Jackson Kayak "Hero" / beginner gear - any thoughts?

I have small size 7 feet and a short 30" inseam and it still took me 6 attempts at outfitting to get the XXX to fit,ended up with pointy toes and a heel block

good point with going to the high end of the weight spectrum ,we found in a couple of instances (sub6 190 vs sub6 200 & ZG48 vs ZG54 ) that when on the cusp of either model's weight range in testing back to back on the same wave ... wave performance was better in the bigger boat even if the paddler could physicaly fit in the smaller boat


For my kid at 130lbs the XXX had most of the edges out of the water and it wasnt too bad but for me at 170lb the XXX was a submarine and the edges caught all the time

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

wave performance was better in the bigger boat even if the paddler could physicaly fit in the smaller boat

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This is pretty much universally true these days. Bigger boat = more planing surface = faster on the wave.

Jackson Hero for a beginner? Shit
Jackson Hero as a boat? Shit - who wants a short stumpy slow creeker?!

Rock climbing helmets = big no - they'll get ripped off your head by an decent stopper. If you're on a budget WRSI are probably the best way to go.

Look for a pyranha inazone, they're great intro boats. Fine for surfing and playing around, but with a little more speed than a full on playboat. Don't bother with a creeker yet, they make stuff to easy to learn proper skills and edge control.

You don't need a fancy BA as you won't be doing complex rescues for a while (hopefully).

I don't know what water temps are like over you're way, but in the UK and Scotland good dry gear is pretty much essential for enjoyment (our season is the winter).

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Originally Posted by soylent green

I disagree with what Root is saying about boat choice. Find a used river runner and buy it in the upper volume range for your weight. The modern river runners are very playful and forgiving. Think CR250 or Fun/4Fun. There is a shitstorm of used boats over on mountainbuzz.com right now. Most everything else Root says makes sense.

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Yeah, mountainbuzz does have a fair number of boats on there. The problem is that all of them seem to be about 1,500 mile saway from me. Thanks though, it's at least another site to keep checking.

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Originally Posted by soylent green

The Ronin is a pretty dedicated playboat. It may be an OK river runner if you get one that has a lot of volume for your weight.(check this out on their website) If you want the boat for play you want to be at the lower end of the weight range for that size/volume boat. If you want to run rivers you need to buy the next size up. If you are obese you should get the Tcanyon :eek:.

The Ace is pretty low volume and has grabby ends. You will learn some great lessons the hard way with this one. Again pay attention to the weight range. If you get good in this boat it will do amazing cartwheels.

XXX- see description above and multiply by 2.

My best guess is that these boats are not for you. Maybe the Ace if you are a little bugger.

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I appreciate all the help, soylent. The Ronin and Ace aren't available anymore and, well, your description of the XXX makes it seem a little too expert for me as well as the description below.

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

I have small size 7 feet and a short 30" inseam and it still took me 6 attempts at outfitting to get the XXX to fit,ended up with pointy toes and a heel block

good point with going to the high end of the weight spectrum ,we found in a couple of instances (sub6 190 vs sub6 200 & ZG48 vs ZG54 ) that when on the cusp of either model's weight range in testing back to back on the same wave ... wave performance was better in the bigger boat even if the paddler could physicaly fit in the smaller boat


For my kid at 130lbs the XXX had most of the edges out of the water and it wasnt too bad but for me at 170lb the XXX was a submarine and the edges caught all the time

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Well, that pretty much rules out the XXX for me because I have size 10 feet and probably a 34" inseam...thanks for the comments, XXX-er.

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Originally Posted by coldwater

Jackson Hero for a beginner? Shit
Jackson Hero as a boat? Shit - who wants a short stumpy slow creeker?!

Rock climbing helmets = big no - they'll get ripped off your head by an decent stopper. If you're on a budget WRSI are probably the best way to go.

Look for a pyranha inazone, they're great intro boats. Fine for surfing and playing around, but with a little more speed than a full on playboat. Don't bother with a creeker yet, they make stuff to easy to learn proper skills and edge control.

You don't need a fancy BA as you won't be doing complex rescues for a while (hopefully).

I don't know what water temps are like over you're way, but in the UK and Scotland good dry gear is pretty much essential for enjoyment (our season is the winter).

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Thanks for your comments too, coldwater. The main reason I started looking at the Jackson Hero was that it's $450 for a brand new boat. So, it's hard to NOT at least look at it. I think I'm planning on a Bern helmet as I can get a deal with them.

What's a BA?

Yeah, I know I'll probably need dry gear. I'm probably going to get a top from STP at some point, once I figure out the other gear.

I appreciate all the help: I'm learning a bunch here.

BA/Bouyancy Aid/PFD/Personal Floatation Device

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Originally Posted by coldwater

BA/Bouyancy Aid/PFD/Personal Floatation Device

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We keep our BA in the trunk, not the boot over here.

It looks like I've found a few playboats around that might be available. Any thoughts on the Liquid Logic Ronin or the Bliss Stick Flipstick? The Flipstick is about 5 hours away and $250 and one of my friend's has Medium and Large Ronins that he is trying to sell $450. Thoughts?

Any for upstate NY: long or short dry top? They only have a long dry top at STP but I can probably look around for a short dry top.

Thanks for all the help.

i would say long sleeve drytop. it would be more versatile i think. when i was still in CA i wore my drytop all summer with cold water and hot temps. i just varied teh layer underneath. that way you can wear it in winter

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Originally Posted by crackboy

i would say long sleeve drytop. it would be more versatile i think. when i was still in CA i wore my drytop all summer with cold water and hot temps. i just varied teh layer underneath. that way you can wear it in winter

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That's what I was thinking too: thanks.

Any thoughts on the Wave Sport ZG 54? From the reviews I've found it looks like a great boat and easier to roll than the Ronin, which is the other one I'm considering right now. My only concern is fitting in it - I couldn't fit in a Medium Ronin, only the Large - but it sounds like I'll be able to fit in the ZG.

I got a ZG 54 definatley a full on play boat

with a size 10 and 34 inseam I think you might fit

the FAT system makes them pretty easy to out fit with the movable thigh braces

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

I got a ZG 54 definatley a full on play boat

with a size 10 and 34 inseam I think you might fit

the FAT system makes them pretty easy to out fit with the movable thigh braces

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Sorry, I should have said it ealier: I am almost certainly wanting to buy a playboat now (the proximity to home is just too good to pass up).

the zg's can run rivers pretty well too. just check the cockpit rim for cracking

Cool. Thanks, crackboy. I will check the cockpit rim, but a pretty good friend is selling it so I doubt he'd screw me like that. Thanks!

Its not a matter of getting screwed. A lot of people don't realize it happens.

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Originally Posted by crackboy

Its not a matter of getting screwed. A lot of people don't realize it happens.

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thats right ,you want the friend to remain a friend so look for damage and that would be cracks ,holes missing hardware ,being completely beat ect

My ZG was a demo it seems a little susceptible to dents cuz I have 2 but otherwise looks good and actualy I never heard of the ZG' s having cracking cockpit issues but it could be

Hmmm...interesting: thanks. I played around with it a little today but I'll inspect the cockpit rim a little closer when I get a chance.

so it sounds like you fit, moving those FAT thigh braces around can give you a little extra room ,good play boat IMO

I think my ZG dents so easy cuz it may have been over/under cooked or SFT so they made it a demo but I been happy, my deisel is also a demo & no problems