KAYAK REVIEWS Journey 14 by Jackson

he design criterion for the Journey was to create a boat that would allow a beginner to Tbe confident while learning proper skills and not become bored once those skills were acquired. I wanted to make sure that the Journey was stable enough for some- one getting into a boat for the first time but that it also had the ability to get on edge and carve turns. This combination is key to having a kayak that advances kayaking skills and one that an experienced paddler can also enjoy. The Journeys (13.5 and 14) are offered with an optional SmartTrack rudder/foot brace system, but due to the boat’s ability get on edge and to nicely carve turns, the beginner needs to use the rudder not as a crutch but as a tool to fit the situation. Based on the number of instructors who are now teaching out of the Journey and using the Journey as the go-to boat for students, we feel our first foray into the touring market has met its goal. –Tony Lee, Jackson R&D

Reviewers Length overall 13' 11 1⁄2" SR: 5' 11", 160-pound male. Day trip. Winds to 15 knots. Wind Volume 15.1 cu. ft. waves to 2 feet. Cargo, 50 pounds. Beam 25 1⁄8" 7 GL: 5' 11", 165-pound male. Day trips and an overnight Cockpit size 16" x 32 ⁄8" Cockpit coaming height outing. Wind to 12 knots, chop less than 1 foot. Cargo, Forward 12" over 50 pounds. Aft 8 5⁄8" MN: 6' 0", 220-pound male. Day trip. Wind to 12 knots, waves Height of seat 1" less than 1 foot except clapotis at 1 ½ feet. No cargo. Weight 63 lbs.

The Review vantage while paddling with my knees First Glance pumping. The freedom of movement Jackson Kayak’s rotomolded Journey 14 “has a lot in the seat allowed me to add some hip of volume fit into its 14-foot length” (MN) and has rotation. I liked the seat a lot” (MN). “some edges that make it look slimmer and lon- “The padded plastic back band is ex- ger despite its full volume. The hull and deck felt cellent, conforming to every twist and firm everywhere, although the hull oil-canned a turn and easily allowing for laybacks. bit when cinched down for cartopping” (GL). At It can be easily adjusted via a couple of 63 pounds, the Journey is “pretty heavy for a solo lines and cleats located up front above shoulder carry but not uncomfortable” (SR). “The the thigh braces” (GL). The thigh braces boat balances well on the shoulder, but I opted to are “set wide on coaming flanges and use a cart for the carry to the water” (MN). generously padded with fabric-cover Fit and Outfitting foam. The contour of the deck makes a The “large keyhole will accommodate pretty much curved recess for my knees. I got used to anybody; just be sure to bring your largest . the splay quickly and liked the solid con- Seated entry and exit is easy with enough room to nection with the boat. I could comfort- bring both legs in at the same time. The deck height ably with my legs disengaged from did not interfere with strokes or rolling” (SR). the thigh braces and using some leg drive “I had room to spare for size-13 booties. The height to get some hip-rotation power” (MN). and breadth of the foredeck meant brushing my The SmartTrack foot pedals are “solid hands on the deck if I let my stroke get low” (MN). and perfectly positioned, with a gas-pedal “Anglers or photographers will have the extra room rudder control: excellent, well-located so they may need to stow gear in the cockpit” (GL). The you don’t have to curl your toes to move the plastic seat pan has an inflatable pad secured by Vel- rudder. The pedal adjustment is very handy, cro patches. “Once adjusted to your form it is quite with an easy-to-reach rod. The rudder has a comfortable” (SR). “The inflation tube makes it easy single line to pull to deploy and then springs to put some air in the pad before getting aboard (the back on deck when released. It works well, but tube is too short to use effectively while in the kayak). sometimes the spring didn’t respond quickly to After I was seated I bled air out until I felt the begin- put the blade back onto the park slot. The kayak nings of some contact with the seat pan. The seat was handles nicely without the rudder, so unless you amazingly comfortable—marshmallow soft with no have a specific reason for it (like photography), I’d pressure points. There is a fair bit of movement in the say save the money and weight and go without” pad because the upper surface is not in full contact (GL). SR noted there was “minimal drag from this with the lower surface. I found that this was an ad- slim rudder and it added needed tracking.”

