This weekend I got to try my Nova for the first time on the class II Hiwassee. I ran it without any adjustments, just got in it and went, seat in the middle.
The Nova felt narrow to me because of the shape of the bow and high knee position, and at first I thought it would be surprising me. I expected a day filled with stern grab gotchas and they never happened. Instead I learned that it is very forgiving.
The volume behind the cockpit and the long tail of the stern provide a wide platform for lack of a better word. Rocker up front means it doesn't pearl. Rolls are easy.
I'm at 163 lbs, 5'6" and 31 inseam with a history of squeezing myself into slicy boats. I am glad I did not get the Supernova instead. The Nova has a lot more volume around the legs than it appears to from just looking at it. There is plenty of room up front where my shins are. This means a lot of foot room as well. I probably need to add some pads to the hips. The outfitting kit comes with plenty of hip pads and bow foam blocks.
It was only class II, so I can't say what it will do in bigger water. But I was able to put the boat where I wanted no problem and surf anything I chose.
Also I could get the bow under easier than any other boat I have got in my quiver. Maybe I'll finally learn a bow stall.
I was able to initiate the stern in flatwater, and I believe with practice I can get the stern all the way up. Maybe the best term for how I feel about the Nova is "I believe" because it has made me believe I can do flatwater things that have frustrated 56 year old me all these years. The higher knee position is taking my hips some getting used to but it has advantages. I feel like I have more torque in my rotations than having the legs flatter like older designs. My other slicy boats over the years include a Jackson Mixmaster 7.5, Wave Sport XXX in crosslink, Necky Chronic, Wave Sport EZ, Wave Sport EZG-50, and a Pyranha Sub-7 one ball.
The closest thing I have to compare the Nova with is the Mixmaster 7.5, which is a really fun boat! But the Mixmaster 7.5 feels big to me. I never got to try the Mixmaster 7.0 but I suspect it would be too small to be a good river runner for me. The EZG-50 feels 'Just the right size'. But the Nova has the advantages of better outfitting and better leg position over all of the boats I have mentioned. And the Nova doesn't have large foot bumps which is nice as well since my feet never reach the foot bumps anyway, and foot bumps like the ones on the original EZ are something to overcome when trying to initiate the bow.
Cons? The Nova has no grab handles, so it's not going to be good for helping other people in need of a T-rescue. It has two security bars high on the bow and stern. No drain plug which is understandable considering the slicy ends. And a big con is that Novas are so rare it's hard to find any in stock, especially if you want a certain color. Hopefully this is changing and Dagger will have more out there.
I could see this boat being a good choice for women who want something akin to the Wave Sport Siren/Ace series. I look forward to reading other reviews from women about this boat. Alex, Wade, and Matt all have great Nova reviews on their youtube channels, but I haven't seen one from a woman yet. I am a mediocre playboater and would love to see a video review from a woman who can throw down a Nova.
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| Me with serious RBF asking if my seat position looks correct. |
I took some comparison photos of the Nova with my 2006 Wave Sport EZG-50:
A few days later we had a evening rolling session at Moon River Launch on the Cahaba, and I was able to take some pics of the Nova next to my friend Terra's Wave Sport Siren, a model that was out in the early to mid 2000's:
As you can see the design of the Nova is similar in many ways to the Siren. However I am not able to fit in a Siren. Since the Siren has a flatter leg position, it has a lot less room inside. As a result the Siren's smaller volume means it is better for smaller women. I really think Dagger could put out a smaller version of the Nova series and it would be popular. As it is, my friends who are in the market for a true small slicy playboat are scrambling to find the remaining Sirens, XXX's, and EZG-42 left out there. All of which were discontinued in the mid to late 2000's.
