Quick First Impression of the Rockstar 4.0 by Andrew Regan | Jul 24, 2018 | Playboating, Reviews, rivers, Rockstar 4.0, Whitewater, WW Disciplines | 3 comments This design marks quite a stark difference to previous Jackson Freestyle boats, I’ve had the 4.0 out for the past few days on the waves of the Ottawa River. Seated position: The first thing I noticed about this boat was the higher knee position coupled with more foot-space. I was somebody who never felt that comfortable in the seated position in the previous Rockstar so this was a really welcome change and another way I could avoid lengthy stretching sessions. I could now do 2+ hours sessions on the water without popping a knee out between rides. Unless you have a very long torso the higher edges will require you to place foam cut-outs under your happy seat in order to raise yourself up in the boat and get more leverage for throwing tricks. Aggressive Edges on a wave: The biggest difference I’ve found with this model is the edges. They are not as forgiving as with previous models- I definitely ate it a few times on my first session on Garb ( a steep, fast wave). The much more responsive edges of the boat took a few sessions to adjust to but now I’m starting to dial in how they work. They are a pretty fun change as you will be zipping back and forth across the wave faster than you would have in a previous Rockstar model aided by the narrower and longer hull shape. The reasons for the edge change are also apparent once you get to the top of the wave and feel a much more defined bounce and take off to do tricks- the offset of that is that I am definitely aware being on the light side of this boat that I am throwing more boat around, my technique needs to be pretty good to pull off tricks the way I want to but it does feel nice to really feel that edge dig in and bounce. The edges do make the boat slightly harder to roll- but most importantly for me the longer & narrower hull have made the boat at least feel faster and retain better on a wave than any of the previous Rockstar models- maybe a slight turn in the direction of what the All Star models offered up. More Volume: This boat offers a substantial increase in volume and you’ll notice it as soon as you sit into the boat. Something I’ve always been pretty average at is getting big bounces before throwing flatwater loops, but this boat is crazy stable in a bowstall and you’ll throw massive flatwater loops in it if that is your thing. Same deal for plugging in a hole- it was easy to get big air for the likes of loops and space godzillas. Cartwheels were odd but I haven’t been doing them enough to really dial in how they are going to work. Verdict: Overall, so far I am happy with the boat, it ticks the boxes of what I enjoy about freestyle- fast and fun on waves with big loops and a comfortable seated position. I can also eat as many cheeseburgers and drink beer and still be where I want to be on the lighter end of the weight scale. Those who were too heavy or tall for the old Medium are probably going to have a great friend in this boat, but remember to give it a few sessions to dial it in before formulating a judgement. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the top freestylers these days manage on the linking all those orbits and woos to god knows what else. However, I am pretty sure you are going to at least associate this boat with huge air and shouting from the crowds. Now, feast your eyes on some terrible screenshots- I am yet to recruit a personal photographer, maybe when I do I’ll post that with some well thought-out hashtags. Andrew Reagan 3 Comments Bob Winston on August 27, 2018 at 11:26 am Hi Andrew! Thanks for the write-up. As a mere mortal in the past iterations of the RockStar/SuperStar and currently in the 3.0/L — I’ve a couple of questions please. When I first got in the RockStar 3.0 from the SuperStar 2.0, my first reaction was — What have I done? This thing is way too unstable. Then I toned down my adjustments and now LOVE this craft. Now you say the 4.0’s edges are much more aggressive and it’s (a tad) harder to roll. If this is one of the proto’s brought up north by JK, didn’t that boat have the shimmed-up seat and 200 Sweet Cheeks (…and another 100 the way EJ styes it)? And wouldn’t those features in and of themselves contribute to the more aggressive cutbacks and higher pivot point for getting the now added volume back upright? Thanks in advance for your response!!! I’m in an L so my first reaction is will the 4.0/L verge on being a MonStar/2.0!!! 