Jackson Kayak Little Hero Review with Emily Jackson
The New Jackson Little Hero is expected to hit the water sometime very soon. Here are some words from someone who has paddled the boat quite a bit....Emily Jackson:
Specs:
- Length:7'1"
- Width:24"
- Height:14"
- Weight:34lbs.
- Size:90-150 lbs.
I am in love with my Hero and I paddled it throughout 2008 with pure joy. Everything gets better with a little extra self confidence on the river. When the Little Hero came out I wasn't sure if I needed or even wanted to switch, the Hero was working great! I made the switch anyway because it was my size and now I know what the Hero is really about. It's stable but still fast, easy turning but cake to correct and its super soft off the drops.
From a beginners' standpoint it's easy just like all the Jackson Boats to roll, smooth in and out of eddies and doesn't stray from where you want to go. I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was to paddle once the boat fit me, the Hero was too big after all. For all of the girls and guys out there that thought the Hero was a little bit too big, or even way too big. The Little Hero is the way to go! I can't wait for my '09 tour in it!
-Emily Jackson
Pros:
- The Little Hero has a planing hull with drop chines for stability and "super fun" river running. This boat can run rivers, go creekin' surf waves, spin and hang with the best of them. It's a 4x4 kayak for people that thought he Hero was too big.
- Cross link-plastic construction for durability, shape retention and no "oil canning".
- The Little Hero has flared side walls that provide great secondary stability and make rolling as easy as possible. This is a great feature for beginners. The sidewalls also have additional reinforcement for creeking and advanced river running.
- Lots o' foot room. Wear any shoes or booties that you want!
- Same bomber outfitting as the rest of the Hero series.
- Great Colors.
- Light weight. This river runner is in the same weight range as most play boats.
Cons:
- The Little Hero has a planing hull, and is not a long boat. This means that you might get surfed a bit if you are using this as a big water boat.
- It's a great river runner, but is not the most playful boat in the world. It has a lot of volume on the ends, which is great for river running, but bad for play boating. If you're a beginner and you think that you may eventually want to play on your way down the river(anything vertical), look at the Fun series. You'll have more if it(Fun).
- Price. This boat is not cheap, but you get what you pay for. If you're looking for a deal on a kayak, check out used Little Hero's at the end of the summer. You'll be able to save some bucks.
The Verdict:
The Jackson Little Hero is just like the original Jackson Hero, except smaller. If you've paddled a Hero, but thought it was too big, you should paddle one of these. The boat is very easy to paddle, a breeze to roll and is a great creek boat or semi-playful river runner (spins only, nothing vertical unless your EJ). Come to PaddleFest this May and paddle one with Emily, EJ and the rest of the Jackson Kayak Team...
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