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BIGGER THRILLS. PHOTO: KAYDI PYETTE


SHORTER BOAT,


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 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 de- veloping 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 Sym- posium, it was clear Jackson had found the right man for the job. Earlier this year, pro- totype testing 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 Jackson’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.


40 PADDLING MAGAZINE “For years relatively few whitewater


thrill-seekers have considered the ocean as a genuine alternative,” Morley notes. Recently, however, new boat designs and rough water events “have helped to stimu- late 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. Aiming into a bulldozing beach break


or down the meat of a local class III rapid, the rockered bow pops over the waves and punches through the troughs. When surf- ing, that same rocker keeps the bow on the surface and maintains the Karma RG’s ex- cellent maneuverability, perfect for carving back and forth on the face of a wave. Quick acceleration and hull speed are critical to catching waves, matching the


Jackson Karma RG Length: 11 ft 10 in Width: 25 in Weight: 58 lbs Max Capacity: 325 lbs Price: $1,249 www.jacksonkayak.com


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.


pace of swell to line up a pour-over, or touring down the coast to access rock gar- dens and remote beaches. Morley and the Jackson team worked hard to balance ma- neuverability and speed, and the Karma RG seems to have an ideal blend. It holds a course well—drop the skeg to aid tracking on longer crossings or in pushy currents— yet is easily recovered if you get off-line mid feature. Outfitting and sturdy polyethylene lay-


up are straight out of Jackson’s whitewater boats. Rather than foot pegs or pedals, a solid, foam block forms a comfortable, safe bracing surface and is infinitely adjustable with a cleat mounted on the below-deck center pillar. No forward bulkhead means you’ll want to use a flotation bag in the bow. A nine-inch round hatch on the stern deck accesses a dry storage area with space for carefully packed overnights. Perimeter decklines were conspicuously absent from our demo boat, but can be quick- ly retrofitted into the existing deck rigging. “The Karma RG is not a sea kayak in


the traditional sense,” says Morley. It’s not intended for extended touring with all the camping comforts, or for cranking out miles on flatwater. But if you love nosing into nooks, crannies and river eddies, this could be the boat you’ve been waiting for. —Virginia Marshall


DIGITAL EXTRA: Watch a video review at


Rapidmedia.com/0228 or check out the Apple or Android editions of Adventure Kayak.


This article first appeared in the Summer/Fall 2014 issue of Adventure Kayak.


INSET PHOTOS: VIRGINIA MARSHALL


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