Jackson Kayak "Kilroy" Hot

This is an awesome fishing kayak! I am not going to rehash all the accolades and praises others have heaped onto the Jackson Kilroy. If you own one, have ever owned one, or have fished one, you know what I am talking about.

Is it a good off shore or whitewater boat? NO!!! Is it the best all around fishing kayak that I have ever used for inshore, large lakes, flowing rivers. Absolutely. This boat has room for you and your gear from bow to stern. The sealable dry storage in the rear is a bonus.

I love how I can store 4 rods and reels below the gunwales and inside the boat completely protected. These 4 rods can be any combination of bait casters, spinning, or fly rods. Yes, notice the photo of my 9 wt, 9 foot fly rod stored inside the boat, with room to spare.

You can have this kayak ready to fish before you leave your house or storage area. Just slip it into the water and go. I usually "mother ship" my kayaks deep into the Texas marsh. I also have a SOT, a Perception Pro 12 Angler. It is a good boat too but, I will take the Kilroy over it hands down every time. At 65 lbs (seat out), I can easily handle it by myself.

I have seen and heard so called experts recommending fishing kayaks. "Under no uncertain terms, do not buy a sit inside style. You must have a SOT". WRONG. Take it from a fisherman who owns both.

After an afternoon of brisk paddling into a 10-15 mph wind and back, the boat had about a half a cup of water in the hull at the end of the trip.

Being from Louisiana and primarily fishing inshore saltwater I had always assumed I needed a SOT. For years I had SOT kayaks and I was very happy with them. I got to paddle a Kilroy though and I suddenly realized that I had been missing out. This boat was faster and more stable than all the other 12' SOT kayaks I had previously owned. I didn't really think that was possibly as those two things are usually mutually exclusive, but the folks at Jackson figured it out with the Kilroy.

I've found the Kilroy to be a great boat for the Louisiana marsh. As I've said it has great speed for a 12' boat. It is very comfortable to stand and fish from as the stability is excellent. It is super comfortable to fish from seated as well as the new Elite seat has an awesome Therm-a-Rest lumbar support. This boat keeps me on the water comfortably for many hours.

I can't add much that the other guys haven't already said about the features and such, but here is my experience with the Kilroy...

Being in between kayaks as a trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan was fast approaching, I found myself borrowing a 2014 Jackson Kilroy from my local dealer. This particular boat was one of their demos and I was pretty hesitant to borrow it as I'm not a fan of sit insides. At least I wasn't until I paddled the Kilroy. The fishing in the U.P. wasn't the best during our trip, but I was able to spend some time fishing out of the Kilroy and just paddling around as I trolled for crappie. To say I was impressed and blown away at how well this kayak paddles is a BIG understatement! Jackson really did their homework on this one and the result is a perfect all around kayak for those of us who don't fish offshore. The Kilroy will handle small rivers with ease since it turns on a dime, yet it will paddle across the bigger lakes easier and just as fast as some 14' kayaks I've owned.

After spending a week with this borrowed Kilroy, I have no doubt that my next kayak will be a Kilroy. Only hard part is deciding which of Jackson's awesome color choices to choose!

