[img]img.php?what=photos&which=6287&h=200[/img]Photo: Jackson: Prototyp of the new Fun 2010 (pic 6287)

Jackson: Prototyp of the new Fun 2010

I'm a newbee and this is a first post...

Does anyone know anything about the 2010 Jackson Fun? I'm curious about the volume, among other things. I'm brand new to kayaking (167lbs and 5'10" and age 62). The local shop is steering me toward the 4fun I think because I am a beginner and because I said 60% of my motivation is river running (mild, class I-II). I didn't disagree with extra volume over the Fun but the 4fun felt, no question, too big.

I'm an avid kiteboarder/kitesurfer. I've wanted to try white water kayaking over the years but there have always been other distractions. The extent of my playboat interest is to explore what it is about and cool off on summer days when the wind doesn't blow. The concept of "play" (literally) interests me, but I doubt I would ever be attempting to achieve tricks that involve heavy water and have names attached. However, I'm obsessed with freestyle kiteboarding and continue pushing the envelope with significant-consequence-level jumps, loops, rotations and transitions (I call it my "program").

I've rambled a little here but I guess this is a post so it doesn't have to involve just a question I suppose. Looking for thoughts from others who have jumped into a play/river runner type kayak in spite of being brand new to the sport as well as experienced paddlers with sage advice.

I pretty much learnt all I knew as a beginner to where I am now (intermediate) in a jackson fun. This boat is great its really stable you always feel in control, as a nervous paddler when i started out it was great and continued to be great until I upgraded to a playboat in April. It is an allrounder though, at the moment I think there is a girl heading to worlds using this kayak as her playboat and while I never used it for any form of playing I can imagine it doing that well to.

As for the 2010 models, jackson kayaks have only got better over the years and i have no doubt whatsoever that this kayak will perform better than any fun so far. The one thing i will say though, which i noticed from the picture above the tail (don't know the proper word? bow or stern?) looks very similiar to the one on the jackson star. On previous funs the tail was rounded and stuck up out od the water. I havent seen the 2010 in water so i dont know about that, but purely from that i would think its aimed more towards playing know.

But there is nothing wrong with that, since i have got my playboat ive used it for the same rivers i would have run in the fun.

I think for a beginner the fun would be perfect because it runs rivers really well and it plays well too. I know your saying you'll never attempt tricks but its early days yet for you and you'll be surprised. I've yet to learn any tricks but im definitely looking forward to it!!

The last thing i'll say is when i was picking my kayak a person with alot of experience gave me some help. She told me that river running playboats as there called are generally crap and don't do either well so if you want something go the whole way, but i paddled the fun for nearly four years and i dont have one complain and i spent most by time above the water as opposed to in it.
I hope this helps.

Sarah