After the unbelievable rain that drenched the Ozarks from Hurricaine IKE, the creeks and rivers in the area became a playground for the paddlers in the area. From a whitewater newby perspective, I safely challenged myself, gained a great appreciation of paddling, and added a new wet weather activity to the mix. Myself, along with a crew of 5 others ran a certain creek in Arkansas while our wonderful shuttle team of Michelle and Amy waited at the takeout. For the sake of saftey, the creek will remain unnamed because the water was huge and I probably had no business on it. My life saver was a kayak from Jackson called the Rocker.
This high volume creek boat has a very beginner friendly hull design that allowed me to boof like a pro off obstacles in the class 3 rapids. Rolling the boat was no problem either. Of all the boats I have spent time in(8 or 9), I was able to roll the Rocker better than any others in the swift currents of the creek. Another feature of the boat that really aided in my saftey and success were the raised edges on the side of the hull. There were more than a few times where I was caught in a hole worried that I would catch, flip over, and not be able to escape. Fortunately, the boat never really caught thus allowing me to stay upright and carry on down the river with the more experienced crew I accompanied. The one time I was forced to portage around a rapid, rightly named the lower screw up (hint on the creek), I had no complaints about the weight. The rocker is a light weight boat making for an easy carry while traveling over rough terrain. As for comfort, there was not a single time where I found my feet and legs numb. This was probably a first. I often have problems in whitewater boats.
I recommend this boat to anyone looking to run rivers and creeks in the Ozarks. Soon, we will have a more detailed review from someone that can truly push the Jackson Rocker to its potential.
Jackson Website.
For more questions, call 417-877-8855 .