Jackson Kayak has launched JKTV. The premier episode is a pretty ambitious 25 minutes and covers a trip report from the Costa de Oro; Team Spotlight with Damon Bungard; Misadventures with Indiana James; Tech Tip- How to Backloop; Gear Review- GoPro Hero2 and the Shot of the Month.

You can subscribe via YouTube here.

Jackson Kayak and Dane Jackson swept the USA Freestyle Kayak National Championships that concluded Sunday at Kelly’s Whitewater Park.

Jackson Kayak’s Rock Star, the company’s newest freestyle boat, was the weapon of choice by five of the six paddlers who earned a gold medal. Paddling the Rock Star to the top podium was Jackson Kayak founder and president Eric “EJ” Jackson, who won the Men’s title, while daughter, Emily, won the Women’s division and son, Dane, won the Junior Men’s division plus the all-ages canoe (C1) and open canoe (OC1) classes.

Plattling, Germany – The 2011 International Canoe Federation Freestyle Kayak World Championships could be called Dane’s party, for US teen Dane Jackson who not only was the first and only person to ever compete in all four freestyle disciplines but also took top honors in three of the four and one bronze in the other.

The 17-year-old won gold in the Squirt, Canoe (C1) and Kayak (K1) classes and a bronze in Open Canoe (OC1).

Asked after his final competition if he was tired at all, Jackson said he was feeling pretty full of energy and pretty happy with his performance. “I felt pretty consistent in K1 and was fired up about the high scores in C1 and definitely didn’t expect such a high score in squirt,” Jackson said. Though not an official part of the ICF-sanctioned event, Jackson also won the stand up paddle downriver race held here yesterday.

Join the Musky Brothers as they take a tour of the Jackson Kayak Factory. It’s a pretty solid look at how they are assembled and inspected before going out the door.

In celebration of National Let’s Go Paddling Month, Olympian and four-time freestyle kayak world champion Eric Jackson is launching a promotional campaign rooted in his own life-long love affair with kayaking. The Fun for Life campaign will award one lucky boater a Jackson Kayak Fun series boat each time a new edition of the model is released for as long as they are active paddlers. 

The Fun for Life promotion kicks off this Memorial Day weekend at CKS Paddlefest in Buena Vista, CO and runs through the end of June, National Let’s Go Paddling Month. Eligibility for the Fun for Life contest is open to anyone who meets two simple criteria: purchase any Jackson Kayak Fun series boat from any North American Jackson Kayak dealer during the month of June; register the new boat purchase at the Jackson Kayak website. On July 15, Jackson will announce the lucky winner of a Fun for Life, chosen by random draw from among all eligible new Fun owners.

Just in time for the competition season, Jackson Kayak introduces a carbon/Kevlar version of its new generation freestyle playboat, the Rock Star. Jackson Kayak founder and president Eric “EJ” Jackson compared the new carbon/Kevlar edition of the fast-selling new freestyle playboat to a high-performance automobile brand. “The plastic Rock Star series will be the Porsche of its class; carbon/Kevlar takes it to Formula 1 performance levels,” Jackson said. “Expect to see even more “Huge” bonuses when the carbon/Kevlar is in play.” “Imagine putting a 10-pound weight into your kayak and going playboating, then take it out. This is what every paddler will feel immediately,” Jackson said. “The ease of initiating moves is noticeable the first time you try it due to less swing weight. The rigid hull stays true to the design in any situation and shines on big waves for massive take-offs.”

Jackson touted the new 9.5 Kg Carbon Rock Star as an engineering masterpiece, using carbon, Kevlar, foam core, advanced techniques and top-notch craftsmanship to construct each part. “The seams are well done on both the inside and outside and the cockpit rim is a piece of art in itself,” Jackson said. The outfitting of the carbon Rock Star feels just like a plastic Rock Star, including the Sure-lock backband system, Happy Feet and hip pads. The seat is made with a three-inch thick mini-cell foam and foam wedges that are glued in place to custom fit each paddler. Sweet Cheeks 200 goes on top of that to create a bucket seat that is unrivaled in comfort and control while being super lightweight.

