The new Hero in the UK

October 28, 2008

By Jon Best

The new Jackson Hero has hit the UK and I took it out for a spin on the beautiful river Gamlan in North Wales.

This was my first time on this particular river and we were exceptionally lucky with the water levels, although the river was dropping off very quickly we managed to get in a great run and therefore got to put the boat through it’s passes.

The Hero I think is a massive improvement on the older style boat that Jackson brought out. The Hero is only 231cm long, not the longest riverboat on the market but that is why it appealed to me to get it out on some of the tighter steeper runs. The manageability of the boat is a godsend, especially if your main discipline is playboating. The Hero’s hull has been taken from the Jackson Fun range and has been lengthened, surfing waves in this boat feels like your in your freestyle kayak, which is again great for getting out of those STICKY situations.
Although relatively short the Hero still has 75 Gallons of volume which is ideal for the style’s of river in Great Britain, and weighing less than 20kg the boat is perfect for your trek to the top of any river.
Overall the boat work well, but what impressed me most was it’s ability to work its way down the river responding to your every move.