Star, All-Star, and Super Star taking playboating to the next level

August 7, 2005

I am an addicted playboater, wanting to surf every
wave I can find, play every hole, spin every rock, squirt the eddylines,
and good off the whole way down the river. I don’t have much tolerance
for being handicapped by my equipment. In fact I would go as far as to
say that I am quite spoiled with my equipment and lose interest in playboating
when I don’t have the best possible boat to play in. Ignorance is
bliss and there was a time that I had no idea what I was missing, but
those days are past. Now I am so in tune to what is available by each
company for each sized boater, including myself, that I can no longer
turn a blind eye and live in la la land. This is why the All-Star design
was so important to me. My first prototype was very good at certain things
but was not a great all-around freestyle kayak. The final design that
is now available in stores, is allowing me to take my playboating to a
new level. I am amazed everyday at how much I have been able to learn
in my All-Star and how easily I can do the moves I already know. I have
been competing since the beginning of freestyle and this is the first
season ever that I am undefeated. Having a boat that goes well anywhere
I go is the key. I have had several people say to me in the past week,
“when are you going to design a wave boat?” My answer is,
“What are you talking about? The All-Star rocks the waves!”
What I have found is that because much of the early season has been in
holes, and that Jackson Kayak hasn’t sent out full teams of athletes
to get tons of footage of the Dries of the New or Scook or other big waves
and made videos of them, that people just assume that it wasn’t
designed for that. That is where our marketing is not pulling its weight!
Luckily for the All-Stars self-image, it will be getting its due marketing
this winter in Africa. I am redoing Playboating Basics, and Advanced Playboating
on the Nile and the Zambezi this winter. The All-Star, which specializes
in doing every move BIG will certainly not let that image down when we
hit the big waves.

Some key elements to what makes the All-Star awesome:

Waves:

Easy to rock the bow way up for bigger and easier air.

Don’t have to defend the bow like most of the
new freestyle boats- more time doing moves, less time paddling up the
eddy.

Easy to land moves and not flush- don’t worry
about catching your edges and flushing, very forgiving on landing on the
sidewall and at random angles.

Light weight and snappy for hard quick moves like the
Helix.

Awesome control with edges only, leaving the paddle
to make the big moves instead of for steering.

Holes:

First time in history the best looping boat and the
easiest cartwheeling boat are the same.

Goes BIG on aerial moves- biggest actually for a freestyle
kayak.

Every move ready to go at any time.

Ergo: Comfortable- Lightweight, durable, dry

That about wraps it up. I think it is about time
you took one out for a spin. Don’t sacrifice your paddling another
day with less than the best equipment. It costs you less to own a Jackson
Kayak- pay the same or less up front, get
more on resale.

🙂 EJ