😉 Reply Clay Wright on August 30, 2018 at 4:36 pm Hey Bob – I wouldn’t characterize the new 4.0 as being a bigger size than the 3.0 at all, I would simply say it’s a bigger boat and will fit a bigger paddler. The hull is actually narrower … so it feels smaller when surfing and I found it VERY easy to roll because there is SO much flair to the sidewall. Handrolls both ways still even sitting up much higher… so it compensates for my extra seat pad. At 170 I would characterize the 3.0 as a bit too small for some features, while I would say the 4.0 is much better downriver and gets WAY more air on loop tricks – so fun!! On the other hand, it’s pretty narrow so it’s not feeling ”too wide” like the last LG sizes we’ve had at all. I paddled a Small 4.0 today and that was fun too, so this boat will fit a bigger paddler but on the other hand, it’s not a ”big boat” width / platform at all. Ethan Frankenberg at 135 lbs was swapping ends no problem all day, but did say that was harder than in the 3.0 medium. I think all flatwater will be harder in the 4.0 but on a wave this one feels smaller. Clay Reply Andrew Regan on August 30, 2018 at 9:43 pm Hey Bob, sorry I didn’t see this till Clay replied. The boat comes with the 100 sweet cheeks- I don’t have the longest torso so I needed to raise myself up higher in my seat to get more leverage to throw the boat around. You may have a point in terms of rolling- narrower boats like the 4.0 should be easier so perhaps it was because I was sitting a little taller. JK freestyle boats have always historically been very easy to roll- this boat is no different but at least in the first few weeks I found that I needed to crunch a little harder to bring the boat up for an aggressive combat roll position I put it down to the sidewalls of the 4.0 being higher but perhaps it might have been my seated position. The overall difference for me now is really negligible. However, the aggressive cutbacks are for sure down to the sharper edges- this change is probably my favourite thing about the boat- carving while front surfing is a blast. Reply Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ
Bob Winston on August 27, 2018 at 11:26 am Hi Andrew! Thanks for the write-up. As a mere mortal in the past iterations of the RockStar/SuperStar and currently in the 3.0/L — I’ve a couple of questions please. When I first got in the RockStar 3.0 from the SuperStar 2.0, my first reaction was — What have I done? This thing is way too unstable. Then I toned down my adjustments and now LOVE this craft. Now you say the 4.0’s edges are much more aggressive and it’s (a tad) harder to roll. If this is one of the proto’s brought up north by JK, didn’t that boat have the shimmed-up seat and 200 Sweet Cheeks (…and another 100 the way EJ styes it)? And wouldn’t those features in and of themselves contribute to the more aggressive cutbacks and higher pivot point for getting the now added volume back upright? Thanks in advance for your response!!! I’m in an L so my first reaction is will the 4.0/L verge on being a MonStar/2.0!!! 😉 Reply
Clay Wright on August 30, 2018 at 4:36 pm Hey Bob – I wouldn’t characterize the new 4.0 as being a bigger size than the 3.0 at all, I would simply say it’s a bigger boat and will fit a bigger paddler. The hull is actually narrower … so it feels smaller when surfing and I found it VERY easy to roll because there is SO much flair to the sidewall. Handrolls both ways still even sitting up much higher… so it compensates for my extra seat pad. At 170 I would characterize the 3.0 as a bit too small for some features, while I would say the 4.0 is much better downriver and gets WAY more air on loop tricks – so fun!! On the other hand, it’s pretty narrow so it’s not feeling ”too wide” like the last LG sizes we’ve had at all. I paddled a Small 4.0 today and that was fun too, so this boat will fit a bigger paddler but on the other hand, it’s not a ”big boat” width / platform at all. Ethan Frankenberg at 135 lbs was swapping ends no problem all day, but did say that was harder than in the 3.0 medium. I think all flatwater will be harder in the 4.0 but on a wave this one feels smaller. Clay Reply
Andrew Regan on August 30, 2018 at 9:43 pm Hey Bob, sorry I didn’t see this till Clay replied. The boat comes with the 100 sweet cheeks- I don’t have the longest torso so I needed to raise myself up higher in my seat to get more leverage to throw the boat around. You may have a point in terms of rolling- narrower boats like the 4.0 should be easier so perhaps it was because I was sitting a little taller. JK freestyle boats have always historically been very easy to roll- this boat is no different but at least in the first few weeks I found that I needed to crunch a little harder to bring the boat up for an aggressive combat roll position I put it down to the sidewalls of the 4.0 being higher but perhaps it might have been my seated position. The overall difference for me now is really negligible. However, the aggressive cutbacks are for sure down to the sharper edges- this change is probably my favourite thing about the boat- carving while front surfing is a blast. Reply
