There are two groups of people out there that want to know
why they don’t have their Fun, 4 Fun, Super Fun, etc.
yet. The nice kayakers who have taken the leap of faith that
the best boat for them is going to be one of the Fun family,
and have ordered one, and the top 40 dealers in the country
(by my subjective evaluation) that have also ordered them.
First off- there is only one person in the world you can
hold responsible for any extra wait time on your new boat-
that is me. It is my company, I was a little late getting
the molds finished, later getting the exact finished hull
that I wanted to send to you for your most important recreational
activity, kayaking. I actually sent the 2 Fun mold back to
the mold maker because of a few tiny spots that caused pin
hole type thin spots in the hull, that was a two week delay.
If you have ordered a boat and are a customer, because that
is who I care most about, then here’s the deal. I love
the dealer, and will everything I can to help them succeed
with Jackson Kayak, but I am interested in getting you on
the water ASAP.
I am the only person in the world with a Fun or 4 Fun
as of today. I have had quite a few people in them in the
past week trying them out, and have finished the testing
of the hull weights, the outfitting assembly, and they are
100% ready to put into production. I will always have a
new model at least 2 weeks before anybody else. That is
one of the perks of owning the company, but most importantly,
it is key to assuring that I know what I am sending to you
to paddle before you get it. I have found minor changes
that were needed in every model we have put out so far.
The Fun 1 needed center pillar adjustments. The 2 Fun needed
the mold fixed, the shims that go under the seat to go from
3” wide to 8” for better support, the Fun needed
the Seat moved back 3/8”, as with the 4 Fun, they
all needed a lock washer added to prevent the thumbscrew
from loosening while paddling for the backband, etc. The
Super Fun is next and will take a week to dial in- that
would be next week.
The initial orders of Fun 1s has been shipped to all
dealers.
We have 60 more 2 Funs to be molded, assembled, and shipped
from the initial orders and will be done this week.
We have the outfitting ready for the first run of Funs,
the hull is dialed in, and the boats will begin molding
tomorrow, May 13.
The 4 Fun will start molding on Friday- and will be assembled
and shipping will begin next week.
My production team- starting with the rototomolding, then
moving to assembly and shipping lead by Brian Talbert, is
working to assure- “quality over quantity”. We
don’t want to leave anybody hanging, but I believe that
making the boats right- making them the weights we promised,
making them everything you hope for is priority number one.
So- How do you get your own Jackson Kayak?
First off- Each dealer is on our list in priority order.
Rock Creek Outfitters in Chattanooga is on the top because
they were the first one to put in an order and have supported
us in each step of the way. After that it goes from #2 to
#40. Kayak Shed is number 40. Not because they aren’t
a top notch dealer, they are. They just wanted to wait to
see the boats before ordering them and they saw them for the
first time this past weekend. They will get their boats as
fast as possible but after the other 40. By June 15th-30th
somewhere in there we should have boats in inventory and be
able to ship on demand. Of course our plan is to make 2,500
boats for the year, we aren’t going to go hogwild and
make 10,000 boats. That is the key to maintaining a quality
of life, instead of exchanging my kayaking life for the almighty
dollar. So, get your boats by the end of the summer. We may
take some time off.
A deposit on the boat before it arrives at the shop is key.
I announced this early on and haven’t really mentioned
it since the first of the year. Most boats have gone out the
door the day it arrived, meaning no time to goof off if you
really want to get one now. Every dealer for Jackson Kayak
listed on this website has an order in for each model of one
demo and at least one retail. Most only have one retail on
order. Somebody in your area wants that boat, so put a deposit
down.
If you want to have a new Fun 1 for your kid- your dealer
will have one, unless they sold it already, which is likely.
If they don’t have one, you can order it, and it will
be 30 days to get it.
