Zen 75 Review by JK Fans! by JK Fans | Dec 1, 2012 | Whitewater, Zen | 12 comments Zen 75 Update: Bringing mind and body together with comfort, convenience, and speed Now that I’ve put lots of time on my Zen 75, here’s what I’ve learned since the above review. It’s addressed particularly to beginners and oldsters. In short, this is one versatile boat, plain and simple. Why? Stability and comfort are two biggies which I described in my original review. But what I didn’t know at the time was how handy this boat is for any kind of paddling. It goes everywhere with me so I can plop into any flatwater I choose. I call this “puddling” and it’s a super way to get in a couple of hours of fitness, de-stressing and arthritis therapy, no matter where you are. This does wonders for the physical and mental rustiness of advanced age and is a great way to stay in shape for anyone. Puddling you say? Isn’t the Zen supposed to be a whitewater boat? Perhaps, but it can be amazingly fun on flatwater because it tracks so well and is very fast for such a short boat. It’s quite the pocket rocket when you paddle it right. The Zen is so light, short, and easy to get on and off my truck top that I have no trouble carrying it to and from any water despite age, arthritis, and a bum ankle. Being comfortable in a kayak is important to us oldsters. In my Zen, stiffness or other discomforts never intrude on pleasure. A couple of hours in this boat do wonders for an aging body and mind. 12 Comments Tony Dyrsmid on December 1, 2012 at 2:11 am From another OLDSTER, 74 years young, I agree wholeheartedly. I paddle a fair amount of flatwater plus I am now running some III+ water, most recently the South Fork of the American River, the Chilliwack River river and the Capilano River, the latter 2 in and near Vancouver BC. The Zen 75 has opened up a whole new chapter of paddling for me. Plus, I recently learned to do 360’s in the Reno playpark. I can’t say enough about the Zen 75. Thanks Jackson Kayay for such a great boat. Reply Stephen on December 2, 2012 at 8:18 am Do you mind my asking how much you both weigh? I’m 220 and am looking for a boat I can also surf in the ocean. Will the Zen 75 support me at my weight? Does it have enough rocker for ocean surfing? Thanks. Reply Butler Cox on December 3, 2012 at 3:14 am Stephen & Tony, I wrote that Zen 75 update to my original review which, if you’ve not seen it, let me know. I love this Zen 75, especially since that’s my age! But seriously, it suits me well. Just had a couple of more hours fun with it today Tony, you’re original review of it was instrumental in my demoing and buying the Zen. Thanks! Stephen, I weigh in at 190 lbs. with gear on. whether the Zen will support you at your weight, I think you should ask the JK experts about that. At my weight the parting line is about 3″ above the water. I think Clay wright has written somewhere on this site that the Zen is great for ocean surfing. I’ve done a little surfing on Cl. II-II+ and it’s great for that. I think it’d be a blast on the ocean, but just not sure about your weight. Maybe the Karma L would be better for your size, but please ask the experts. HTH Reply Tony Dyrsmid on December 3, 2012 at 10:07 pm Hi guys. I’m also 190 and I ditto Butlers comments. Butler, sorry but I think that I have missed your update. If you could point my nose in the right direction I would like to read it. Reply Butler Cox on December 10, 2012 at 6:08 am Tony, sorry it took so long. The original is on the CKS blog site, or Google Zen review +down the river. Reply Stephen on December 5, 2012 at 4:46 am Yeah, I’ve asked point blank on the tread running under the Zen “Sizes and Specs” heading, but no one at Jackson will respond directly. Perhaps they don’t want to discourage heavier people from making buying mistakes. Losing weight is another option–just one I haven’t had much success with. Well, at least 220 is better than my previous weight! I’m afraid the Karma L would have way too much volume for ocean surfing. Just don’t know what you would do with that bulbous bow in the ocean. Thanks for your replies! Reply Stephen Wright on December 5, 2012 at 5:37 pm Stephen, Sorry that it took me so long to get back to you. The Zen would definitely be more fun in the Surf, it’d be less forgiving than a karma downriver. The Zen actually surfs very well and would be SUPER fun out there. I think that it would be a good downriver boat for you as well, though if you decided that you want to run harder water, you might like something more like a Karma. The Zen 75 is probably your best mix of downriver & ocean surfing that I can