What's wrong with Jackson Kayak? | 2024 and beyond

Discussing Jackson kayak in the past, the present, and where Jackson Kayak sits with the industry today.
I go over what's new in 2024 and what you should possibly expect from Jackson Kayak in the future. Will Jackson Kayak take a step forward in the fishing kayak industry?
#Jacksonkayak #kayakfishing #kayak #fishing
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[@SpencerCookeEffortInc]

Good review, thanks for doing this.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

No problem! Thanks for watching

[@Jason-416]

Love my Jackson Kilroy. Had it for 10 years and still going strong 💪 fast stable and light 🔥

[@thebeardedpaddler]

I love the Tripper 12/Kilroy for rivers and creeks. It's my go to

[@mitchellm5855]

Bought one 7 years ago paid to much for it honestly but I love it! Jackson needs to lower the price only real kayakers are going to spend that money and that is a small market when you consider all brands

[@The66Leadfoot]

When Jackson introduced the Bite in 2019 it received mixed reviews, but Jackson listened and made changes to improve the boat over each of the next three years. I have two of the modern Bites and love them, there are no issues relating to the early concerns of the kayak. Hope Jackson gets their office in order soon.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

I believe they will. There is too much history there.

[@brianphillips621]

Thanks for this video. I think the FD drive is the best on the market. I love my Coosa FD.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Coosa FD is a kayak a lot of people don't recognize. Its one of their best FD yaks

[@KaptenInsano]

I loved my kilroys, and the original coosa. I have owned 7 jackson style kayaks and have never been disappointed in their quality.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Love the kilroy

[@tearemupfishing8780]

I've had seven Jacksons over the years. Started out with a 2014 Coosa, loved it. I still have a Bite. I've Bern very happy with it. Great video!

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Thank you! The Bite is a staple in the kayak industry in my opinion

[@nashguy2814]

I have always wanted a Jackson FD , but they were all to big and heavy at that time when I was looking for something for the rivers / creeks I do. Be nice if they came out with something light weight with the FD and a paddle version to.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Some are heavy but the Bite FD is not bad and probably the best river pedal drive out there

[@Grumpy1Fishing]

I have the Drew Gregory Coosa, May Fly and the Liska. Probably won’t need another Jackson because I think I have the best for my needs in Paddle kayaks. Jackson fan for river and creek fishing.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

That Liska though. It was one of my all time favs

[@juancarlostorres7998]

I’m team Jackson. Got my Yupik cause of your review video

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Great kayak. How have you liked it so far?

[@juancarlostorres7998]

@@thebeardedpaddler it’s love seat how comfortable it is out on the water. Even experienced a choppy day and still made it out

[@PompdUpFishin]

I miss the “Mahi” color fishing kayaks. I would buy another Knarr if I could get it in that color.

[@BlueHeelerDad]

Which Jackson would you recommend for inshore fishing? I’m more into paddling kayaks, currently have a Viking Profish Reload which is fast, can handle rough water and is easy pretty easy to fish out of but I would like a comfortable seat and more stability. The mayfly would have been the call I believe but they don’t make it anymore obviously. Was considering a Yupik.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Coosa x

[@pmm422]

A, little frustrating on their website not to be able to have the pedal kayaks listed separately.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

That's not a bad suggestion honestly

[@ColsenTaylorFishing]

Nice video! Never been a huge Jackson fan, would be a lot more open to there yaks if they dropped around $600. Also seems to me that the Knarr was kinda a miss on a Pro Angler type kayak but with a prop drive.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

100%

[@Ozzypup1]

I agree I think there prices seem a little high. And with so many companies selling kayaks now thats not a great thing.

[@artfisher1235]

Got three Jackson kayak models, and love all three. Kayak fishing is a totally pampered universe unto itself, with so many models and features. You have to go to phenomenal lengths to fault find, such as the color red being more appropriate to another type of kayak. Do we really want to give fishing kayak users a diva image? This sounds like a gal I dated one time only. She wanted to make sure my executive BMW 750 was a current model.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Customers shape the market. Mfg are making what they think people will buy. The amount of people that will buy "any color as long as it's not red" always surprises ne

[@kevinclark485]

I 💯agree that they got rid of their best all a round creek and small lake yak, the Liska. That yak also had a lot of upgrade potential. Had a spot for a rear hatch, rudder, etc.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

It was my favorite for sure

[@tommytangle3392]

You didnt mention the Journey 14, I think thats their longest boat! Im about to drive 6 hours away to get one, they are really hard to find here in Canada and I dont imagine it will get much easier. I wish they had a few more touring/rec options because aside from the Tupelo thats about it. Other competitors have 3-5 boats in the 10'-14' range. Im probably in the minority but I like the idea of them having a few different new colors cycled every year. It gives everyone the chance to have something unique; and I believe their color schemes are the best out there (prism is my fav).