If you want a 2 Fun- it is either already shipped to your
dealer or is going out in the next 7 days- not time to play
around on this one. After this initial run of 2 Funs it
will be 3+ weeks until we will be making more (we first
have to make 4 Fun, Fun, and Super Fun initial orders)
If you want a Fun or 4 Fun- we are making them this week
and next and it will take about 3 weeks to make the 500+
on order. We will be shipping boats to the dealers that
you have ordered from as much as possible. If you
ordered your Fun or 4 Fun already- your are on the top of
our priority list and nobody gets priority over you. You
should be the first one on your river with one unless we
goof up. Please don’t terrorize your dealer, or Tanya
in customer service. Your dealer is reading this newsflash
today along with you and they don’t know any more
than you know. If you want to lay into somebody because
you think it is warranted- that person is me. I can be reached
at 931-224-1721 or eric@jacksonkayak.com.
If you want a Super Fun- the first test hulls were molded
yesterday and I will be “testing” them and will
sign off on them if all is well by Monday. Any changes will
be minor and immediate and will be at the rotomolding level.
It will be 2-3 weeks before you will be having Super Fun.
All-Star- Keep you eyes open next week for the final computer
photos.
In closing:
Here is what I can tell you about the Fun’s and you
can decide if it is worth the wait:
Lightest boats on the market- BY FAR. 19.5 pounds Fun
1, 26.5 pounds 2 Fun, 28.4 pounds Fun, 30.6 pounds 4 Fun,
33 pounds Super Fun (still theory on that one).
Incredibly Comfortable, most people are saying, the MOST
COMFORTABLE (cool!)- Complete leg contact from the knee
to the thigh, including outside support for the knee. The
most comfortable, adjustable foot system in history. Easy
to adjust all around.
Incredibly Dry- Not a single hole drilled in these boats-
Zero. I haven’t had to sponge out with my Mountain
Surf skirt and Lotus drytop after as much as three hours
of paddling.
Rolls like a dream. First comment for almost all intermediates
that have a roll- is “wow this thing rolls easy”.
I mmediately feels like you know the boat- Non quirky,
very, very easy to paddle, make your river running moves
with little effort. Perfect beginner boat, or one boat for
running the harder stuff while maintaining playability.
Incredible playboat- Big Loops, Fast wave surfing, awesome
carving (new thruster chine design by David Knight is awesome),
and it cartwheels easily, squirts very nicely, etc. (I did
my first competition in it at Bob’s Hole and one every
round and was the only person paddling a river running playboat)
My routine was: Donkey Flip, Helix, Air Loop, Felix, Flip
Turn, Back Loop.
Only costs $895- No sales reps or advertising. I am not
going to spend cash on ads to try to convince you that an
apple is an orange. You try it, you like it, you tell your
friends. I pass the savings on to you. My cash goes into
making 6 sizes of the Fun in 2004, using composite beams,
expensive foot system, cross-linked plastic, etc. not in
“sales and marketing”. You can’t paddle
either sales or marketing products, but you can paddle the
outcome of R+D and production expenses. We also have limited
our our administrative facilities to my house (World Headquarters),
where you will find Lorraine (Kristine’s mom) as office
manager (she also is the one who gets your Happy Feet Footbags,
EJ’s Instructional DVD’s, and Hats, etc. out
in 24 hours from websales). Tanya answers the Jackson Kayak
line at my house too. Our assembly and shipping facility
is 735 square feet. Brian Talbert has 5 assembly stations
in it, all manned by real live kayakers like yourselves.
The application says- Are you a kayaker? Our staff kayaks
at Rock Island everyday. So they stay happy when they make
your boat.
You decide if it is worth the wait. It has been my goal to
“under promise and over deliver” on every aspect
of my business. I fell short of this goal on the release dates
and I feel that everyday you should have been able to paddle
your new boat but can’t is a crime on my part. I have
dreamed of paddling the Fun for a long time and it took forever
where I only had an All-Star fiberglass boat. Last Wednesday
I got in my boat and could finally go into Bob’s Hole
Rodeo swinging. I am so happy to finally have it. I want you
to have the same increase in your Fun on the river that I
have had since I got my Fun. (no pun intended) Where I didn’t
underdeliver is on the boat itself and for that I hope you
will forgive the extra weeks you have waited.
Sincerely,
EJ
EJ Speaks out on the whereabouts of
your boat and more.
