Jackson Cuda 14?
 

anyone have any experience with the Jackson Cuda 14? how is it in the ocean?

Here is a link to it:
http://www.paddleva.com/APP01498-Jac...-14-Kayak-2013

Drop a PM to BWE member FLM here on the forum I'm pretty sure he just got one!

Jim Sammons could answer that the best for you I'm sure.

interested also.. Love the bait system on the big tuna.. Any thoughts on this.. I'm looking down the road for 2nd kayak..

I didnt find FLM in the member list.

The big tuna looks really nice, plus my wife can go every once and a while.

I fish on a Cuda 14. The boat is sweet. I just made my vittles vault tank for it too so I'm set for full day trips. I can stand up and fish AND paddle it standing. It's super stable; I even took my 80lb hyper boxer out to the Cbad lagoon with me and it had no problems. If you wanna get on it shoot me a message and maybe we can arrange something.

The Big Tuna is sick! On that boat, you can rig it for a tandem set up or solo just by changing the seat position. And the seats can face each other, back to back, 2 height positions, etc. The weight capacity is good too! OEX MB has a Big Tuna on display.

http://jacksonkayak.com/jk-kayaks/kayak-fishing/

Awesome! thanks for the quick review. I would love to see one in person. Ill have to go check out that big tuna at OEX too.

We will have the rest of our Jackson boats very soon and will put up a post when they come in. Should have Demos and stock boats in before next week if all goes as planned.

Cj, bring some to Bass and Brew to demo at the harbor. People can demo them after they fish. Maybe from 10 AM to 12 PM. I know I'd like to see them.

Patrick

Jarrods Cuda is a really nice yak! I got to give it a nice look over at the get together a few weekends ago.

I'm starting to slowly save up for a Jackson SUPerFISHal - I think it would make for an awesome mothership solution, and an excellent addition to my PA!

Iw ont be making Bass and Brew and have no way to haul kayaks on my truck anyways. If any of our other guys are going ill see if we can get them up otherwise OEX will likely host a night tournament in June where folks can come Demo all the new boats we have now.

Was that you helping me at OEX today? I was the ginger kid.

FeelFree Moken 14
 

Don't overlook the FeelFree Moken 14. I promise you will love this Kayak if you paddle one. They are stable, dry, they handle surf launches excellent, and are very reasonably priced.
http://www.feelfreekayak.com/products/moken14/

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ps3984e200.jpg

At some point, it would be nice to have a comparison chart of the brands and models; and perhaps, recommendations by pro staff on how these boats are specialized for what type of fishing scenario.

In the past, MKs, Cobras, and Hobies comprised the mix in our fleets, but these new players from back East are easily becoming contenders....

My Yak upgrade fund is growing slowly, but with the number of new models getting closer to double-digits, it's getting hard to make a choice.

Well I'm a Pro Staffer for FeelFree Kayaks and I can tell you that the Moken 12 and 14 are well designed for the type of fishing that we do out here. The seat that comes with the Kayak is the most comfortable I have ever sat in for a Kayak seat. It sits up a little higher than the OK, and tarpons. It has a really cool standing platform just in front of the seat with scupper holes under the platform so that water doesn't pool up where you sit. The rod pod easily holds 9' rods. This past weekend I had 6 rods that all have conventional reels attached, bait net, gaff, and gear stored inside for landind in the surf. The Kayak paddles fast smooth.

They also have smaller kayaks for lakes and bays that are equally as stable, with the casting platform, and the great seat.

If you want to demo the Kayak let me know and I can meet you or I can get the local sales rep to maybe throw together a demo day.

If it was before about 130 yes after that was probably Grant.

Out of curiosity what is a "pro staffer"?. What is the significance?. How does one become one and why?.

We have Demo's of the Mokens, all Malibu, Ocean Kayak, Wilderness, Native, and soon Jacksons at OEX Mission Bay. If you want to compare them before you buy come down and paddle them. You will learn more from 5 minutes in each boat than you will learn form reading everybody's recommendations. A lot of this is because everybody has their own views on how things should be done and also they have their own needs in the kayaks.

Just because a Pro Staff member (or just another kayak angler) says a boat is the best doesnt mean it is the best for you. While I love my Tarpon 160 I guarantee that 90% of the people on this board would hate it. You really have to make decisions based on your own size, stability, wants, needs, etc.

Ive been on the Wilderness Systems National Pro Staff for over 5 years but by all means there are times when people walk into the store and the boat that fits them best isnt made by Wilderness and I am not going to push the brand on them if this is the case.

The job of Pro Staffs is not just to push/promote their brand but also to promote the sport and putting somebody in the wrong boat for them is going to leave a bad taste in their mouth for the dealer, the brand, and possibly the sport as a whole. In addition this only hurts the staffer credibility.

With this said, The Cuda and the Moken are very similar. I personally find the Jackson to be more stable (however even the Moken is far more stable than what I need) but the Moken paddles better in rougher conditions. These baots are very similar though and I recommend you testing both out, thats why we have demos. When you Demo these I would also give a few other boats a shot. Which boats these are is based on your likes/dislikes of the previous models paddled. Usually we will be able to pick a boat for you within 3-4 models based on what you tell me about how the previous one felt to you.

Dave I think I kind of answered your question above before even seeing it. Pro Staff means different things to different companies but for the most part the job is to promote brand awareness. It is often overlooked by many that Pro Staffers should be promoting the sport as a whole as well as the brand though.

How you become Pro Staff depends on the person and the company. For some it is a matter of them hitting up the company looking for opportunity. For others the Company approaches them and view the member as an asset to the industry and wants that relationship. For me it has gone both ways. For Izorline I was told to inquire by another staffer and friend. For my previous Rod Sponsor I believed in the product and inquired then was added.

With Wilderness I was lucky enough that the Rep at the time wanted me as a staff member. Those relationships are the best as both parties have a mutual respect and work together better. I am very happy to be a part of Confluence and even after I make my move to Idaho I have already been approached and told they want me to remain as part of the team despite not being in a store.