I have to admit, I will have to tone down my review of the Jackson Kayak “Kilroy”. It is not the perfect kayak for me, but it is so dang close it is scary. As a long time canoe paddler, a hybrid style boat is second nature to me and as a photographer I really wanted a vessel that would allow me to store my camera gear safely. Having multiple camera boxes and bags has always been interesting on a sit on top. I get the job done but not without constant juggling of gear.
When I picked up my Kilroy at the Jackson factory, I was on the way to a 3 day trip. I had never paddled one before so you could say I was “all in”. I unloaded the boat on the river bank still wrapped in its protective shipping material. After unwrapping and rigging with the hard deck, I loaded my gear and shoved off.
Since the water was flat on the river, I started out in the high position. I quickly learned that the high position in the Kilroy is as stable as the low positions in most sit on tops. So much so that in subsequent trips when I tried the low position, I really didn’t care for it. That is my one and only non-like of this kayak. In my opinion the low position in the Kilroy isn’t even needed. The stability is enough to make me very comfortable standing to fish or paddle. Usually I don’t like to fight a fish standing, but in just a few minutes I had landed several bass and never sat down.
The Kilroy paddles well even with a large paddler like me and all the camera/fishing gear I was loaded down with. It got up to speed quickly and was plenty fast for me, it had a nice smooth glide as well. Maneuverability was better in the high position than in the low, I am thinking it is because the low position moves the seat forward and puts more weight toward the bow.
While seated, there is ample room at your feet for fishing bags or camera gear and the huge well behind the seat is easy to reach. I found that I could swing a leg over the side and reach anything behind the seat no matter how far back it was in the well. On a recent camping trip, I was able to store my backpacker tent and camera tripod under the bow on both sides of the foam bulkhead. I had the rear compartment filled with backpacking meals from Mountain House foods, (review here http://www.yakangler.com/other-reviews/discussions/review?id=349 ) a camp stove, coffee pot and a small lantern. The rest of the kayak was filled with my camera and fishing gear and I still had room for more. This was certainly one effective pack mule for my camping trip.
I was happy to finally get to test it on a “normal” fishing trip, no big camera gear and just my favorite couple fly rods and a box of flies. The soft deck that comes with it makes a great stripping basket while you are standing and while you are seated, fly line piles on the floor with nothing to snag on. That was really nice for anyone who spends time with a “buggy whip”. On a side note, for photographers, the soft deck makes a great place to sit your camera while stalking a shot; it cradles your camera and won’t let it roll around while keeping it safely away from the paddle drip zone.
The gear tracks come in handy on the Kilroy and there are several options for mounting the rod holders that come with it. I found that mounting them on both sides behind the seat allowed them to stay out of my way and having them at a low angle let me get into some pretty brushy spots. Setting my 3rd rod between my feet kept it secure and ready for action.
Let me say this one last piece about the Kilroy, or hybrid kayaks in general, they are not meant for just any type of water. I have owned 3 different manufacturers hybrids and I reckon although I am not a subject matter expert; I am pretty dang close to one. I would never take a hybrid kayak offshore and I would make sure I knew the weather forecast for any large body of water I was on. Having an open top changes the game considerably for this type of kayak. Large wakes can swamp a hybrid and next thing you know instead of a kayak you are in a submarine.
I will say this in defense of my beloved Kilroy though, on that first 3 day trip, I was thinking about a video I saw of Dan from Headwaters Kayak shop doing a deep water reentry. It really made me wonder if I could do it since I am a bit bigger around than he is. Finally my curiosity got the best of me so I swam out and in very short order did a deep water reentry into the Kilroy myself. I even have pics to prove it ( http://jacksonkayak.com/blog/2013/10/30/jackson-kayak-kilroy-deep-water-re-entry/ ).
The Jackson Kilroy is a very comfortable, extremely stable kayak that is great for fishing, photography or hunting. It will fill a niche for those who don’t like the exposure of a sit on top or for those who are just happier in a “canoe style” vessel. It will brush in very easily and with the seat reclined would make a great layout boat for duck hunting; and using the lumbar pad for a pillow will make your hunting buddies jealous. Like I said earlier in the piece, this is not a perfect kayak for me but I am not sure it is even possible to make a perfect kayak. The Jackson Kilroy comes so close to that for me though it isn’t even funny. If you get the chance, paddle one for a few days and see for yourself.

I am a Jackson fan. When I saw the new Kilroy in the shop for the first time I had to check it out a little closer. I own a Big Tuna and a Coosa already and love them. So after a few trips to the shop I decided to demo the Kilroy. I was amazed and fell in love. This boat is awesome. Very easy to stand in and tracks excellent. I have had the chance to catch a bunch of fish in it since I have had it and it has performed flawlessly. I have even landed several muskies in it. It has done great. Caught one of the muskies standing and landed him standing until the end where I sat down to net the fish. I have had the boat on small rivers to large lakes so far. It is a nice boat. The boat is very versatile and has a spot in my fleet for life. Love my Kilroy!!!