9R II vs. Phantom
Last week I rented from CKS both the Pyranha 9RII Medium and the Dagger Phantom at the same time. My friend Ryan and I paddled two quick laps on the Numbers when it was flowing about 700 cfs. Switching boats on the back to back laps was a great way to really feel the difference between these two very different sub-nine foot race boats, although, I had played hard on lap one and so I was feeling a bit tired and pressed for time on lap two.
I know that these kayaks are not “brand new” and that these kinds of reviews are out there, but I want to add my perspective to the conversation. I am a life-long whitewater kayaker, ACA instructor, and big fan of the “fast is fun” style of creeking and downriver kayaking. I have been paddling a 9R for many years and rarely get back in my shorter, regular creekboat. Coming from the original 9R, I was really excited to try the 9R II and I think Dagger is making excellent designs too so I was stoked to finally try the Phantom as well. Full disclosure, I am not a large guy and at 145 lbs before gear, a lanky 5’9”, I come in at the very bottom of the weight range for both.
Here are the quick boat stats:
Phantom:
9R II
Phantom
Length: 8' 11" / 271 cm
Width: 26.75" / 68 cm
Boat Weight: 49.5 lbs. / 23 kg
Deck Height: 14.5" / 37 cm
Cockpit Length: 34" / 86 cm
Cockpit Width: 19" / 48 cm
Volume: 89 gal / 337 L
Paddler Weight: 145 - 255 lbs. / 66 - 116 kg
9R II
Length: 272cm / 8' 11"
Width: 65cm / 25.5"
Weight: 22kg / 48lb
External Cockpit Length: 95cm / 37.5"
External Cockpit Width: 50cm / 19.5
Volume: 310l / 82gal(us)
Optimum Paddler Weight 65-100kg / 143-220lb
First Impressions:
Right off the bat, both boats were obviously very fast. Faster even than my original 9R. They were both very responsive, comfortable and fun, but also very different. Let me go into more detail in the order in which I paddled them.
9RII:
The first thing I noticed about the 9RII was how loose in the water it felt when just sitting in the eddy. Then the second thing I noticed was how amazingly fast it took off and got up to speed. I really didn’t have to try to get it going fast. I think this is the result of the progressive rocker, which allows to boat to take on a longer and flatter water line at speed as the bow comes up, and the more narrow planing hull profile when viewed from bow to stern. Heading downriver this boat felt very stable and predictable. One thing that I have struggled with in the original 9R is that the stern gets easily caught in the water once I have little bit of weight in it. With this boat, the increased volume is mostly in the stern and they gave it a raised peak to help shed water. I didn’t have much weight back there this day, but I could already tell that it was feeling much more solid behind me.
Up in the front, there is a lot of boat out of the water and the nose stayed high and dry. When engaging a water or rock boof, the boat felt like it wanted to come out of the water. With just a little bit of extra pop through my body and paddle, I could get the boat the really hop over whatever boof I was going for.
What I didn’t immediately like were the much softer edges, and I noticed the difference on the first eddy I pulled into. That was a feature I have always very much liked in the original 9R; the edges make it super responsive coming into and out of eddies as well as making it an excellent big water performer. The 9RII felt much squishier and less crisp even when ferrying. On the other hand, this will translate to a more “steep creeker” feel when the line really does go over the rocks and I bet it will translate to a more forgiving and easier to manage ride for the average paddler. To the boat’s credit, it does keep some of the harder edges along the flatter part of the rocker heading towards the stern, so at least you have some rails when you’re at speed.
As far as fit, I felt like the perfect size for the boat. The cockpit felt quite large with most of the extra opening behind the seat. No complaints there as the stern access is ample, but it will make for a harder skirt fit on those really cold mornings. Also the deck hight felt quite high and my skirt was making my PFD ride up a little. This is not a huge deal for me as I typically put in a shim to raise the seat anyway.
Phantom:
The first things I felt when I got in the Phantom was how comfortable it was. I love the Dagger outfitting and the deck hight was spot on for me. The next thing I thought was that it felt like an absolute tank, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The additional 7 gallons of volume over the boat I had just been in was very apparent. The Phantom is of course also a very fast boat, but it didn’t leap off the starting line like the 9RII did, I felt like I had to work it up to speed somewhat. Heading downstream I tried to make the same moves and eddies I had just made on lap one. What I really liked where the edges. Right off the bat the eddy turns were sharp and quick. Then it ferried like a champ, the edges holding the line right where I wanted it to.
Continuing downstream, the Phantom did everything I wanted it to and also felt pretty stable. It wasn’t as predictable as I would have hoped, but I think this was a result of me just not bringing enough weight to the boat. This is a very important part: while the lower optimum paddler weight range is listed as being fairly similar on both boats (and admittedly I am at that limit), the Phantom felt WAY bigger. I was feeling way too light for it. This, coupled with the continuous rocker profile, really made the boat ride waves like a cork and I kept having the bow shoot skyward, and sometime veer off to the left or right unpredictably. If I wasn’t absolutely driving the boat, I felt like I was going for a ride. With a little bit more paddler weight, I could tell that the Phantom would be unstoppable. For both demoes, the seats were positioned neutrally in the middle.
Speaking of the continuous rocker, I think it makes for a slightly more versatile boat. With the stern transitioning up and away from the boat’s lowest center of gravity point, basically right under the seat, I expect that it will perform better in a steeper and rockier environment than will the 9RII. The more rockered stern will certainly help to avoid the dreaded stern tap when leaving a lip.
The Final Analysis:
Going into this experiment, I was actually expecting to like the Phantom better. Don’t take me wrong, it is a fantastic and well designed boat and it will be perfect for a lot of people, but this is a perfect example of how studying tech specs will only get you so far… you need to just get out there and demo kayaks. Even if you’re not interested in purchasing a new boat, try as many different ones as you can. In the end, for me, I’m going with the 9RII. Basically the only thing I didn’t like were the softer edges, but the whole package performed and fit so well that for me it made up for that one aspect. I really appreciated the quick acceleration and overall responsiveness of the 9RII. If I was another 30 or 50 lbs heavier, it would be a much harder decision between these two kayaks.
I hope this review has helped. I have read a lot of creek boat reviews lately where the author basically starts off with something akin to “I’m your average 180 lbs paddler…” and then goes on to write a very reasonable review from his perspective. So, if like me you’re on the lighter side, I hope you have found this insightful. For the most part, I don’t think anyone is making a ‘bad’ kayak these days. In fact, most boats within a category have become amazingly similar with only minor performance differences. Given that, what is the right boat for you is mostly going to come down to fit, both comfort and overall size. If you’re not fitting well and not comfortable in your equipment, then you’re going to be struggling with it and you’re not going to perform as well as you would like. So do research!
Alan Cammack
08/01/2020