Words By: Andrew Watt
Having been out on the water a few times now this season I thought I would share my thoughts on this fantastic boat. From its stability, comfort, handling on the water, styling, the amazing pedal drive system, and loads of internal storage. The CoosaFD is my third fishing-oriented kayak I’ve owned to date and It’s by far my favorite.
The most important feature to touch on would be the pedal drive itself. It’s a two-piece format consisting of the upper and lower drive units. The upper unit (the part with the pedals) is removable for transportation and pedals just like a bike. It transfers your foot power to the lower unit which joins the 3 bladed prop via the drive shaft. The whole unit is easily deployable via a lever, conveniently located in front of the pedal drive It is super simple to operate allowing you to peddle to your hearts content and concentrate on the fish.
PHOTO: Jackson Coosa FD Rigged and Ready!
The layout of the boat is done with fishing in mind. From numerous geartracks and predrilled accessory locations, rod holders, and rod tip protectors, rigging it to your personal standards is easy. The high low options and adjustable track make it easy to adjust for seat for comfort, water conditions and height variations in the paddler. The boat is super stable in both seating positions. Storage options are endless, from the gear well located behind the seat, the huge hull access hatch at the front, and the rudder and hull access hatch in the rear. You have enough storage for a day or extended multi day fishing adventures.
On the water it paddles as a top of the line kayak should, steady with great tracking and pedals even better. It is super responsive to steering with its dual rudder controls. I still can’t get over how easy it is to deploy and bring up the pedal drive. No more fumbling with prop angles, location, or pins. Just a simple flick of the lever and your good to go. I really enjoy the self raising feature of the drive, if you happen to hit a sandbar or other submerged object, which I did and sustained no damage, the drive pops up on its own. Once past the sandbar I popped it down with ease and carried on!
PHOTO: Seated fly fishing in the Coosa FD!
In my mind, with the Coosa FD, Jackson has knocked this one out of the park and built one of the best fishing kayaks to date. I could go on and on about it, but this is a blog not a novel, so, in a nutshell, I can’t recommend this boat strongly enough! For more info check out the Coosa FD on Aquabatics page here.
Cheers, Fish on!!
Andrew Watt
Jackson Kayak Regional Fishing Team Member
Aquabatics Fishing Team Member
