotta admit it’s comfy though!)
Sorry about DL’s skirt popping. I’d have loaned him one of ours, since this is probably due to the skirt not matching the cockpit rim. The Magellan cockpit is molded off the same master that the Dagger whitewater boats use and we have excellent spray-skirt retention even in severe conditions.
I agree with the comment on the slightly spongy foot pedals, but they allow you to easily add a rudder to a stock boat if you desire one in the future. The rudder attachment point is molded in, not a possibly leaky “bolt on.”
The deck fittings we designed allow paddlers to re-string shock cord in several different patterns according to preference. As for the color of the reviewed boat, well, we can make them in plain old red or yellow for those who think brown pelicans are a bit gaudy.
Most people order the multicolored patterns and we receive a lot of requests for custom-molded touring kayaks in special colors. Are sea kayakers starting to let loose a bit?
Steve Scarborough
Options and Pricing Designed: 1996
Standard Layup: EXLª polyethylene
Standard Features: Bow and stern rubber hatch covers, deck lines, inside security loops for gear and flotation, seat with adjustable backrest, padded seat and backrest cover, recessed deck fittings, keyhole cockpit with built-in neoprene padded thigh braces, welded-in rigid plastic bulkheads, adjustable foot braces, carrying toggles, molded-in graphics.
Option: Retractable rudder
Approximate Weight: 60 pounds
Price: $1095
Availability: Worldwide dealer network
Manufacturer’s Address:
Dagger
Harriman, TN 37748