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New Rock Star Promises Unbeatable Combo of Winning Freestyle Features Featured

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New Rock Star Promises Unbeatable Combo of Winning Freestyle Features - _rockstar2016-hull-1431676275
New Rock Star Promises Unbeatable Combo of Winning Freestyle Features - 14919_screenshot-2015-05-15-09-41-28-1431676369
New Rock Star Promises Unbeatable Combo of Winning Freestyle Features - _rockstar2016-deck-1431676275
New Rock Star Promises Unbeatable Combo of Winning Freestyle Features - 14919_screenshot-2015-05-15-09-52-28-1431676369

Industry News

Release Date
May 15, 2015
Brand
Jackson Kayak
Location
Sparta, TN, USA

Read More

Just in time to train and tour in the summer competition circuit leading up to this year’s International Canoe Federation World Championships, Jackson Kayak raised the bar, keeping its commanding lead, with the release of the next generation Rock Star.

Since its debut in 2004, Jackson Kayak’s Star series has dominated the podium in major championships around the world more than any other kayak in history. Fiercely competitive and never content to rest on his laurels, Jackson Kayak founder and whitewater icon Eric “EJ” Jackson has designed this boat with David Knight to win competitions on the water and in the marketplace.

The newest Rock Star is a Porsche for the people. This ultimate surfing machine is aimed at winning Worlds this fall on the Ottawa River’s legendary “Garburator” while also benefitting freestyle newbies.

Jackson says he hasn’t been as excited about a new playboat in a long time. A master of user-designed innovation, Jackson applies thousands of hours of on-water experience and an engineer’s understanding of physics to produce a boat that works in harmony with river hydrodynamics. Always the first and most discriminating test pilot of his own creations, Jackson described why he thinks the new Rock Star is the best package of performance in a single boat that he and Knight have ever designed.

The foundation of the new Rock Star is a narrower, faster, looser, easier to take-off hull. The net effect of the new hull design is easy edge-to-edge transfers combined with massive air capabilities and smooth, predictable surfing. “It’s a ridiculously fun boat to paddle on a wave,” Jackson said.

Excitedly continuing down the laundry list of design improvements, Jackson explained slicey ends make the new Rock Star feel more like a wing through the water making it easier than ever to get under the water making learning and perfecting, cartwheels, vertical moves and linking vertical moves together much more effortless. The faster hull also makes it easier to catch and stay on waves but the real difference is how much narrower the hull is which makes dropping edges and carving happen seemingly on auto-pilot. Perfect balance of volume will again help beginners get vertical and will net “huge” bonuses in the pro ranks.

The slimmer profile of this newest Rock Star meant Jackson worked even harder to make sure to maintain his company’s product reputation for comfort. “We took extra time in the development of this deck to make sure we had a rock solid knee position, and increased performance for moves in holes and flat-water.” Jackson said.

The new Rock Star comes in the Competition configuration, which includes an Innegra/carbon hull support and lighter seat shaving 2.5 pounts, as well as the standard version with is still under 30 pounds total weight for the medium. As always, the Rock Star comes standard with built-in Go Pro mounts to capture each surf and invert and a Nalgene bottle to keep hydrated. Available in 2015 colors, pricing is unchanged at $1199 for Standard and $1399 for Competition version.

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About Jackson Kayak. Founded in 2003 by Whitewater Hall of Famer Eric Jackson and Tony Lunt, independently owned and American made, Jackson Kayak is the world’s leader in the design and manufacturing of whitewater and fishing kayaks. The company also produces recreational and touring kayaks for paddlers of all ages. For complete information about the company’s products and lifestyle, visit the Jackson Kayak website. Jackson Kayak also founded World Kayak, a hub for the latest news, kayak events and conversations around the world and Paddle Education, the leading online portal for instructional videos and tips for kayaking of all kinds including fishing, touring, whitewater, creekboating, and stand up paddling. In 2014, the company began manufacturing and selling American-tough Orion Coolers.