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SuperStar 2007

 
5.0 (1)
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SuperStar 2007 - boats_404-1
SuperStar 2007 - boats_404-2

Short Facts

Brand
Jackson Kayak

325 Iris Dr.
Sparta
TN 38583
USA

Phone: +1 931-657-3530



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Model Year
Intended Paddling Environment
Designer
EJ
Type

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The Ultimate Playboat

What’s the “ultimate” playboat? It’s the one that plays best at every feature the river has to offer so no matter what the conditions, you’re in the perfect boat! Whether on big waves, small waves, in a hole, or just in a pool you want to play hard and we do too.



The new stars mix wave-surfing and hole-riding features into the Ultimate combination and will be Team JK’s freestyle machine for 2007, 2008, and 2009.

Fast and Loose yet Friendly: The right mix of speed, carving, spinnability, and user friendliness is achieved! We added a big dose of speed to the 2007 Stars but kept plenty of rocker for worry-free backsurfing and trouble-free landings.

Launches in holes: We took the boat that re-defined ‘huge’ and made it go even bigger.

More comfort: Increased leg and foot room makes this one plush ride – even for slightly larger paddlers.

Lighter Weight: the lightest playboats went on a diet in 2007! Look for 1 pound less weight the New Stars.

I can’t tell you how proud I am of the new Star series. More importantly, I can’t tell you how excited I am to paddle them! Reserve yours today.

User reviews

1 reviews

Overall rating 
 
5.0
Design 
 
5.0  (1)
Perfomance 
 
5.0  (1)
Quality 
 
5.0  (1)
Value / Money 
 
5.0  (1)
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(Updated: May 26, 2009)
Overall rating 
 
5.0
Design 
 
5.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
5.0
Value / Money 
 
5.0

"The Ultimate Playboat" is more than this.

About the reviewer

Veteran of... only two seasons. Paddling mostly Class III, with some Class IV every once in a while. Previous boats have been Riot Booster 55, Liquid Logic Big Wheel; I also use a Necky Blunt for creeking runs.

Test environment

The Ottawa and the Petawawa rivers, both Class III-IV runs, and their playspots (so far).

Review

First impression
Just getting in the boat: it's comfortable. I could have stayed in there all day.

Second impression
Paddling up to a local playspot: it's big. Coming from a LL Big Wheel, I wasn't used to having so much boat around me... It felt like being in a creek boat!

Third impression
Sliding onto the wave: it's a lot faster than I thought, much more than the Big Wheel (although nowhere near as fast as the older Booster).

But it was someone else's boat! That day I decided I would own one. I am at the bottom of the weight range for playboating with it, but since my playboating ambitions are very modest, I wanted something that I could use to run rivers as well, and the Super Star seemed to fit the bill. Now that I have it and spent some time paddling it. I can expand on the above impressions.

Comfort: it's still really comfortable, but I am not very tall and there is a lot of room in the front that JK's Happy Feet were not able to handle. I sculpted a very large foam block, stuffed it in there, and am now much happier and have a much more solid platform to brace my feet on (and have a Happy Feet for sale...). I am quite satisfied with the rest of the outfitting. With other boats, I had to loosen the backband as soon as I was on flatwater, but with this one I can stay tight in there for a long time without the need to stretch.

Size and speed: I ended up bringing the seat completely forward in order to get the right trim and get some speed for surfing. At first I thought rolling such a wide thing would be difficult but these fears were unfounded. It's as easy/hard to roll as any other playboat.

I was impressed at the river running ability of what was designed primarily as a playboat. Perhaps what makes it a great playboat is reponsible for that: it is very forgiving. Taking it on big rivers like the Ottawa or the Petawawa, I was expecting a bracing and stern squirting festival, but was happily surprised. The boat is very stable and predictable. The tail (or lack thereof) is not grabby at all, crossing eddy lines is a breeze.

Conclusion

For someone around 180-190 lbs, the Super Star makes an amazing river running boat that can play on any river feature along the way. I'll get started on flatwater moves as soon as the water warms up, but I'm not holding my breath (no pun intended) as I would have to be 20 lbs heavier to really take advantage of the boat that way...

Review

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About Me
Location: Around Ottawa
Weight: 83.9 kgs
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