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Super Star

 
3.9 (5)
32635   0   1   0   0  
 
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Super Star - 2053_1781_1275290107

Short Facts

Brand
Jackson Kayak

325 Iris Dr.
Sparta
TN 38583
USA

Phone: +1 931-657-3530



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Model Year
Intended Paddling Environment
Designer
EJ
Type
Construction & Material

Stats

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What makes a great freestyle boat? Amplitude in aerial moves, balanced ends, speed and carving, on waves, and lightweight for lightning fast moves.

How is this different from a river running playboat? The river running ability is certainly less due to lack of rocker, lower edges, and difficulty in keeping the ends out of the water. The playboating tends to take a little more focus to stay on top of it. The ends go faster and they pearl easier. However, the top end is higher. Bigger and faster moves are enough motivation to make those paddling on easier rivers or doing park and play go for a full on freestyle boat. The All-Star is just that. Short, fast, balanced, and super for carving up any wave it is nimble and explosive. The hull and deck come together for the best of both the wave and hole moves. Your playboating will take a leap forward in the Super Star.



Fits up to 38” inseam size 14 shoe.

User reviews

5 reviews

Overall rating 
 
3.9
Design 
 
3.8  (5)
Perfomance 
 
4.4  (5)
Quality 
 
3.6  (5)
Value / Money 
 
3.8  (5)
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Overall rating 
 
4.5
Design 
 
4.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
4.0
Value / Money 
 
5.0

If you can get one for $300 or less and good shape I'd throw down those cash monies! Hopefully all of this has been useful. Good paddling;-)

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Hey there. I've been paddling for a solid season and an eighth. This may not sound long but considering I've been in the water from march to december and have well over a hundred(honestly have no idea!) days in the water this past season, I'd say I have enough lol. I was 240 lbs. season before last and was 200 lbs. when I stepped out of it at the end of the season. I'm 5'9". I try to paddle only class three but I ran two IVs. I ruled one and got trashed by the other. In terms of playboats I've paddled a about four different stars, a molan, and a riot inferno(Steve Fisher's throwback).
Pros / The Good
Considering the style of boat most people are into these days, this is a good one still! When I first saw this thing, I thought it was from the previous year. At first when I sat in it, I thought the bow was about a million miles long, but I enjoyed the leg room and how comfy the thigh pads were. I wasn't a huge fan of the inflated happy feet because of the play, but when I deflated it and cranked the backband I couldn't feel more comfortable and tight at the same time. The rails on this thing can make you carve than most skiers on mountains, yet the rounded side walls make the boat forgiving in most cases. The rounded sides add to pretty good secondary stability which is awesome for those beginners learning how to double pump and skulling braces. There is a shallow channel that runs down the center of the kyle that jackson discontinued that helped tracking a little bit, but not a enough to make a factor in the choice of this boat. This thing has a really slicey bow and stern compared to most boats of today. Just recently I've gotten decently regular at doing flatwater cartwheels. This thing is CRAZY durable. This past year there wasn't anything for water anywhere so It's been crawling about rocks all summer long. I also got it run over by a truck back and forth! It bent in quite a bit but popped out and didn't look like anything happened to it. The foam inside the stern was a little deformed for a little while, but STILL!
Cons / The Bad
It's mildly annoying that I have to pull my shorts over my hips because the ropes on the backband give me really bad rope burn(which is a strange thing not to change even in the rockstars these days). I'm a beginner to playboating but my spins are suffering and I want to attribute it to the rails(doesn't have a stepdown prior to rail like new boats). The boat doesn't quite have the centralized volume for super stability but still very stallable. This thing definitely takes a bit more to throw around like those medium sized boats, but technique still gets you there. This thing is made out of crosslinked plastic which doesn't weld... or at least easily. I've heard that you may be able to weld it with a precision temperatured tool that can keep the plastic between 405-425. I hear it curls and burns otherwise. Despite the disadvantages, this is a pretty darned solid boat.
Recommend
Yes
Was this review helpful to you? 
(Updated: July 22, 2008)
Overall rating 
 
5.0
Design 
 
5.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
5.0
Value / Money 
 
5.0

Comfy boat simple but good outfitting

About the reviewer

i'm 6ft4 and just getting into playboating.

Test environment

wales, small river grade 2 water. croyde (devon) surfing.

Review

I'm 6ft4 and i was suprised when i managed to fit into this boat. it's extremely comfy and roomy, simple outfitting no fannying around with ratchets just simple draw cords. the bean bag seat makes paddling a very comfortable experience and the Happy feet footbag is an ingenious idea that works really well.

the boat handles well, is very quick to paddle and turns on a dime. easy to roll with or without a paddle.

good going down river but like most playboats you can't travel far!!

on the surf its exceptional. sticks to the wave with minimal paddling required and is very easy to control.

Conclusion

excellent boat, love it!!!!

