The Dragorossi Fish is a full on carving machine. The design is full of nice sharp rails and hard lines and plenty of rocker. In many respects the boat looks more like a surf board.
From Dragorossi:
The Fish came to be as a result of searching for a freestyle kayak that would offer all the air moves and tricks, but without giving up the speed and drive that makes carving kayaks so much fun.
The Fish has more rocker than almost any other playboat on the market today, yet it’s faster on a wave than any boat except the Squashtail. It has drive and makes turns with power, while maintaining the ability to rocket into the air.
By the very nature of its speed, when you first get in the Fish you’ll find you’re overshooting the “take off ramp” on waves, but once you get a handle on this, the ride will blow your mind. And in holes the extra center volume and vertical sidewalls make the Fish ultra-retentive, so you can sit high on the pile, end dipping to your hearts content. You’ll never get bored, this much is certain!
Mastering the Fish takes some time. It is not a forgiving boat and perhaps not really suitable for freestyle beginners. The edges, volume distribution and overall design put this kayak at the high end of the performance table.
Outfitting is basic but does work. It does take a while to get everything setup just so, but with a little effort you can create a well fitting boat. Now some will use the thigh hooks and some won’t. I don’t like them.
I have already stated that the Fish is really good at carving, to elaborate a little more – this is due to a relatively long water line, vertical side walls and those edges. In addition the indents and contours on the hull allow the water to release from the hull that little bit more easily compared to a totally clean/smooth surface.
On a wave it is super fast and looser than some of the other boats I have tested. Newer boat designs such as the Jed, Jitsu and no doubt the Mobius are much more loose. Where the Fish excels is charging down a wave or across a pile and throwing blunts, flat spins etc. It is not going to measure up against high volume boats when it comes to loops and similar aerial moves.
It will loop but not with the same “pop” as the boats previously mentioned.
The Fish cartwheels very easily and feels stable when on edge or during the cartwheel move. In a hole the Fish is also very stable, balanced and easy to control.
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