Any Jackson Big Rig owners here?

[nay_sayer]

I’ve been out of the kayak fishing game for quite a few years and trying to get back into it. I need a new fat guy kayak and I am really leaning towards a Jackson Big Rig HD. Any owners here that can give me the low down on them? Things the videos may not say like flaws, oversights, straight up nightmares, etc.?

I know it’s a heavy boat. Am I completely fooling myself if I think I’m gonna cartop it on an Xterra?

[J.A. Veil]

I do not own any Jackson kayaks but have fished several times with a guide in south Florida who uses a Jackson Big Rig as his guide boat and a second one for his client boat. The Big Rig is large, heavy, and stable. It does not paddle or turn easily. The guide has a Torqueedo motor on his kayak. If we are going more than a short distance, he tows me to the next spot. I recall one trip when his motor broke, and we had a long paddle back to the launch point. It was tiring in that big kayak. I note that over the winter he replaced his old Big Rig client kayak with a smaller new Jackson Bite kayak. I will get to try that one out in a few weeks.

I am a tall and heavy person, but my personal fleet of kayaks are both 11' paddle kayaks. I don't carry a lot of gear with me. I do not like using heavy or long kayaks because of the challenges of transporting them and moving them around on land. My kayaks are easy to paddle and easy to transport.

[nay_sayer]

Thanks for the info. Not what I was hoping to hear but certainly good to know. I won’t use the thing if it’s a tank and I’m not interested in having a motor. I plan on sticking to paddling.

I really wish I could have started this quest when it is warm enough for demo days. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to find any ‘yaks if I hold off. Seems that kayaks are another causality of the supply chain problems going around.

[J.A. Veil]

You said you wanted a new "fat guy kayak". Even us larger guys (6'4"; 245 lbs) can get by just fine in small or medium kayaks. Last year I sold a Native 15'3" Ultimate FX 15 that was larger than I liked for transporting by a minivan. I replaced it with a Native Falcon 11, which works very well. I added 4 rod holders and a FF/GPS unit. It does everything I want it to do. Of course, I don't use it in 2' waves going out to the middle of the Bay Bridge. I keep it in relatively shallow water, since that is where I like to fish. 2021-05-12-007.jpg

It has a weight capacity of 325 lbs -- okay for my weight and the gear I carry. It weighs 65 lbs -- easy for an old guy to manage on land. That kayak may not be right for you. I mention it only as an example of a quality paddle kayak. Take a look around to see what is available. Good luck.

[nhunter344]

I cant speak to the Big Rig, but Ive been using their Big Tuna model for awhile. It a big heavy beast of a kayak but its a bit longer and more slender than the Big Rig. Ive never had an issue paddling it. I can say at the end of the day, it is a pain to put back on top of the SUV, but not impossible by any stretch. Im a hair under 50yrs old and far from what anyone would consider a physical specimen. I will say youll want to find fairly accessible launches that dont require a long hike, or going over obstacles. It has the option to be a single seater or a tandem. The main reason I got it was so my son could go out with me while he was still too young to paddle on his own. Now that he has his own, it just gives me more room to spread out. Of course I want the new pedal kayak models coming out every year with all the bells and whistles, but when I think about it, they dont offer any needed functionality or range that I cant get with the Big Tuna.

There are some tricks to getting it on top of the car without scraping off all your paint, but its s simple fix.

[Mark]

I think any fishing kayak that is maneuverable for us on land and in the water is a good one. The reason being that if we can store, transport and propel it efficiently and safely, we will use it more often. If we find any of those functions hard to do, we may drift away from the hobby.

Hull weight is a big consideration for me because of those first two criteria, storing and transporting. My three fishing kayaks weigh 70, 60 and 50 pounds respectively. If I could change anything about them, I would make each one weigh less.

Pedaling is nice but not critical to catch fish. I use my paddle kayaks far more often than my pedal kayak. Indeed, there are certain locations I fish, and fishing techniques I employ, where pedals are an impediment.

