Hi there folks,
So at the place I work we have two types of “river-play” kayak. There is the Wavesport Fuse series and the Jackson Fun series.
Now I use these boats for a few things but the main ones being: As a middle ground for people who have only ever paddled creekers and want to get in a playboat, introductory surfing and freestyle courses, and when I am paddling on easier water.
I want to start by saying neither of these are bad boats. they are both good boats. if a boat is a piece of shit I will tell you, believe me.
I’ve spent a lot of time in each of these boats and feel I can offer some kind-of-educated insight. I am going to start with the bottom line if you are strapped for time: The Jackson Fun series is the better river-play kayak. IMO.
First thing many people ask me is: which is easiest to roll?
the fun
which is the most comfortable?
The Fuse. Speaking as a 260 pound Paddler.
which is the better for tricks and play?
The fun by a looong way!
Which is the better for river running?
The Fuse but not by a long way.
Which is more stable?
The Fuse
Which has more longevity?
The Fuse (both plastics are great but the jackson outfitting requires maintenence more than the wavesport)
Alrighty so, the fuse is the better river runner. fast, stable, easy to surf, comfy and durable outfitting, has a drainplug, and the 64 size accomodates the paddler that likes a pint.
Now jackson do have a “superfun” that goes up to 280 pounds. I haven’t found a place to buy one yet. It’s one of those “yeah we produce and sell it!” “really? where?!” type of scenarios.
The fuse has a lot going for it as a whitewater kayak but what it lacks is the ability to do tricks and play. you can stick the tail and the nose in out of eddies and in holes but that’s pretty much it for your average paddler. super stable on the surf though. The ability to plane on smaller features is important for these boats in my opinion.
The fun! It got a re-design in 2010. making it narrower, slicier, yet more comfortable. how they did it i do not know. They did not, however, give the super fun the same redesign. As part of the obese paddling community, that annoys me. But hey, maybe they weren’t selling enough of them to make it worth it.
Another pain in the ass with this and all Jackson boats are the ridiculously poor quality ropes they use for the backband. I replace them all the time. I will fight anyone that says they are good ropes. I replace them with prussuk cord and that lasts soooo much longer. seriously Jackson sort it out. its an easy fix. it doesn’t have a drain plug. I don’t know why. I see that as a negative in any river runner be it a river-play or not.
Ok the good: It’s a freestyle machine. It’s agile, its friendly, it’s stupidly easy to roll! double pumps, sternsquirts, pirhouettes, spins, they are all within the realm of a novice-intermediate with this boat. much much faster than a playboat opening up much smaller features to progress on, and more forgiving on the surf, it is the perfect boat to play in and have students in. Jackson have nailed the hull design here. We don’t have a super fun so i should really be in the fuse 64 all the time as i’m forty pounds too heavy for the 4fun we have. But i always find myself throwing the 4fun on the trailer.
Both boats come in a variety of sizes. wavesport has a xs,s,m,l and jackson have a xxs,xs,s,m,l,xl. the sizes for the fuse are the 36,48,56,64 and the funs go fun1,fun1.5,2fun,fun,4fun,superfun.
To summarise: if you are looking for a river-play boat: get a fun because it is pure fun and that’s what these boats are for. I wanna mention again though, the fuse is better for the bigger paddler, at least until the Jackson superfun becomes a bit more mainstream. But wavesport don’t deal in north america any more which would mean buying second hand and replacement parts won’t come easy.
It’s okay to disagree with me on this stuff. its all opinions. I’d love to hear your thoughts. I can talk boats and gear forever and love it. leave me a comment telling me i’m full of shit.
Thank you for reading my ramblings.
All the best,
Rob
The Ramblings Of Rob 