August 2012 | Sea Kayaker 11 The recessed deck fittings anchor “grab BEST FEATURES lines fore and aft and bungees for chart case. A spare paddle can be secured on the • Cockpit comfort fore or aft decks, a nice feature for a short • Maneuverability boat. The shock cord behind cockpit works TO IMPROVE for paddle self-rescue” (GL). • Weight Stability and Maneuverability The Journey’s initial stability was rated stress. Top sprint speed “very solid” (SR), “high” (GL) and “ex- was 5.6 knots. Much cellent” (MN). Secondary stability was, better than I would ex- respectively, “very solid and deeper than pect from a wide, short anticipated,” “moderately high” and “ex- boat.” GL “got up to cellent, a real wall to lean on for edging.” hull speed with moder- Overall it’s “a stable-feeling kayak—a ate effort and couldn’t great choice for fishing or photography” drive it faster. Still, it’s The inflatable seat drew praise for exceptional comfort. (GL). “In rough water the stability pro- fast enough for a group pace of 3 to 3.5 (GL). The forward compartment was dry file is remarkable. I sat in the middle of a knots.” MN “logged an easy cruising pace for all reviewers. GL and SR reported a zipper-line of clapotis with the paddle at of 4.25 knots, an exercise pace of just bit of leaking aft: “a couple tablespoons” chest level and let the waves come at the shy of 5 knots and a sprint speed of 5.75 (GL); for MN it was “dry after rolling and Journey from all sides. It kept its footing knots. I thought that was pretty good for rescue drills.” The small day hatch has a even when solid water washed over the a 14-foot kayak.” fabric bag suspended inside the aft com- spray deck” (MN). For SR, in “wind waves and container partment. The bulkheads are foam sealed The Journey’s “tracking is good with ship waves to 3.5 feet,” the Journey was with caulking. or without rudder, with some yaw” (GL). “fun to surf and easy to control. The flat With 50 pounds of cargo aboard, SR “On flat water the Journey tracked well hull aided in the planing effect even when “noticed minimal effect from the ad- at all speeds with the rudder retracted. It moving relatively slow. I couldn’t re- dition of gear. Tracking may have im- responded superbly to edged turns. Very ally bury the bow, and despite the decent proved marginally.” For GL, with a simi- little paddle pressure is necessary to initiate wind, didn’t get sprayed at all.” lar load, “the Journey settles in nicely, a turn. Once the Journey starts to turn it Rolling and Rescue with very good handling, great stability continues to carve a snappy sharp turn— The Journey was “easy to roll, including and low windage.” high marks for maneuverability” (MN). laybacks, with good support from thigh The Bottom Line SR found the Journey “really wants to braces, hip pads and firm foot pedals. Re- “Jackson intended to make a better per- weathercock. It required a lot of lean and entry and roll was quite easy” (GL). Wet forming rec boat that could cross over corrective strokes in wind. The rudder ne- exit and reentry was “so easy it was fun” into more expedition-type uses. I would gated the effect, however.” GL noted only (SR). “The pump and dump surprised say they nailed it. Very stable, surpris- a “slight weathercocking that required me. The Journey didn’t go up; I went ingly fast and easy to cruise. I would some paddle-stroke correction. Merely down. I had to get the bow twisted a bit, consider owning one. It also should leaning back seemed to work as well, so not so easy with the one-handed pump- accommodate different size paddlers balancing the load with a bit more weight and-dump method, to get the coaming to with its ease of adjustment” (SR). “An in the stern would be all that’s needed” break the suction” (MN). especially good choice for anglers, bird- (GL). MN also noted “weight had an ef- Cruising watchers or photographers, the Journey fect on the weathercocking. I noticed the There is “great stowage, with a week or is a confidence builder and a stable and weathercocking if I leaned forward as I more easily doable. On my overnighter, the maneuverable craft that will also haul often do when paddling into the wind. Sit- kayak proved a no-brainer to pack” (GL). plenty of gear for short-mileage, multi- ting up straight fixed that.” “The high decks mean deep cargo com- day outings” (GL). For MN “it was an Speed and Surf partments. A bulky sleeping bag would slip able performer on the water. Comfort- SR found the Journey “surprisingly quick. easily into either compartment” (MN). able to sit in, fast enough for everyday It gets up to cruising speed without much The three hatch covers are all tethered paddling and exceptionally stable and effort and cruised at 3.5 knots without and “worked well—easy on and off” maneuverable. It was a nice surprise.”