Jackson Kayak just got a massive marketing boost this week by getting profiled by Apple (yes, that Apple). Jackson Kayak was highlighted as a company that uses Apple products (iPhone and iPad) extensively throughout the entire manufacturing process by JK employees.

Apple produced a very slick 2.5 minute video where company president where Erik Jackson and Chief Financial Officer Dave Olson introduces us to the company and talks about how using Apple products has really changed the way that they do business.

“We’ve been surprised how people have responded when we've given them iPhones and iPads,” says Dave Olson, Chief Financial Officer. “We were getting more time and more engagement from every employee that had an iPhone. So we got everyone an iPhone.”

Two really cool applications they make extensive use of are Facetime and the . For example, the staff use Facetime to quickly communicate with other staff (who might be out of the office) and to get a visual confirmation if the boat in question is a blem or not.

Jackson Kayak also makes use of the super cool Square credit card reader. It’s a small widget that plugs directly into the iPhone headphone jack and turns the whole thing into a portable credit card reader. Perfect for then they are out on the road.

It’s an interesting article and you can read the full thing here.

Image credit: apple.com

Jackson Kayak has always had a reputation as an innovative and media savvy company so it makes sense that they are one of the first in the paddling community to roll out a custom iPhone app called Jackson Kayak Mobile.

The app brings together the many different parts of Jackson Kayak’s social media element in one handy mobile location. You can easily pick up the latest Jackson news, online videos and photos. They also have an overview of their entire kayak line for easy browsing. One of the more innovative features of the app is the built in chat room. There you can connect with other Jackson Kayak fans through quick messages as well as post photos for others to see.

I think the Jackson Kayak app is a very good start but like all software that is version 1.0, it has some elements that should be improved before it really takes off.

Jackson Kayak is kicking off the New Year by turning up the volume and amplifying what the world expects from a freestyle kayak to bring you the Rock Stars. Jackson Kayak’s iconic Star series is will continue to play the game as the new Rock Star line takes to the spotlight on the world stage in small, medium and large sizes in both rotomolded and carbon/Kevlar models.

Jackson Kayak founder and president Eric “EJ” Jackson and his longtime design partner David Knight promise the new Rock Star will do everything easier, bigger and snappier and boost freestyle scores to unprecedented levels.

“Our team riders asked for it, so we’re delivering the boat they need to continue to take freestyle to new heights,” explained Jackson, a four-time world freestyle kayak champ. “The plastic Rock Star series will be the Porsche of its class; carbon/Kevlar takes it to Formula 1 performance levels.”



“I love how much better balanced it is,” said JK Factory Team and veteran US National Team member Clay Wright. In Wright’s opinion, the Rock Star is faster, looser, carves more aggressively while being a bit more forgiving in the bow and stern when surfing and is “very entertaining” on the waves.

Paddlers in Jackson Kayak’s Star series of whitewater kayaks claimed 13 of the 18 available World Championship slots in the US National Freestyle Kayak Team Trials that concluded here today.
 
The All-Star swept the podium and the teams in both the junior and senior men’s competitions. Only reigning champs and members of the US National Team are eligible to compete at the International Canoe Federation World Championships in Plattling, Germany next June. Jackson Kayak founder and president Eric Jackson said the Star may well be one of the most successful boat designs in history. Designed specifically for freestyle kayaking, the Star was among the first boats Jackson released when he founded the company in 2004. With each of two scheduled design updates, the Star has become more dominant in competition results. Since 2004, the boat has been on the US and World Championship podium stage more than all other boats by other manufacturers combined. Founded in 2004, Jackson Kayak is the leading manufacturer of whitewater kayaks and also makes family-friendly boats for the recreation touring and river fishing markets. The following is a list of the new US National Freestyle Kayak Team. Paddlers in boats OTHER than Jackson Kayak are indicated with an asterick.