[@kevinclark485]

I would love to see the Cuda HD come back minus the center console between the legs. I agree they need a good throw and go creek boat. But they also need a good speed paddle yak for open water. The cuda HD fits that spot. But the center console needs to go so there is open deck space. I ended up buying a Nucanoe Pursuit because I couldn’t get a new Cuda HD. I would rather have a Jackson Kayak product but one wasn’t available.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

It's was a good one for sure

[@joshsiock3813]

i could not agree more with the need for more paddle yaks....ive been in a jackson since the cuda 14 came out... i have had 7 diffrent jacksons.. i think it was a huge miss to discontinue the mayfly.. the mayfly with the seating system and seat hight of the new jacksons would be a homerun... make a few updates to the old mayfly and i think it would sell if ppl realize how good that thing was and how veratile that unit is

[@thebeardedpaddler]

I think that's what Jackson did with the Coosa X. The Coosa X is basically the Coosa HD and the Mayfly combined together.

[@timothysexton7621]

Hi i am trying to decide between coosa pd and knarr pd. I will be taking a test ride in April. Has anyone have any thoughts or experience between the two? Why go with one or the other. Thanks

[@thebeardedpaddler]

I actually like the Coosa FD. The Knarr is a little faster but the Coosa FD is more stable and I like the overall layout a little better

[@kenreiner259]

Im a beginner at kayaking and looking for a very stable kayak to start out on. I have been looking at Jackson Bite, Perception Outlaw and Old Town Sportsman 106. All seem to be decent kayaks. Any advice you could give on which one or an order from 1 to 3, would be best for a beginner for fishing? Wanting a 10 to 11ft to fit in back of truck so these seemed really good per your and others posts. Thank you.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

The Bite will be very stable but still decent paddling through the water. And the open deck space makes it great for fishing. The Sportsman will paddle better but not quite as stable as the Bite or the Outlaw. Not as much space either. The Outlaw is the most stable kayak on the list and has some nice fishing features built into it. It is the slowest paddling on list by far. If that's not a big deal to you it may be worth it though.

[@kenreiner259]

@@thebeardedpaddler Thank you so much for your feedback. I was leaning towards the Jackson Bite and found a shop that has a nice one in stock and I bit. LOL Picking the Bite up and looking forward for some nice weather to put it in the water. Thank you again !!

[@Ozzypup1]

I had a Jackson kayak a couple years ago and it was pretty nice. Got it as a demo boat so got a good price on it. The reason I havent bought another one is because they really only tend to offer bigger heavier fishing kayaks. And the prices are kinda high compared to other companies. Say like some of the native or crescent kayaks you can pickup. They also dont offer any type of lower cost pedal drive kayaks like a lot of other companies do to help bring people to the brand. I dunno maybe they only want to sell to the high end clients?

[@thebeardedpaddler]

The pedal drive units from Jackson are actually premium compared to a lot of other brands. In my opinion, they really need to shrink down the pedal drive models and get better paddle options. I think the Bite at $2699 is a pretty good value

[@coltgriffin6502]

I live in Arkansas also and am looking for a used Bite, Yupik, or something similar. I don’t like the console between your legs on a lot of kayaks out there. I am looking for something that won’t be overly big to fish both slow moving creeks/rivers and small lake fishing. Would you choose the Yupik over the Bite? Stability and comfort is more important than speed but I don’t want a barge either. This will be my first kayak and I’m stressing myself out over what to go with. Haha. Appreciate any feedback. Love the content. Also if there’s any videos comparing the bite or Yupik to similar models out there feel free to point me in the right direction.

