The Jackson Kayak Gnarvana

My first thoughts and a simple rundown on the new Jackson Kayak Gnarvana. It's more than Jackson Kayak finally joining the high rockered trend in creeking and it's not just an upgrade of the Nirvana, it's a complete redesign from a whole new perspective on what it means to be a great creek boat. Here's my initial thoughts, some initial laps, and some genuine stoke for Jackson Kayak's latest creation.
When I first looked at the specs, it threw me off a bit. I thought all that volume and all that width would just be too much for me. The thing is, they just don't tell the whole story. The boat is nimble, fast, and easy to play with. With every maneuver I just skipped away in control and only seemed to pick up speed. Edge transitions were effortless and automatic. Even landing on edge didn't seem to slow it down.
***Important note on boat fit and performance... If you sit forward in it, it'll feel too big or too wide. Like most modern creekers, it'll go better and be easier to control if you scoot the seat back a notch, instead of forward. Moving forward lifts the stern out more, but also makes this boat and others like it feel more squirrelly... and can make them 'seek' where the bow picks directions for you. Scooting forward also doesn't help with speed. It increases drag and makes it feel sluggish. On modern designs, scoot back instead of forward and if you're heavy in it, it's almost more important to be back instead of forward. I know that's counterintuitive. **
On sizing...
If you want a bomb shelter for rapids that scare you and a predictable, easy, but extremely fast ride then follow the specs or size up if you're in between. If you want to spice up your local dam release and carve up a class IV+ run and feel more engaged and "on" without dulling it down or losing speed, then size down if you're in between. If you're in the middle though... no choice necessary. This boat is sick! You can trust the medium is a true medium and the small is a true small, no question. Don't let the numbers scare you... the hype is real.
If you haven't already, check out Rob Giersch Photography and be sure to support. It takes a lot to stand at the sidelines to capture other people's laps, moments, and joy, and it takes time and effort to learn how to do it well. Be sure to show some love... He captured the cover photo from one of my Cascades laps.
As promised, here's the Zen3 vs Nirvana Video: • Z3 vs Nirvana that captures some of the major differences between the Z3 and longer designs like the Nirvana and Gnarvana.