INSIDE OUT
SHORTER BOAT, BIGGER THRILLS.
PHOTO: KAYDI PYETTE
Sweet Cheeks
The Karma cockpit is comfortable and supportive, with a sliding seat to adjust trim, contoured backband and aggressive thigh braces.
Grab and Go
Oversized grab handles behind the cockpit are handy for rescuers or a swimmer riding on the back deck. Steel bars here and on the front deck provide secure anchor points for towing and extractions.
THE KARMA RG By Jackson Kayak
When I met acclaimed rough water coach, expedition paddler and surf kayak champion Sean Morley at a symposium last fall and he told me about an ocean play boat he was devel- oping with Jackson Kayak, I was intrigued. Based in Tennessee, Jackson is best known for making whitewater freestyle kayaks, but they’ve also successfully tapped into the kayak fishing, recreational and, most recently, light touring markets. Witnessing Morley toss a Jackson Kayak Journey—a 14-foot touring model with a rudder—around a boat-swallowing tidal rapid at the Bay of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium,
64 | ADVENTURE KAYAK
it was clear Jackson had found the right man for the job. Earlier this year, prototype test- ing began on the Karma RG.
The RG in the Karma name stands for Rock Garden or River Guide, reflecting this radical-looking kayak’s versatility for playing in salt- and freshwater. Sharing the same planing hull and conspicuous rocker as Jack- son’s Karma Unlimited creek racing kayak, the RG is well-suited to expeditions on high- volume whitewater. With added features for ocean environments and multi-day tours, it’s also ideal for rock gardening, surfing and coastal exploration.
In “Oceans of Whitewater,” a series of blog posts devoted to playing the sea, Mor- ley writes of the growing numbers of pad- dlers using whitewater kayaks and shorter sea kayaks to engage with the ocean in non-traditional ways.
“For years relatively few whitewater thrill-seekers have considered the ocean as a genuine alternative,” Morley notes. Re- cently, however, new boat designs and rough water events “have helped to stimulate that interest by offering classes in ocean surfing and rock garden play specifically for paddlers using shorter kayaks.”
The Karma RG looks more like a stretched whitewater boat than a short sea kayak. The flat-bottomed hull and flared sidewalls give it superb stability whether you’re skating over pour-overs, carving waves or tackling your very first bit of bumpy water.
INSET PHOTOS: VIRGINIA MARSHALL
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