[@coltgriffin6502]

I’m also 5’8 230lbs if that helps. Also, I’m not going to be camping or taking a ton of gear w me when I go. 3-4 rods and tackle will probably be about it. Maybe a small ice chest for longer days. I do want to be able to catfish out of whatever I choose.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Yupik is one of my favorites. The Bite is nice if you want to go a little shorter at 11'6" and is a really nice value. They are both very similar but the weight is something I would say you need to pay attention to if you are going solo.

[@mikeherron5019]

I have a coosa hd use it saltwater and rivers of sc love it

[@thebeardedpaddler]

It was a great kayak

[@EKB_RC]

What about the bite fd? I’m really like the looks of the layout but I don’t see a lot of content about the bite fd is it worth the price tag or is it punching above its weight ?

[@thebeardedpaddler]

I did one of the Bite FD. It's a great option and probably one of the best for rivers and lakes both.

[@bcp5296d]

Would you not recommend the bite fd for inlets and inshore?

[@edwardmorgan3851]

Few people can afford a $3500 kayak and ever fewer people can afford to upgrade every couple years or so . I’ve owned several brands over the years … My personal favorite pedal yak was the Hank Parker Hobie outback … My Favorite Paddle yak was a Native Manta Ray 14 and then the Jackson Cuda … My next and Last yak will be the Nu-Canoe Pursuit ..

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Solid choice!

[@Bassinwithjesse]

Bite FD needs to get rid of bungee webbing and add some lidded boxes like other boats in its price range.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Bite has always been in open deck space that most people want in kayaks lately. If you want the hatch storage all of the other pedal drives in their lineup have them

[@mitchellm5855]

Kilroy for the win!

[@thebeardedpaddler]

100%

[@PhotoBob]

There is a large market of fishermen that want to get into kayaks but aren't in the 4k market. That market is for the tournament guys or advanced hobbyist. MOST fisherman want a throw and go option that is easy to store, transport, and is versatile. When the Outlaw came out, myself and a lot of ppl I talk to on fishing forums, jumped on it. It was a fishing specific kayak, well thought out, easy to mod, had a line of accessories, is stable, and a great price. If Jackson would update the Bite to something similar at $999 I think they would have a winner. Ive only been on one Bite but if I remember it paddled significantly better than my Outlaw. a feature rich, better fishing designed Bite is something I would buy.

[@williammiller735]

Well said. Thank you.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

The Bite is one of the most versatile fishing kayaks out there and one of the best selling. I'm not sure they need to change the Bite but building off its success in another model may be the best option for them. Great feedback!

[@PhotoBob]

@@thebeardedpaddler “best selling” is key! If it’s selling don’t touch it lol.

[@ChrisJones-fm6wp]

@@thebeardedpaddler The only thing the Bite needs is a two position seat. I use mine everywhere from creeks/rivers to even some offshore fishing.

[@ChrisJones-fm6wp]

I tried both. The Bite is much better to paddle (I'm convinced the Outlaw was designed to be used with a trolling motor) and I have no complaints about rigging. I've got slots at the forward bulkhead for horizontal rod storage, two vertical rod holders, 4 slots to carry plano boxes that holds all the tackle I'd realistically ever need, and tons of deck space for crates, coolers, and battery boxes. I'd say both kayaks are equal in difficulty for modding.

[@Marks.wildlifephotography]

The knarr was a fail for Jackson so they brought the Big Rig back very quickly when they realized this. The Jackson “pro’s” that were given the Knarr went to the Take Two and begged to get the Big Rig back because they hated the Knarr. They will keep the Big Rig to compete with the Titan X and similar kayaks and dump the Knarr which was designed to compete with Hobie Pro Anglers. Jackson made a mistake trying to make a kayak to compete with Hobie instead of kayaks like the Titan X. Hope it wasnt a costly mistake they can recover from!!

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Going to be interesting for sure.

[@imperialwhovian3461]

Why did they hate it? It looks like a overall improvement to the big rig

[@MysticalDragon73]

The coosa x is by far my favorite boat, followed by the bite I need haul alot of gear, chainsaws fuel winches many times. Ive not had my big rig out since getting the coosa x. The good thing with jacksons is the capacity and ratings are accurate, Unlike bonafide which should NEVER be supported.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

They are even conservative in my opinion on the capacity. I love the Coosa X. It's lacking in some areas for a skinny river kayak BUT flourishes in areas that many other kayaks fall short. That can be said about any of them though. Great feedback as always Dragon!

