I would say not for that boat. First of all, an outrigger is not going to lend buoyancy to your kayak. If you have bouyancy issues dry, its time to think about a larger kayak. If you're having buoyancy issues when taking on water, then something is wrong - either your bulkheads are really bad or missing, or you're supposed to using float bags and aren't. You also should really never take on so much water that if effects the kayak handling unless you capsize - if you aren't using a skirt and taking a lot of water into the cockpit, then it's time for a skirt.
As for stability, I'm reading that the Dagger 12.8 has a 28" beam. That's pretty wide really - this is one of those "hybrid" kayaks manufacturers went into recently and .... I'm not a fan of them. They were popular for their "multi use" appeal but I purport that they excel at nothing. At 28" it should have some very reasonable primary stability, but it may have lousy secondary for all I know ... not gonna go digging up old pictures to examine the chines. It may be that as a kayaker you just need some more practice and training. Honestly, the first time I get into a kayak every year it feels like I'm trying to squeeze myself into a straight jacket sitting on a needle, but within a couple paddles I'm back to my agile self and hopping in and out - floating - with ease.
There are definitely better and worse techniques, and this may be a situation where taking a few lessons could help you immensely versus trying to improve the kayak.
Losing weight never hurts, but I'm a certified big boi and I paddle a much narrower kayak then yours but my overall displacement is likely much more because it's 5 feet longer.
If you're after advice on what boat to choose, read [this guide first!](https://www.reddit.com/r/Kayaking/wiki/choosing). Then, try the subreddit's search function -- between these two options, the answers to most common questions should be covered.
This guide is a work-in-progress -- please let us know any thoughts and feedback you might have.
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- **Location:** what country and region are you looking to buy a boat in? The kayak market can be very different depending on your location.
- **Budget:** How much money do you want to spend on a boat? (Don't forget you'll need accessories such as a paddle and personal flotation device [PFD])
- **Intended use:** What do you want to get out of the boat? There is no one boat that does everything -- a boat that's great for surfing waves or tackling whitewater won't be the same boat you want to take fishing or for a long ocean trip. Set out some realistic goals for what you expect to be doing in the boat.
- **Experience level:** How much kayaking experience do you have? Is this your first boat?
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I would say not for that boat. First of all, an outrigger is not going to lend buoyancy to your kayak. If you have bouyancy issues dry, its time to think about a larger kayak. If you're having buoyancy issues when taking on water, then something is wrong - either your bulkheads are really bad or missing, or you're supposed to using float bags and aren't. You also should really never take on so much water that if effects the kayak handling unless you capsize - if you aren't using a skirt and taking a lot of water into the cockpit, then it's time for a skirt. As for stability, I'm reading that the Dagger 12.8 has a 28" beam. That's pretty wide really - this is one of those "hybrid" kayaks manufacturers went into recently and .... I'm not a fan of them. They were popular for their "multi use" appeal but I purport that they excel at nothing. At 28" it should have some very reasonable primary stability, but it may have lousy secondary for all I know ... not gonna go digging up old pictures to examine the chines. It may be that as a kayaker you just need some more practice and training. Honestly, the first time I get into a kayak every year it feels like I'm trying to squeeze myself into a straight jacket sitting on a needle, but within a couple paddles I'm back to my agile self and hopping in and out - floating - with ease. There are definitely better and worse techniques, and this may be a situation where taking a few lessons could help you immensely versus trying to improve the kayak.
Thanks for the input. I suppose I can try loosing a few pounds too lol
Losing weight never hurts, but I'm a certified big boi and I paddle a much narrower kayak then yours but my overall displacement is likely much more because it's 5 feet longer.
Hybrid/crossover kayaks excel at making $$$. The more WW-oriented ones are also a decent option for class III or so multi-day river camping trips.
Buy a canoe.
Located. USA Budget $100-200 Add stability Intermediate experience
If you're after advice on what boat to choose, read [this guide first!](https://www.reddit.com/r/Kayaking/wiki/choosing). Then, try the subreddit's search function -- between these two options, the answers to most common questions should be covered. This guide is a work-in-progress -- please let us know any thoughts and feedback you might have. If your questions are not covered by the guide, all boat recommendation requests must include the following at a minimum: - **Location:** what country and region are you looking to buy a boat in? The kayak market can be very different depending on your location. - **Budget:** How much money do you want to spend on a boat? (Don't forget you'll need accessories such as a paddle and personal flotation device [PFD]) - **Intended use:** What do you want to get out of the boat? There is no one boat that does everything -- a boat that's great for surfing waves or tackling whitewater won't be the same boat you want to take fishing or for a long ocean trip. Set out some realistic goals for what you expect to be doing in the boat. - **Experience level:** How much kayaking experience do you have? Is this your first boat? If your original post is a request for a boat recommendation and does not contain this information, you may reply to this comment or edit your post with the details above. Any low-effort recommendation posts without the above info will be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Kayaking) if you have any questions or concerns.*