jackson coosa fd opinions?

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weekendyakker
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jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by weekendyakker »

I've had a cuda 12 for a few years. It's been my favorite yak by far but I am about 2 seconds from pulling the trigger on a coosa fd.

I really like the idea of the prop being able to tuck in for shallow water & grass removal which is the main reason I dont have a native propel or similar.

Does anyone here have some seat time with a coosa fd or cruise fd? I primarily fish bays from copano on down south but have gone btb a few times when the water was cooperating. I'd like to run the occasional bait out once in a blue moon.
So, I figure the coosa fd isn't the best at anything but is really good in most scenarios. Are the pedals/prop a big pain in the rear? Is breaking through the surf more or less difficult? Would you reccommend biting the bullet on an fd or save the extra $1500 and get another paddle only yak?
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by Cruisin_Cuda »

the biggest complaint i've heard from FD owners is that the rudder needs some work. they mention having to keep your hand on it or it will move and the yak starts spinning. i'm hoping they improve it by the time i can afford one!
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by weekendyakker »

Hmm, i didn't even think about that. Makes sense because it is all hand controlled. Thanks for the input.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by bryanag73 »

I am thinking about pulling the trigger on a Coosa FD, but I also see where the rudder could be a problem. I will have to take another look at it to see if I can rig up something to keep it tracking straight.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by SWFinatic »

I've heard the same on the rudder/tracking issue. I've also heard when you get in shallow water and raise the drive up and pedal it's noisy. That's just what I've seen in YouTube from owners. I have never been on one. I will say for the money the Pescador Pilot ($1499 at Academy and on Amazon free shipping) is a very solid and stable kayak.

Good luck!
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by Ron Mc »

The Coosa is a great river/lake boat, but it's not for the flats - freeboard is way too tall, and will drag and sail you around.

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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by weekendyakker »

Yeah I did see the pescador pilot at academy the other day and was quite impressed at what I saw. Academy has really stepped up their game since I bought my 1st kayak years ago.

As far as the pedal drive goes, the main selling point for me was the ease with raising & lowering the prop & how it stows when accidently hitting something.....which I do more than I'd like to admit.

I'll be on the fence until it has a bit more mileage on it because at that price tag I don't like gambling.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by weekendyakker »

Ron Mc wrote:The Coosa is a great river/lake boat, but it's not for the flats - freeboard is way too tall, and will drag and sail you around.
I run my cuda 12 in the flats & honestly havn't noticed getting pushed any more than typical. The cuda & coosa are about the same height, right? I probably have just got used to it but I'd imagine the fd prop could be a big help with that.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by Ron Mc »

no, they're not, the Cuda is made for the flats
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by SWFinatic »

weekendyakker wrote:Yeah I did see the pescador pilot at academy the other day and was quite impressed at what I saw. Academy has really stepped up their game since I bought my 1st kayak years ago.

As far as the pedal drive goes, the main selling point for me was the ease with raising & lowering the prop & how it stows when accidently hitting something.....which I do more than I'd like to admit.

I'll be on the fence until it has a bit more mileage on it because at that price tag I don't like gambling.
Best thing to do is demo one if you can. If not I agree too big of a risk.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by weekendyakker »

Ron Mc wrote:no, they're not, the Cuda is made for the flats
Yep, you're right. The cuda 12 height is 14" and the coosa height is 16".
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by Ron Mc »

my buddy took his Coosa to Redfish Bay one day and it was a slug
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worse than his old X-factor

He more than made up for it with a new Hobie Revo - with Mirage drive, far and away the fastest boat on the flats.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by weekendyakker »

Ron Mc wrote:my buddy took his Coosa to Redfish Bay one day and it was a slug
Image
worse than his old X-factor

He more than made up for it with a new Hobie Revo - with Mirage drive, far and away the fastest boat on the flats.
Was it the new coosa fd or the older style? I've had a good amount of seat time in a hobie and personally, I never felt comfortable with the mirage drive except when trying to cross an open lake. So, that's kinda why I'm looking at the new flex drive system. Other prop drives seem to be a pain going from deep to shallow so.... I'm still slinging paddles.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by Ron Mc »

mirage drive feathers when you're in skinny water - here's my buddy paddling Rattlesnake Bay at Laguna Atascosa
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there are no words for how freaking fast is the Revo 16 - for almost a decade, he's been following my T160, now it's the other way around.

His Coosa is of course the first, as was his Aquaterra Kahuna in my first photo. My buddy in the Kahuna was in the first ever published articles on kayak fishing, in FR&R and TP&W, Phil Shook,1994.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by weekendyakker »

Oh yeah, no doubt those turbo fin mirage drives are fast but you know as well as anyone comfort trumps all when you're in a kayak all day. For me, I just didn't like the feel of the hobie. I'll find a prop drive that fits me better and slap a power pole on it to really make me lazy. Ha!
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by Aquiles »

So many mention the speed of the Hobie in comparison to most propeller drives but when I go fishing I very rarely worry about speed I mean I guess it would be nice going from one specific spot to another but usually I'm fishing at a much slower rate then if I was just paddling along . I mean if it was just for paddling around sure but I'm fishing ! Would not sacrifice speed for the ability to just peddle backwards when fighting a fish , I've seen so many hobie fisherman fumble the rod when trying to pull the cable to engage backward peddling when fighting a fish heading for the bank . I'm more concerned with reports of a problem tracking .
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by Ron Mc »

speed = efficiency = wind slippery
it's not about going fast, but maybe far - it's about not getting your ass beat by a day in the coastal wind, and the option of going far away from your launch because you're not going to get beat.
In gunwhale height (really, wind profile), the Coosa is 2 Tarpons, as my buddy discovered in the SW sloughs of Redfish Bay.
His next salt trip, he brought the 20-y-o Emotion Fisherman, with the Coosa hanging in the garage.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by Ultrastealth »

