Today, it was like Christmas all over again. I took delivery of a brand new 2008 Jackson Mega Rocker. I had purchased a 2007 model back in the fall but had a warranty issue on December 29, 2007...the hull cracked under the seat. I had called Jackson and talked to Mark about the issue. He informed me there would be no problem with replacing the boat but it would be a few weeks since Jackson was in the process of making some outfitting changes to the 2008 models. They wanted to wait till they had everything dialed in just right before releasing the 2008 product to the public. I was patient but felt like a kid being deprived of candy. My good buddy Gary was good enough to let me borrow his Liquid Logic Jefe Grande for the time being since he dislocated his shoulder on the same day my boat broke. He is unable to paddle since he has some nerve damage in his arm and needs time to heal. I'm still trying to figure out if his dislocation was bad for him or good for me;-)
At 8' 6" long, 27" wide, and 93 gallons of volume, this boat is ready to boof, drop, or to just keep going when the situation gets crazy.
Though it's a large boat, it turns with ease and doesn't paddle like the Titanic.
The biggest 2008 improvement is the new seat tray. Previous models only had a small support beam that ran the length of the boat. When running the rapids, every time I slide over a rock, the pressure was put on this 1 inch wide beam. That' just not enough support. The 2008 models kept the 1 inch beam but also added a 6 inch wide support tray under the beam. This will support the boat much better by distributing the weight over a larger area. I think this was definately a positive step for Jackson Kayak. They also added a hose clamp on the front of the seat to really lock it into place.
This has to be the shiniest kayak I've ever seen. JK claims to have polished the molds...well they sure did. I'm gonna work on trying to keep the bottom side down so I don't scratch the shiny surface of the top. We'll see how this 2008 Jackson Mega Rocker holds up.
Till next time...pray for rain.
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