think of 🙂 Hope that helps! Sorry that your original comment fell through the cracks for so long!!! Stephen Wright Reply Stephen on December 6, 2012 at 2:40 pm Thanks, Stephen. I’d like to ask you to comment on the post I’ve copied below from Clay under the Zen Specs and Prices thread. That made me real uneasy about buying the boat without a demo here overseas in northern Japan. Thanks for whatever feedback you can give. –Stephen claywright says: September 13, 2012 at 3:35 am Hey Rob – While the 65 will suit your son at 145 for years most likely, the 75 will be a little boat at 240 and I would suggest something more like a Villain or Super-hero. The Zen 75 is best up to 200 if you want to improve your river running skills faster rather than just play around. Hope this helps! clay Reply Jennifer on December 26, 2012 at 11:45 am Hi, I am 107 1bs 5’1” and looking for the perfect boat for me. I demoed a Zen 55 back in September and it seemed to be the perfect fit. Should I get a Zen 55 or 65. Can you tell me the difference between the little hero and the Zen 55. The little hero appeared to me to not be as stable and did not track well. I am a beginner boater and want a boat I can advance my skills in but that also fits me well. What do you suggest? Reply Emily Jackson on December 27, 2012 at 6:05 pm The Zen is a newer design so we have improved the stability and tracking of the hull since the little hero. I am both a Zen and Little hero fan but as far as improving my skills i feel like i can grow more in the zen. At your height and weight it would be great for you! Zen 55 if i were you! Emily Reply Charlie on February 3, 2013 at 10:06 pm Grew up in canoes and looking to step over to a kayak. Live right next to the Potomac and shenandoah rivers. Would like to progress to the gauley, cheat or new river when able, due to how close they. I’m 5’8″ and weigh 165. Thinking about the Zen 75? Not sure if the cockpit will be to loose to get a good fit. Live close to Valley Mill Boat Shop, they state that they are a Jackson super store. Hope they can help with the decision in regards to the right size of kayak. Also, really like the zen. Would the Karma be a good option too? Thanks! Reply Clay Wright on February 13, 2013 at 7:31 pm Hey Charlie! I’m 165 and 5’9” and I paddled a Zen 75 with a 200 Sweet Cheeks last season and loved it! Way fast, surfy, easy to paddle boat. The Karma will ”fit’ even better in the medium size but I’m not sure you’ll enjoy it quite as much on the flatter sections of river as it’s a bit shorter although it’s more suitable for creeks and also a great choice for beginners despite it’s creek origins. SO – Zen 75 with Sweet Cheeks 200 is a perfect boat for your size and your target rivers. Karma Md will work better without a Sweet Cheeks 200 but tough to say which will help you progress fastest since both are great choices. I would go Zen since it’s higher volume rivers and you might want to do some surfing and flatwater. Good Luck! Clay Wright Reply Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. 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Tony Dyrsmid on December 1, 2012 at 2:11 am From another OLDSTER, 74 years young, I agree wholeheartedly. I paddle a fair amount of flatwater plus I am now running some III+ water, most recently the South Fork of the American River, the Chilliwack River river and the Capilano River, the latter 2 in and near Vancouver BC. The Zen 75 has opened up a whole new chapter of paddling for me. Plus, I recently learned to do 360’s in the Reno playpark. I can’t say enough about the Zen 75. Thanks Jackson Kayay for such a great boat. Reply
Stephen on December 2, 2012 at 8:18 am Do you mind my asking how much you both weigh? I’m 220 and am looking for a boat I can also surf in the ocean. Will the Zen 75 support me at my weight? Does it have enough rocker for ocean surfing? Thanks. Reply
Butler Cox on December 3, 2012 at 3:14 am Stephen & Tony, I wrote that Zen 75 update to my original review which, if you’ve not seen it, let me know. I love this Zen 75, especially since that’s my age! But seriously, it suits me well. Just had a couple of more hours fun with it today Tony, you’re original review of it was instrumental in my demoing and buying the Zen. Thanks! Stephen, I weigh in at 190 lbs. with gear on. whether the Zen will support you at your weight, I think you should ask the JK experts about that. At my weight the parting line is about 3″ above the water. I think Clay wright has written somewhere on this site that the Zen is great for ocean surfing. I’ve done a little surfing on Cl. II-II+ and it’s great for that. I think it’d be a blast on the ocean, but just not sure about your weight. Maybe the Karma L would be better for your size, but please ask the experts. HTH Reply