The main draw back of the Coosa FD is the friction in the drive. It has far more friction than any other drive system, and that's no fun on a long outing. Do yourself a favor and play with several drive systems. The kayak salesman at FTU showed me how bad it was in the Coosa as I was about to drop some money on one. I wound up getting a Native Manta Ray Propel after looking at all of the available pedal models. It has been fantastic. I went all the way across Christmas Bay yesterday, and it was no big deal. It's light, fast, handles shallow water very well (with the drive pulled up) and is very comfortable. With the drive up in shallow water, it paddles as well as a kayak that was made for paddling. It's also one of the least expensive pedal kayaks, but comes with the very sturdy, efficient, and proven Propel Drive. Native has improved the Propel Drive since I got mine too. Go to a demo day and pedal several kayaks to make the best choice for you.
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Re: jackson coosa fd opinions?

Post by 1texasaggie »

I realize this is an old thread, but recently spent several days on a Coosa FD and thought I would share my experiences for anyone interested. Here's a quick summary to spare having to read a lengthy review...I absolutely did not like the Coosa FD.
I really like the idea of the prop being able to tuck in for shallow water & grass removal which is the main reason I dont have a native propel or similar.

Does anyone here have some seat time with a coosa fd or cruise fd? I primarily fish bays from copano on down south but have gone btb a few times when the water was cooperating. I'd like to run the occasional bait out once in a blue moon.
So, I figure the coosa fd isn't the best at anything but is really good in most scenarios. Are the pedals/prop a big pain in the rear? Is breaking through the surf more or less difficult? Would you reccommend biting the bullet on an fd or save the extra $1500 and get another paddle only yak?
Like you, I really liked the idea and convenience of the Flex Drive. Owning a Native Propel, another concern was leg room. I have a 36" inseam and IMHO, the Coosa FD will probably easily accommodate folks up to 6'9". Pedaling the Coosa FD was fine and seemed relatively smooth. Breaking through surf was not a problem. It's a very stable kayak. And to answer your question, YES, I would highly recommend biting the bullet and spending the money on a quality pedal drive kayak...I just wouldn't recommend the Jackson.

There are several things I like about the Coosa FD. It's built like a tank, is a legit big man's kayak, has a comfortable seat, turn radius is decent, it has plenty of accessory rails, together with the peace of mind you get from having the Flex Drive system...protecting the prop from damage.

However, even though I fish shallow marshes and I ran it aground several times, the drive system never articulated upward. The kayak just stopped, but appeared undamaged. Not sure if this was a defect or just didn't strike hard enough to force the drive to articulate up to the daggerboard. The hatches appear well built and provide ample storage, but limited access to the inner hull.

The things I really disliked about the Coosa were a defective Flex Drive system out of the wrapper, ineffective rudder system, lack of gear storage and noticeable hull slap. I've since seen a number of complaints about the Flex Drive being defective right out of the package and my Coosa FD was no exception. One feature that attracted me was the ability to run shallow by bringing the drive up into a middle position. My Coosa FD never engaged from the middle position where the unit automatically dropped all the way down the instant I began pedaling forward. Oddly enough, it ran just fine while pedaling backwards. That being said, this is not a practical feature b/c it's too noisy from the shallow draft middle position and will spook fish three counties over. Called Jackson and they said the Coosa FD was indeed defective and needed to be repaired.

The Jackson Coosa FD has the absolute worst tracking of any rudder mounted kayak I've ever seen. After spending a few hours acclimating to the Coosa FD, I aimed the bow at a water tower almost a mile away and began to pedal. I literally had to make micro adjustments (to the rudder) after every revolution or it would begin veer off. No way you can lock the rudder and pedal in a straight line. This process requires using both hands, one on either control knob, to ensure precise enough control to track straight ahead. This is absolutely ridiculous, especially when one of the big perceived advantages of a pedal kayak is leaving your hands free enough to do some fishing.

Another thing I strongly disliked was the rudder system, which is similar to the Native Propel. Beaching on soft sand or docking to a float on trailer, no problems. After only a few times into a concrete lined boat ramp, my Coosa FD rudder was starting to look chewed up. In fact, I doubt the rudder will last a season before it needs to be replaced. A quick detach rudder makes little difference if you have to jump out in a foot of water to remove it.

The rod tubes and the "Hypalon Paddle Blade Keeper" are both highly counter intuitive. Storing a paddle along the gunnels is awkward and not well thought out either. The hull slap on the Coosa FD is noticeable, but no worse than the Native Propel. This is where pedal drives like Hobie and Old Town have big advantages. Finally, the "junk drawer" located beneath the seat just doesn't cut it. It's awkward, doesn't slide easily and then blocks the propeller hatch from opening (the one that actually allows the drive to articulate all the way up), risking potential damage to the prop.
He more than made up for it with a new Hobie Revo - with Mirage drive, far and away the fastest boat on the flats.
Actually, Old Town is now laying claim to being the fastest pedal drive on the market. I've seen a number of these so-called "racing" videos on YouTube where the Hobie jumped out of the blocks fast, where leg turnover appeared to be equal, but the Coosa FD quickly caught up withthe Pro Angler 14. The only race I've seen between Hobie vs Old Town clearly favored the Old Town all the way through.
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