Recently I bought a medium Rockstar V. Apparently I’ve put on weight, so I’ve ended up at the max weight range for my small Exo GuiGui Helixir.
I know, I know, paper specs are only one side of the coin. After all, top British freestyler Gav Barker is known to paddle a small GuiGui and I believe he’s 80kg, when the maximum rating for the small is around 70kg. Although I’m happy to be corrected if he paddles a larger one.
Regardless, flat water is what I do a lot of, and, well, I did find that my Helixir felt a little wallowy out on the river. It was looking a bit worse for wear as well, having being used a lot, so I decided to get my first ever Jackson boat; the medium Rockstar V.
I had concerns about whether I’d be able to move it around on the flat water as well as my Helixir, but I had a chat with someone very experienced in all things freestyle, and he did say it would be a learning curve again, but that it would be worth it in the long run. Now, I know I can get the ends down in a 2016 medium Rockstar as long as I use good technique, and the Rockstar V is apparently more slicy. Getting into the V it feels wide, but so far on the water that hasn’t been an issue for me. In fact, it’s really interesting looking at the specs between the 2016 (let’s call it the 3.0 from now) and the V, they might surprise you. I’ve put them below, which might be helpful to some people, since the specs for kayaks are often put into all sorts of different measurement units, so it’s often not easy to compare them directly.
| Specification | Medium Rockstar 3.0 | Medium Rockstar V | Small Exo Helixir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 172.7cm | 172.7cm | 170cm |
| Width | 68.6cm | 66.4cm | 64.5cm |
| Height | 34.29cm | 37.8cm | 33.5cm |
| Volume | 208ltr (55 gal) | 223.3ltr (59 gal) | 202ltr (53.4 gal) |
I say this with the caveat that paper specifications don’t tell the whole story, particularly when it comes to volume, because it’s incredibly important to understand that where the volume is distributed is key. It’s also useful to understand that how kayak manufacturers actually measure volume is, err, sometimes questionable. Some go on CAD designs, others will actually fill a boat with water. But, in the past at least, there was no consistency. Maybe things have changed now? But, let’s take a cursory look regardless.
From a paper specification viewpoint, the medium Rockstar V actually appears to be between the small Exo Helixir in terms of volume and overall size. The Rockstar V has considerably less volume than the 3.0 to the tune of around 36 litres (9.4 gallons), yet side by side the V appears stockier. Why would that be? Well, the key it seems, is in the height.
*It appears my initial list of specs for the 2016 Rockstar was incorrect due to the spec chart I used being wrong. Thanks to Playboater in the comments for bringing this to my attention. In fact, the 2016 medium Rockstar has less volume than the V, which is making me even more eager to get mine onto the flat water to try some ends and compare the two. Incredibly, the 2016 is even wider than I thought at 27″ (68.58cm or 68.6cm to round up), going on an official Jackson chart. So, I’ve re-edited my comments below in light of the new information.
The Rockstar V would appear to have distributed its volume much more around the knee and central area, leaving the ends to be low volume, and hence theoretically easier to slice into the water for ends than the 4.0. The width is narrower on the Rockstar V than the 3.0 by 2.2cm. In my original edit of this post, the chart I used showed the 2016 to be longer than the V, but in fact they are the same length. The medium Rockstar V is only 2.7cm longer than the small Exo Helixir. The max capacity of the 2016 Rockstar is no longer easy to find, although the legacy kayak Jackson specifications state that the optimum weight for the 2016 is 160lbs. The older 2014 model maxed out at 180lbs, while the V maxes out at 200lbs.
I’ve added a profile comparison between the 2016 and V below.
A lot of this would explain why I, personally, didn’t feel like the medium Rockstar V felt too big on the water. One particularly experienced and knowledgable freestyle kayaker had a go in my boat, but they reckoned it felt way too wide and they didn’t feel that they could control it as they wanted to. From my own perspective, although I’ve been a scaredy cat going into features recently, with the brief time I’ve had it in on a wave, it felt really smooth and composed to me. Time will tell, and more importantly, time will tell whether I’ll be able to get it dialled into flat water moves.
The Kayaking Journal 
Did you find the specs of the RS 2016 on the nswatersports.co.uk website? I found them there but a friend told me they are mistaken. I checked with the JK customer service and they linked me to this page: https://hub.jacksonkayak.com/legacy-whitewater-kayaks/
Seems that lenght is the same in the two boats, the V is narrower and has few more gallons.
Hope it helps in your review, love reading your articles!
Wow, thanks for that link! And than you for the kind comment about my articles. I actually got the spec from the Squarerock site. I’ll be able to compare the lengths in a couple of weeks since I know someone with a 2016. I’m sure the 2016 is longer, even if by cm. I believe that for the V they shortened it to help with aerial trick rotation. It’s interesting that the V’s specs aligned closely with EJ’s Rebound in terms of concept. Trouble is that the measurement units for kayaks is all over the place. The US pokes fun at the UK for mixed units, but I’m seeing it all over! The spec list on the site you linked to shows the 2016 as being even wider than I thought, so maybe they rounded up on some figures as well? Regardless, thanks for the link and I’ll investigate further!
Okay, I’ve done some digging. That link was really useful, thanks! So, they are in fact the same length. I’ve corrected the article with some new thoughts and also added a profile comparison between the two boats. The extra volume in the V is very apparent, as is the very different rocker profile.