[@MysticalDragon73]

@@thebeardedpaddler for sure. I've often put 550-600lbs into my coosa x, yet it still handles well loaded that heavily. My bite is a great scout boat that I can still toss a saw into if I need. The buckles on the straps for the seatback adjustment is a weak point though that they need to improve. I keep a couple nrs straps attached to it as a backup. However Jackson is good with their warranty of them.

[@robertuffman3041]

let's bring back the Tripper 10 with some fishing options on it.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

im game!

[@caleb4015]

Jackson needs to drop the price on the Knarr, Big Rig, and Coosa FD by $500-750 across the board to be competitive. Right now they are at Hobie prices in their categories and they are nowhere near the value that Hobie gives at that pricepoint. There is no reason to pick a Big Rig at $3,999 over a Titan X 12.5 for 3,599. The Coosa FD at $3,599 is competing with the Hobie Outback at nearly the same price with a much better track record and tons more features.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

I agree

[@KennethLittleFishing]

The titan is priced $1500 to much with it's flooded deck. To me, it's the worst platform on the market. Nobody wants wet feet. But I also think that Jackson and Hobie are over valued compared to the Old Town. Same amount of plastic with the most reliable drive on the market.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

@@KennethLittleFishing wet deck has been fixed on the Titan X

[@KennethLittleFishing]

@@thebeardedpaddler . I see. I haven't spoken with anyone personally but every video I've seen of a titan x, the deck has been flooded. Even their promo video from iCast. There's no doubt it's a great kayak, but wet feet are a no go for any kayak manufacturer.

[@caleb4015]

@@KennethLittleFishing Old towns hulls are very dated and the old town drives are not as good as the Propel drives. Great platforms, but they are not as feature rich as a Hobie and its not even close when you are talking about non-motorized kayaks.

[@derekbushnell1309]

Don’t know much about the Jackson color duribility but the Hobie red really fades bad. Personally I like the red color but do not like the life span of the color.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

Time will tell. Red does fade. 306 protectant is the best thing for that

[@MysticalDragon73]

Never had a problem with fading on my boats. I don't store them in the sun though.

[@kevinteaford6694]

I bought my first Jackson Coosa HD several years ago as my first fishing kayak and fell in love with it. When I decided to get another kayak last spring, of purchased the Coosa X thinking it would perform as well. I was wrong! The Coosa X is not stable on the small streams and rivers that I fish in central Ohio. It is too bulky and does not respond or track well. 2024 will test the performance of the Crescent Shoalie and I have all the confidence that @drewgregory got it right again!

[@thebeardedpaddler]

If you think that the Coosa X is not stable you are really going to hate the Shoalie in my opinion. Just my 2 cents

[@ChrisFunktheFeralOne]

@@thebeardedpaddler i was thinking the same..... the X is stable as a driveway and honestly can spin 180 with ONE paddle sweep as well as track with a small seat adjustment forward.... I know I am biased, but other than weight, there is nothing about that boat that isn't awesome.....

[@perfectleveladventurefishi619]

good info... i wanta say jackson yaks cost too much!

[@bearbuchanan8341]

this is MrBear hudson fl. ? why ( nothing against you or chad and the other fresh water guys ) why arnt there more peaple like you giveing use the detaild imfow that you do about salt water kayaks / kayak fishing . we the salt water guys and gals that fish are meny, and suport the salt water side of it and dont get the aculades that and atention that yall do. sory for the rant i just think more imfo should be out there for the salt water side of things thanks for what yall do stay safe.

[@thebeardedpaddler]

I'm pretty far inland and don't give a lot of attention due to where I'm at. There are some really great content guys that do fish in saltwater though. Great feedback. Your rant is always welcome here

[@elizabethz569]

90% of fishing is already tailored to the salt water fishermen here on the Gulf Coast. Tarpon Outfitters has an abysmal selection of freshwater baits etc. There are plenty of saltwater kayak anglers on KZbin. I suggest you seek them out. 👍

[@bearbuchanan8341]

as far as salt water kayak anglers .yes i watch what helps and i like them for ther content but thay do not get down and dirty and in depth about kayaks such as you do.even chad is begining to sound like a seller insted of a fisher man. i was looking for some one on the salt waterside to step up and do the brillant job you do thanks again.@@elizabethz569