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: england, wales and croyde (devon)
Age: 18
Weight: 104 kgs
Was this review helpful to you? 
(Updated: August 31, 2007)
Overall rating 
 
4.3
Design 
 
4.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
4.0
Value / Money 
 
4.0

Great Design, crappy outfitting

About myself



I've been paddling for 3 years and just got into playboating. I'm working on aerial moves, but have the basics down pretty well.

About the test environment


Ocoee, Nantahala, over 100 hours flatwater teaching kayaking

Review


First off, this boat is entirely too big for me at 180lbs. It certainly made learning cartwheels a bit tougher than necessary. Bow stalls put my center of gravity too far out of the water for much control. Despite these shortcoming, there is a tradeoff- River running and big air. River running is much easier than my previous boat, the Wavesport Ace 5.1, a river running playboat. I don't have the problem of unintentional stern squirts in fast water. The SS is also not very edgy, so it takes a bit more screwing up to get window shaded surfing or flipped when floating a river. This boat is super wide with high edges, causing me to frequently bust my thumb. Even at 6'2", I have to move the seat up very far to get a good balance for play. I like to keep it a little further back for running. That is where the biggest problem arises- with the '04 outfitting. Ratchets behind the seat are a huge pain to adjust on the water, and slip a lot. The happy feet is nice, tight and warm, but again requires a lot of adjustment to get it right. Its also hard to use with full booties on. All that goes away when Im on Hells Hole. A low rocker, wide tail gives some speed on the wave while 60 gallons of volume gives great launching, even for a noob to air moves like me. The air I got, sometimes accidently, was more than enough for someone my size w/ more skills to do whatever they please. Its also not hard to roll considering its width.

Conclusion


This particular model of boat has some room for improvement, mostly outfitting. I would highly recommend it to someone around 190-210 and up to 6'4. The happy feet are a definate compromise- comfort and performance w/ a huge hassle factor. I would prefer foam. The backband just sucks. If you want to drop a few benjamins in outfitting or don't mind a little hassle, this is the boat for you- otherwise save them for the extra paid for an 07

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: Ocoee, Nantahala
Age: 21
Weight: 81.6 kgs
Was this review helpful to you? 
(Updated: February 17, 2007)
Overall rating 
 
2.8
Design 
 
3.0
Perfomance 
 
2.0
Quality 
 
3.0
Value / Money 
 
3.0

superstar..mmmm

About myself


awreet, im a boater that lives in south west scotland and i enjoy big rivers in small boats. i have paddled in the alps, hope to paddle in norway during the summer and uganda next summer if my plans come together.

About the test environment


i tested the jackson superstar firstly on the alt kinglass a tributery to the orchy. and then the pattack. and then four season white water course at teeside.

Review


as a paddler of the 4 fun another jackson boat and being in love with it i was expecting big things from the superstar. paddling straight on to a grade 4 ish river was probably not the best plan i've ever had but the star made it really bad. i was backloped twice before the main fall and headed backward only the cries of my paddling buddies urged me into the smallest of eddies at the top. i wasent amused. however on the pattack i was very happy soaking up the river and every drop with ease. however the teeside courese made my mind up, to get rid of the boat.

Conclusion


For me the boat is unbalanced, too bulky and way too much volume. im not a small guy but chucking the boat around wasn't easy by any means. i would give the boat about 2 1/2 out of 5. not too hot

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: all over scotland
Age: 20
Weight: 93 kgs
Was this review helpful to you? 
(Updated: May 30, 2005)
Overall rating 
 
3.0
Design 
 
3.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
2.0
Value / Money 
 
2.0

Star performer, horrible outfitting

About myself


I have been paddling for less than a year, but with the playpark in my back yard I am able to paddle almost everyday.

About the test environment


I took it to the Reno Whitewater park at medium flows and on the North Fork of the American

Review


This is a review of a '04 model, not the newer '05 ones.
The boat performs on any feature, small or large and really does well in a hole and feels loose on a wave. It is a little slower than the other boats out there, but I found it was a pretty good compromise between speed and all around performance.
It fit me size wise and room was not an issue. Down river performance was very good and did not feel grabby. It was easy to roll and the one thing i really like about Jackson Kayaks is the way my knees fit.

The outfitting does suck. The design does save weight, but I wonder if it can't be improved upon.
The hip pads are horrible and could not be shaved, i could only add shims, and they were just the wrong shape for my body. I could only sit in the boat for 30 minute intervals becuase my legs fell alseep and my hips would hurt.
The footbag is ghetto. I hated having to re-inflate the bag every time i got in and out. The old back band kept braking and was too low on my back and as a result, i kept falling out of my seat. To be fair the new '05 boats have a better adjustable back band and better hip pads and a retro-fit kit is offered for a fee on the '04 boats.

Conclusion


The Star series is a great boat and a super performer, but the outfitting is another question and when you factor in the price of 1000 dollars???
Again to be fair alot of these outfitting problems i had, have been addressed in the newer models.

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: Reno, Nevada
Age: 28
Weight: 90.7 kgs
Was this review helpful to you? 

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