Fun Runner 70 Review and Video

I just paddled the new Fun Runner 70 and I must admit the boat blew my mind.  When I first saw the kayak I didn’t quite understand what I would use the boat for.  After paddling the Fun Runner I now know that the boat can be used for almost everything.

The Fun Runner is one of the most comfortable kayaks on the market.   I am 6’4” with size 13 feet and fit in the boat with shoes on and room to spare.  The boat has a large cockpit so I can pull my knees to the middle of the kayak to relax in flat water.  While short playboats are not uncomfortable to me, I still do not want to spend an entire day sitting in the boat without getting out and stretching.  The Fun Runner is as comfortable as a creek boat and I could spend a full day in one with ease.

The outfitting on Jackson kayaks is simple and easy to use.  The Fun Runner has an adjustable bulkhead that can breakaway in case of a piton.  No smashing your toes in this boat.  I threw a couple of hip pad shims in and was on the water in less than two minutes.

The performance of the Fun Runner was amazing.  The boat is not a creek boat but can handle like one.  The boat is not a playboat but can surf like one.  The boat runs rivers like a dream and is so much fun to paddle.  Catching eddies has never been so sweet.  The boat snaps in and out of eddies like a rally car on a tight corner.  The boat slips and slides down a river with a planning hull and solid edges.  You can use the currents and put the boat on edge and it tracks with precision.   I never back endered in the Fun Runner as the stern stays put when crossing funky currents and punching holes.

The kayak is incredibly fast and makes ferrying easy.  Catching waves on the fly is simple and I could surf green waves that a playboat would not stay on.  When planing on a wave the kayak surfs like a playboat.  The Fun Runner carves, bounces, spins, and can even blunt.  Enders and stern squirts are accessible.

The uses of the Fun Runner are endless.  The kayak is great at running rivers and playing on your way down.  I feel comfortable on easy Class V and the boat gives you so many options to play as you paddle downriver.  I cannot think of a better kayak for the Grand Canyon or other long river trips with big green glassy waves.  The ease of paddling and performance of the boat make it a quiver killer for everything except the hardest whitewater and the new-school play moves.

If you are in Jackson, WY check out Rendezvous River Sports http://www.jacksonholekayak.com/ for all your paddling needs and all the new Jackson kayaks.  Below is a quick GoPro edit of the Class IV-V Bear River in Idaho.  Notice how stable the Fun Runner is as it punches holes with ease.