Opening this one up with the intent to document and share the boats continued progression with my usual style.
I just wanted to set the foundation with a photo, as I have in the past, and then add as the boat develops. The "basics" are completed and it is ready for the water but it will evolve beyond what is pictured here both inside and out.


PHOTO REMOVED

NoClassKayakAnglers strikes again

 Ill get this going from the relative beginning, but not the beginning of this boat purchase, but the start of my dealings with Jackson Kayak.
 My first Jackson purchase was the original Coosa. A boat that perfectly suited my river running interests. Jackson had just started offering the custom color requests and I went for it.
 The boat showed up and it was just as I had hoped for, except....It didn't pass my light test.
Upon inspection the light showed a failure in the roto-molding. Not enough plastic had come together in a high impact spot and the Jackson QA missed it. I took pictures, showed Jackson the flaw, and they recognized the fail. Try again JK.
 The next Coosa arrived and it was so far off from the requested colors that all I needed to say was
"Nice boat, Who's is it?"   Try again JK.
 The 3rd boat arrived and a fork-lift blade had pierced this kayak at the chine. While I was en route to pick up the third attempt, I got the call and the bad news. Fortunately I chose to do business with Headwaters and I trusted Dan's skills with torch and plastic as much as my own. By the time I had arrived Dan had made a repair that I decided was acceptable and I kept the boat.
While I loved the boat design and performance, I was far from impressed with Jackson.
  It wasn't long after that, I had the opportunity to paddle a Cuda for a week down in Baja.
While I did catch a few memorable fish, the Cuda was one of the worst paddling boats that I have ever been on. I think my Kopapa was more enjoyable. Some months later, Jim Sammons shows up at my place with a few other friends and they had a prototype that I was able to test paddle. The proto was a lot of boat for me but I liked the thoughts behind the design and it's intended application. When the original Kraken hit the market I was very interested but as with the proto, it was just too much boat for me.  When the 13.5 version hit I was really interested but wanted to watch and wait before making a purchase with a company that I didn't have a ton of faith in.

Jackson's red redemption

 When I finally decided that the Kraken 13.5 was going to be my next primary fishing boat, I knew that my preferred outfitter no longer supported Jackson products. I found a reasonably close WW outfitter that carried Jackson stuff and decided to pull the trigger. I knew it was risky, but decided to go with custom colors again and got a reasonable expected delivery date.
 Jackson delivered a undamaged and as requested kayak ahead of schedule.
Im not saying that there are not issues with the boat and I will cover these as this thread progresses, but all in all, I am pleased with the purchase.

Quote from: SlackedTide on June 12, 2019, 02:40:53 PM

Fly in a kayak with support modeling I am  Impressed... I need ur job..
 Looks Good 😊

The boat, the jet or the model?

Is that even a question ?

Stoked to follow your updates on this yak. Thank you for sharing.

It sure is purdy.

I have never appreciated brand graphics on my boats.
That goes 2 fold when its someones name and even worse when it's guys that I know.
The 2 Jackson models that I have are both "signature models".
Drew Gregory and Jim Sammons are guys that I would consider friends. Both have stayed in my home and are always welcome back. I still don't want their names on my kayak.
So, I cover them with stickers. The Coosa graphics are smaller and was easily covered with a Seahawks sticker. The Kraken graphic is more significant. I chose to use a highly reflective sheet sticker that I cut to fit. I am so pleased with how it came out, and the increased visibility for night fishing, that I am planning on applying small sections of the material down the length of the boat.

 I would use a 230 with a high angle blade. And speaking of blades....
I had to go with a smaller blade than what I would typically enjoy.
If I went with something like a Corryvreckan, I would struggle in the high position.
 Bow rudder, T-stroke, or even a strong sculling draw could pull me right off of the chair.

With the power source.

Wow, this is really pretty and awesome!  I never knew I needed to watch a custom kayak build! But I do.