Exercise good judgment and, as always, try to test paddle with an actual gear load. The boat seems well capable of handling the intended 550 pounds, but your experience may vary. With two hefty yellowtail on board along with a full bait tank, half a dozen rods and way too much tackle, his Kraken isn’t burdened or low in the lively water. “There can be a lot of variables in how a kayak carries weight, starting with the kayaker himself and how the load is placed into or on the kayak,” Sammons adds. Sammons routinely loads his Kraken right up to or even beyond 400 pounds, without any noticeable impact. Weight capacity rating varies considerably from company to company – there’s no industry standard. He has the large flip-forward center hatch open to ice that nice yellowtail. Here’s a look at Jim’s new office, the Kraken cockpit. In fishing we may change the way we look at things, mostly because many of our market are fisher persons first, paddlers second,” he says. In fishing its a bit different, but we want to ensure that the buyer knows that anything over the listed capacity starts to change the way the boat runs. “We come from a whitewater background where if you are over the boat’s performance levels, your day is greatly affected, and in whitewater that can be serious. Just after launch, Jackson listed the capacity at a controversial 400 pounds. The design aimed for a 550-pound capacity. “You want a quick kayak, but you also need to carry a heavy load including a live bait tank and a big fish or two,” Sammons says. It takes effort to get going, but once there it gallops. Once you’re out of the hole the length comes into play,” Sammons says as he easily keeps pace with a competitor’s lighter kayak. ![]() The heaviest among its class of big water bruisers, Jackson lists the Kraken’s hull weight as 85 pounds, 110 fully loaded with the many factory standards (more on those later). It’s elevated above deck level, but not by much, preserving a low center of gravity. If I want more pop on the nose for a surf landing, I scoot back,” he says.Ĭomfy seat: Ignore the schoolie yellow Jim is releasing and focus on the Elite 3.0 Seat. “If I have a full bait tank, I can move my seat forward to balance the boat. Instead of adjusting vertically, it moves forward or aft – the adjustable trim feature Sammons has always wanted in one of his boats. It hovers just above the deck to provide the comfort of a soft mesh seat bottom while retaining a low center of gravity. Sammons is sitting in an ergonomically improved Elite 3.0 Seat too, but his is different. The Cuda, a multi-mode crossover, offers much more primary stability and a less streamlined nose more suitable for flat water and stand-up fishing. The impressive secondary might feel unstable to beginners but really settles down in rough water,” Sammons says as he powers onward. ![]() Look at the waterline – the Kraken doesn’t look overburdened. Upon release, the company conservatively rated it for 400. Weighty question: Jackson originally aimed for a 550-pound capacity. The Kraken is purpose-built to confidently punch surf and tackle nasty conditions while traveling fast and far. ![]() The models could scarcely behave more differently. The Kraken is something to see, a big bad boss of a high-volume boat with a swell-eating stride of nearly 16 feet, just 16 inches longer than Jackson’s Cuda 14 with the same maximum 30-inch width. The TV personality famous for big water exploits seen on The Kayak Fishing Show with Jim Sammons is navigating his battlecruiser confidently through the slop. It’s his dream kayak, designed in close cooperation with Jackson designer Tony Lee and product manager Damon Bungard. It’s only right – he’s sitting aboard his hotly anticipated signature series Jackson Kayak Kraken, a newly released offshore beast. Jim Sammons is looking right at home on an uncharacteristically snotty La Jolla ocean. The Kraken released: Jim Sammons’ co-designed offshore ‘yak arrived in late summer, just in time for The Kayak Fishing Show personality to test it against hard-fighting California yellowtail.
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