Tony Dyrsmid on December 3, 2012 at 10:07 pm Hi guys. I’m also 190 and I ditto Butlers comments. Butler, sorry but I think that I have missed your update. If you could point my nose in the right direction I would like to read it. Reply
Butler Cox on December 10, 2012 at 6:08 am Tony, sorry it took so long. The original is on the CKS blog site, or Google Zen review +down the river. Reply
Stephen on December 5, 2012 at 4:46 am Yeah, I’ve asked point blank on the tread running under the Zen “Sizes and Specs” heading, but no one at Jackson will respond directly. Perhaps they don’t want to discourage heavier people from making buying mistakes. Losing weight is another option–just one I haven’t had much success with. Well, at least 220 is better than my previous weight! I’m afraid the Karma L would have way too much volume for ocean surfing. Just don’t know what you would do with that bulbous bow in the ocean. Thanks for your replies! Reply
Stephen Wright on December 5, 2012 at 5:37 pm Stephen, Sorry that it took me so long to get back to you. The Zen would definitely be more fun in the Surf, it’d be less forgiving than a karma downriver. The Zen actually surfs very well and would be SUPER fun out there. I think that it would be a good downriver boat for you as well, though if you decided that you want to run harder water, you might like something more like a Karma. The Zen 75 is probably your best mix of downriver & ocean surfing that I can think of 🙂 Hope that helps! Sorry that your original comment fell through the cracks for so long!!! Stephen Wright Reply
Stephen on December 6, 2012 at 2:40 pm Thanks, Stephen. I’d like to ask you to comment on the post I’ve copied below from Clay under the Zen Specs and Prices thread. That made me real uneasy about buying the boat without a demo here overseas in northern Japan. Thanks for whatever feedback you can give. –Stephen claywright says: September 13, 2012 at 3:35 am Hey Rob – While the 65 will suit your son at 145 for years most likely, the 75 will be a little boat at 240 and I would suggest something more like a Villain or Super-hero. The Zen 75 is best up to 200 if you want to improve your river running skills faster rather than just play around. Hope this helps! clay Reply
Jennifer on December 26, 2012 at 11:45 am Hi, I am 107 1bs 5’1” and looking for the perfect boat for me. I demoed a Zen 55 back in September and it seemed to be the perfect fit. Should I get a Zen 55 or 65. Can you tell me the difference between the little hero and the Zen 55. The little hero appeared to me to not be as stable and did not track well. I am a beginner boater and want a boat I can advance my skills in but that also fits me well. What do you suggest? Reply
Emily Jackson on December 27, 2012 at 6:05 pm The Zen is a newer design so we have improved the stability and tracking of the hull since the little hero. I am both a Zen and Little hero fan but as far as improving my skills i feel like i can grow more in the zen. At your height and weight it would be great for you! Zen 55 if i were you! Emily Reply
Charlie on February 3, 2013 at 10:06 pm Grew up in canoes and looking to step over to a kayak. Live right next to the Potomac and shenandoah rivers. Would like to progress to the gauley, cheat or new river when able, due to how close they. I’m 5’8″ and weigh 165. Thinking about the Zen 75? Not sure if the cockpit will be to loose to get a good fit. Live close to Valley Mill Boat Shop, they state that they are a Jackson super store. Hope they can help with the decision in regards to the right size of kayak. Also, really like the zen. Would the Karma be a good option too? Thanks! Reply
Clay Wright on February 13, 2013 at 7:31 pm Hey Charlie! I’m 165 and 5’9” and I paddled a Zen 75 with a 200 Sweet Cheeks last season and loved it! Way fast, surfy, easy to paddle boat. The Karma will ”fit’ even better in the medium size but I’m not sure you’ll enjoy it quite as much on the flatter sections of river as it’s a bit shorter although it’s more suitable for creeks and also a great choice for beginners despite it’s creek origins. SO – Zen 75 with Sweet Cheeks 200 is a perfect boat for your size and your target rivers. Karma Md will work better without a Sweet Cheeks 200 but tough to say which will help you progress fastest since both are great choices. I would go Zen since it’s higher volume rivers and you might want to do some surfing and flatwater. Good Luck! Clay Wright Reply
