Old Town Dirigo Kayak: Equipment, Packages, Gear

Old Town Canoe Company Dirigo 106 Kayak.

What a great fun kayak! The Dirigo 106 was a great hit in 2005 when it was introduced, paddler magazine pick of the year! Super stable, Turns on a dime, tracks great! This boat employs the StabilForm Hull shape that Old Town has designed. If we may explain Stabilform hull shape, we are looking at the midsection or beam, there are two balance points in a paddling craft. One is the initial stability, which makes the boat feel generally stable. This is the flatter part through the bottom under the paddler. (The secondary stablity is when the boat is leaned with hips for aid in turning or maneuvers. These are lean turns, using the side of the boat's resistance to aid in turning or maneuvers. The StabilForm hull has tightened the distance between these two balance features of a boat so there is not a loosness when the boat is leaned in to the secondary stability point. This results in a better balance and easier stability.) These Dirigos have tons of initial stability, so lean style turning is not typically used, rather the paddle push method. These feel very stable. The result, a great boat for the beginner to learn on, yet enjoy the comfort and ease of use for years. Old Town has a fantastic engineering staff put together as well as experience and resources unparalelled, now making every angle and square inch of surface of the boat important. This is the engineering care used with all the new Old Town canoe and kayak designs. The Dirigo is a recent, award winning series of kayaks in the Old Town kayak fleet, employing the absolute latest available in design technology. Great lines, great control, easy to paddle, great results!

For ultimate paddler comfort, the seating is optimum with the comfortably padded Extrasport Seat System. Adjustments include back height and back angle, making a comfortable ride for the paddler. The Cayugas are loaded up for the top of the line feel and looks, including full front and rear deck rigging to tie down your dry bags and hook carabiners to the boat with gear attached, dual twist lock rear hatch cover, back bulkhead or interior panel in the boat to seperate the rear compartment from the water prone cockpit areas with paddle splash, assisting in keeping gear dry. (dry bags always recommended) Ask about spray skirts to skirt it up and keep you dry and warm.

With the extra control feature of the side pads, yet still an open feel with the knees, this kayak is best for recreational use, a "general paddling for fun" style of kayaking typically found on small lakes and ponds, easy rivers, many of your canoe float trip activities. It is a very stable kayak with room for gear for float trips. We recommend a good weight ratio for paddlers to be 70 percent of the factory rating, as a comfortable range. That is an ORC opinion as an estimate. It also leaves weight capacity for gear, and that additional gear weight is loaded low in the boat. These weight parameters improve stability and can vary a bit. (We recommend 12 pack soft side coolers for your beverages. Think back pack style gear for overnight trips including smaller things, and line the inside areas of your boat with dry bags before loading.)

 

• Extrasport Seats, some of the best in the industry, for your comfort
• Compartment in the front of the cockpit with a rubber o ring, that seals out moisture for keys, wallet, cell phone type storage items
• Control Cockpit with 5 point control including two side pads for the paddler that wants to keep knees open, yet brace if they want
  
• Adjustable foot braces for additional control and comfort settings
• StabliForm Hull, a stable design with greater width for easy balance.
• Carrying handles on each end for easy two person portaging.
• Buckle Down Hatches and full Deck rigging for a well dressed out, fully loaded kayak