Most important for on-the-water performance is the length of our kayak's hull and its beam. Those two factors impact its efficiency on the water. The longer the hull, the easier it will be to propel and the faster it will go. It will also track straighter than a shorter kayak. The wider the hull, the slower the kayak will be, length being equal. Capacity increases as the length and beam of the kayak increases, while its maneuverability decreases. These are inescapable laws of hydrodynamics. Just like we cannot change the weight of hull, we cannot change its performance on the water either. It is what it is.

I've said here before that there is no perfect fishing kayak. Those of us who stay in the hobby find our personal "sweet spots" with respect to the dimensions of our kayaks. They're never ideal in all ways or in all water conditions, but we learn to deal with them.

[nay_sayer]

Thanks for the response and info. I think I’m going to hold off on deciding anything and picking a new ‘yak until I can try a few out. My “years of experience and vast kayak Fishing knowledge ” are so outdated by now that I’d really be doing myself a disservice buying something without testing it out. Tech has changed and so have I (and my capabilities).

I have researched some more and a found a few more larger capacity kayaks like the Bonafide SS127, WIlderness Systems A.T.A.K. 140, Feel Free Lure 13.5, Native Slayer Max Propel - though I really don’t think I want a foot/pedal/mirage type drive, NuCanoe, etc. that look promising.

I was just telling my wife that if I have to trailer it everywhere because it’s too heavy, or if it isn’t comfortable to sit on, or is a chore to paddle, then I will never use it and it will be a waste of money. I never liked the Hobie PA 14 I used to fish out of and never wanted to use it. Too big and a PITA to take anywhere.

[Susquehannabum]

I own a Big Rig. Transport it in the back of my pickup.
the weight is manageable but not light. Once it is in the water
its a very stable fishing platform.
not the fastest yak to paddle for sure but no problem going a couple miles to fish.
I’m thinking about selling and getting another pedal drive.

[HeaveToo]

What am about to say is probably blasphemy here but…

how you intend to fish? How bent are you on car topping?

I ran a Vibe Sea Ghost 130 for 4 years or so but it got to be such a pain in the butt to load and load from the rack behind my townhouse I stopped fishing out if it.

I started looking at other options that would give me more range. I decided that using a trailer made a lot more sense than all the loading and loading.

I thought about the Soloskiff and the Hoodoo 130. There were things that I liked and didn’t like.

the end result was a Gheenoe. Plenty of range, use of trailer, can fish two out of the boat if need be, nice and stable for a big guy like me. I would have liked a Classic but ended up with the 15.4 NMZ. Total game changer!

[HeaveToo]

[ski357]

What am about to say is probably blasphemy here but…

how you intend to fish? How bent are you on car topping?

I ran a Vibe Sea Ghost 130 for 4 years or so but it got to be such a pain in the butt to load and load from the rack behind my townhouse I stopped fishing out if it.

I started looking at other options that would give me more range. I decided that using a trailer made a lot more sense than all the loading and loading.

I thought about the Soloskiff and the Hoodoo 130. There were things that I liked and didn’t like.

the end result was a Gheenoe. Plenty of range, use of trailer, can fish two out of the boat if need be, nice and stable for a big guy like me. I would have liked a Classic but ended up with the 15.4 NMZ. Total game changer!

I'm actually in the process of re-commissioning my dad's old Classic Gheenoe. I've still got my kayaks, but the Gheenoe will allow me to "run and gun" later this fall.

[HeaveToo]

I am pretty amazed initially by the stability. I can walk around in it. Probably a bit of a learning curve for standing up on the raised decks but still light years more stable than the kayak.

[nay_sayer]

Sorry for the long time between responses, I couldn’t access the forum for a while and thought it might have been taken down.

I had never seen a Gheenoe before. Very cool boat. I could see myself in one of those.

I ended up getting a Jackson Big Tuna and love it so far (from the one time I’ve been able to get out and use it recently). I appreciate the responses from everyone and hope to see you on the water.