2010 Jackson Allstar Review - More Than A Playboat

Folks, the boat really does make ALL the difference. But don't let them tell you one or the other is best -- you gotta test drive it for yourself and make your own determination. I guess you could say I'm a beginner play boater after 5 years of river running and doing ez surfing in a Wavesport Diesel. I wanted to graduate to a small boat and did in fact use a Wavesport EZG 50 for a season, but the uncomfortable outfitting made the boat unbearable. My legs were too long and feet were too big to get a good fit no matter how we rearranged the outfitting. Our local outfitter, Blue Mountain Outfitters in Marysville PA, brings demo boats to the winter roll practice sessions and I sat in a Jackson 2010 All star. The comfort of the sweet cheeks, happy feet and a little more space for big feet and knees was immediately noticeable -- even in such a tiny boat. I fell in love with the boat and wanted one. "But Jill, we run rivers and this is a playboat" my husband tells me. So I gave the idea up -- but still thought about the comfort every time I sat in other boats. This season I went on an all out search for a comfortable river running playboat with no luck. Nothing compared to the comfort of the Jackson All star. So I demoed the Allstar -- even after the outfitter said the boat is too big for me (It's really not - I'm 145 in a 130-180 weight range) and hubby kept telling me I didn't want a playboat to run rivers. We were sold in 15 minutes but hubby made me stay in the boat for at least ½ hour so I didn't experience the pain in my legs like I would in the EZG after that amount of time in the boat. ½ hour later - no pain. A roll was in order but I haven't tried since roll practice and I'm not a great roller. Tuck, snap and up - It rolled like a ball with ease. Very smooth and controlled. Wow. Hubby says, "let's go" and paddled away toward the takeout because he knew immediately that me rolling that easy sealed the deal. He was no longer skeptical about a play boat. The question remained; will it be ok for running a river? We took it into a local "practice" area to see how it would handle in heavier flow and I had no issues other a noticeable difference in attaining (it took more work), but this past weekend was the maiden voyage down a lesser-class river (II-III) and all I can say is amazing, absolutely amazing. There was no fear or apprehension to try waves and ferrying against pushier flow that I wouldn't have even thought about doing in the Diesel. The boat is ultra quick to turn and because of the roundness of the design, there are no edges for water to catch. And the few times I DID feel something catchy it didn't take much to snap and compensate for the grabby water and prevent a roll under. Even in the Ledges wave (a popular play wave), I thought for sure I was going under several times but every single time I pulled or snapped and out of being buried I came. Another paddler asked me, "how does that boat fit -- isn't it too big for you." I'm not sure what the fixation is with folks thinking this boat is too big for me. Possibly they are thinking all-out play moves like cartwheels or flips which I don't plan to do for quite some time if ever. The boat is perfectly sized for a river running playboat for an individual in lower end of the weight range. It surfs like a charm and peels out with ease in the heaviest of flow. I'm in love with my 2010 Jackson Allstar. I think hubby is jealous.