An Open Letter to Jackson Kayaks

Dear Jackson Kayaks,

My name is Chris Payne.

I am an avid kayak fisherman and have been known to drive hours to try new water and search for fish with fellow kayak anglers. This past weekend was no different. I made plans with some friends and started my journey at 4 AM to travel the 131 miles to the meetup. I carried my Coosa on top of my small SUV, which is the norm for me and it was fairly uneventful.

Because there was a per car fee at the park we were going to, I opted to put the kayak on a trailer which my buddy had and has used to haul kayaks all over the Texas landscape. We lashed it down and headed off to the gas station for a little fuel and some snacks for the day. A few minutes later we were pulling into the gas station and confusion set into my friend’s face. He looked into the side view mirror and the nose of my Coosa was pointing toward the heavens!

I got out of the truck and can only imagine what my face looked like. A mixture of confusion and panic I would think would be the best way to describe it. Apparently the straps had come loose on some of the bumpy roads and my Coosa thought it was time to launch.

I heard apologies on top of apologies from across the trailer. He was sure my kayak was a goner. He had a backup kayak at his house but I hadn’t lost hope yet. I knew there was some hope left.

Last week I had installed a new keel skid plate. The other was wearing down from dragging it down to the water and over sand bars in the rivers. It was time to replace it, so for $10, I did.

I walked around to the keel of the Coosa which was kissing the ground like a long lost love and raised it up. There, in all of its glory was the new skid plate. It had a sharp angle on it but had saved the kayak from any structural damage. I inspected it for a couple of minutes, checked inside and out and I couldn’t find any damage!

Thank you Jackson for thinking of the skid plate for the keel of this boat. Without it my day and my boat would have been ruined. With it, I fished 9 hours without a care in the world in MY kayak. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference and today that held true. Any other kayak would have been done but like a true champ, the Coosa took a huge punch and got right back up.

For $10, my boat will be good as new and should I ever need it again, that skid plate will be there. I know you don’t recommend pavement skiing for your kayaks and I might not be so lucky next time but, this time it made all the difference.

Thanks so much,

Chris

Jackson Coosa Skid Plate Saves the Day