MANUFACTURER’S RESPONSE We are pleased with your review. I would like to respond to the issue of shrinks to different degrees. If the hatch rim is molded into the kayak, weight to dispel any thoughts of poor or lazy design. To the contrary, we that too is susceptible to the same variable shrinking and a poor fit. The were rather focused. When we started out designing the Journey series Journey has exceptional outfitting, focused on comfort, performance and we demoed almost every 14-foot transitional or light-touring kayak we control. It has our world-famous whitewater outfitting of hip pads, thigh could find. The result left us rather miffed at what these provided pads and our famous Sweet Cheeks—a wonderful beanbag seating for hull performance and edge control. They were primarily recreational system. Most every 14-foot kayak out today is arguably a recreational hulls with decks. We knew we found our niche, a 14-foot rock- kayak hull with little to no rocker. The contours and chines molded in are ered hull that paddled like a high-performance 16-footer and would be designed to strengthen the structure of the hull, but they create drag. For excellent for mild touring, rock-garden paddling and surfing. us, that’s not acceptable. We wanted fast top speed, and in order to have The Journey is built with injection-molded hatch rims, and while they are it, we had to remove those elements in order to maximize top and cruis- substantial at 4 pounds per installation, they allow for a perfect fit every ing speed. The smooth hull required a bit more resin for rigidity. time. Rotomolded kayaks shrink coming out of the oven and each color -Marty Cronin, Jackson Kayak

12 Sea Kayaker | August 2012 KAYAK REVIEWS Journey SPEED VS. RESISTANCE Manufacturing Data Resistance in pounds. Designed: 2009 Speed Winters/KAPER Broze/Taylor* Standard construction: Rotomolded cross- 2 knots 0.97 0.99 linked polyethylene Optional construction: 13.5’ version 3 knots 2.06 2.06 Standard features: Sweet Cheeks inflatable 4 knots 4.38 4.39 Righting/Heeling Moments (Fixed-weight) beanbag seat, hip pads, Sure-Lock back band, 4.5 knots 6.14 6.75 deck rigging, 3 hatches, SmartTrack foot braces, 50 5 knots 9.28 11.02 45 full coverage thigh braces, retracting grab handles, 6 knots 14.43 17.97 40 foam bulkheads 35 *Automated with the Gertler program by Robert Livingston Options: Rudder (reviewed) 30 Weight: 56 pounds without rudder, 60 pounds 25 with HYDROSTATICS 20 15 Price: $1,149 without rudder; $1,379 with Smart- pounds Foot Waterline length 12' 11.4" 10 Track rudder Waterline beam 23.2" 5 Availability: See website for a list of dealers 0 Manufacturer: Jackson Kayak, 931-738-2628, Draft 4.8" 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 [email protected], www. jacksonkayak.com Prismatic coefficient 0.56 Degrees of Heel Wetted surface in sq. ft. 21.25 Stability Curves* TECH TALK: Readers interested in the full Center of buoyancy 50.5% — 150 lb. paddler, no cargo set of hydro­statics can find them posted on — 200 lb. paddler, no cargo (Hydrostatics calculated with a 250-pound load.) our website at www.seakayakermag.com — 150 lb. paddler, 100 lb. cargo along with additional data. An explanation of — 200 lb. paddler, 100 lb. cargo

the terms and procedures used in the kayak *Formula revised December 2009. (Not comparable with test program is also available on the site. stability graphs generated prior to December 2009.)

1 year: US: $23.95 USD Canada: $25.95 USD Other countries: $33.95 USD www.seakayakermag.com

August 2012 | Sea Kayaker 13