16' 1"
Length
23"
Width (in)
MSRP

Jura HV Description

The Jura HV is a kayak brought to you by Venture Kayaks. Read Jura HV reviews or submit your own review to share with the paddling community. Check out a few other kayak recommendations below or explore all kayaks to find the perfect one for you!

Jura HV Specs and Features

  • Structure: Rigid / Hard Shell
  • Cockpit Type: Sit Inside
  • Seating Configuration: Solo
  • Ideal Paddler Size: Average Adult, Larger Adult
  • Skill Level: Intermediate, Advanced
  • Ideal Paddler Size: Average Adult, Larger Adult
  • Skill Level: Intermediate, Advanced

Venture Kayaks
Jura HV Reviews

Read reviews for the Jura HV by Venture Kayaks as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!

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5

Have owned this boat for 3…

Submitted by: Muskyhunter on 7/29/2019

Have owned this boat for 3 years and love it. Did a 5 day trip on Lake Superior in the Apostle Islands. I also paddle a lot on the lower Wisconsin river. It will do whatever I want and is bulletproof.

5

Review: Venture Jura HV (and…

Submitted by: paddler535209 on 7/29/2019

Review: Venture Jura HV (and MV)

Conclusion: The Jura is a durable, well-designed touring sea kayak available at an attractive price point for discriminating buyers who plan to make no more than two carefully researched purchases in their lifetimes. It offers a suite of features that will sharpen the judgment of entry-level buyers and make them more effective judges of their ultimate “go-to” boat purchases.

Overall safety and design: This boat is clearly designed by people who have seen all the wrinkles that can turn simple boats into death traps in heavy water. The steering cables are sheathed and hidden to reduce entrapment risk. In addition, the deck lines are designed to be easily grasped and the deck fittings are streamlined to prevent snagging in the event of a swim. The scudder retractor is flush-mounted for the same reason. The cockpit coaming is recessed to allow for efficient water-shedding and to prevent bashing your knuckles in heavy seas or high wind. Moreover, the coaming is wide enough to provide spare hull material in the event that a hole needs to be patched in the bush. The Jura features two cargo hatches and a pair of day hatches. The day hatches are readily accessible without unseating the spray skirt. This keeps the foredeck clear for a deck compass and a map case and lowers the wind resistance of the craft by keeping equipment stowed. In addition, a flat spot molded into the deck forward of the foredeck hatch is specifically designed for the base of an elegant, removable sail system that, when not in use, lays flat on the deck – out of the way until needed. Moreover, the construction of the foredeck is robust enough to provide a solid base for the mast. The deck does not flex under normal sailing stress. Under the right circumstances, the proprietary P & H sailing system (which is an add-on) can easily double paddling speed. Finally, the fore and aft carrying toggles are extremely robust and are stabilized by elastic cords to keep them from knocking about as you paddle.

The Big Picture: Broadly speaking, the kayak market should probably be divided into two categories: 1) first-time buyers and 2) everyone else. First-time buyers and serious expedition buyers share two key considerations: simplicity and durability.

The Pyranha family: Consists of the Pyranha, Venture, and P&H product lines. Because Pyranha’s prime mover is a former Olympic kayaker, the firm’s product line ultimately targets boaters who have substantial butt-in-seat experience. This experience is purposefully designed to result from carefully crafted entry-level boating experiences. The organization’s thought process seems to be: if we over-deliver at the entry level, we will establish lifetime relationships with our clients.

Two Jura models: The two Jura models differ only with respect to capacity. The HV is the larger of the two. Generally speaking, the HV is suitable for adults of either gender. The MV suits more petite paddlers (regardless of age or gender).

Experience levels: Early experience with a sea kayak is arguably more about the water than the boat. Very few inexperienced paddlers will be able to distinguish the performance differences between top-end boats and entry-level boats. One cannot expect an inexperienced paddler to understand (or even sense) the nuances that distinguish professional equipment from entry-level equipment.

Profile: The Jura has an upturned bow (which cuts through waves) and a low-profile stern (which protects paddlers to some extent from being rolled unexpectedly by rogue waves approaching from behind). This is important because confused seas are arguably more difficult to deal with than seas with visible wave crests, currents, and reflected waves.

Width: These boats max out at 23 inches – which is wide enough to enhance stability but narrow enough to reduce drag. Many boats in this price range are designed to appeal to inexperienced paddlers and are too wide to be efficient touring craft. Wide boats tend to wallow in rough water and are generally harder to roll. Moreover, wider boats present challenges for in-water recovery because they ship more water.

Durability: Juras are bombproof. Whether used as entry-level vehicles or as expedition craft, they can take a serious licking. See “Chops” below for what informed this conclusion.

Material and weight: Juras are rotomolded PVC boats. While this manufacturing process makes them heavier (roughly 58 pounds) than composite boats, the resulting product is easily repaired in the field. This weight is at the high end of the optimal range for single-handed loading and unloading from car racks, but it does not make a material difference on the water for most paddlers under most conditions. This is a touring boat – not a racing craft.

Competing materials: High-tech materials (like Kevlar) are materially lighter than rotomolded plastic. However, boats made of such high-end materials carry high-end prices (roughly 3 to 5 times as much as PVC boats), so scuffs and scrapes can be painful.

Capacity: I can travel in this craft for roughly three weeks without resupply.

Bulkheads: Jura bulkheads come factory-sealed. However, forward-thinking paddlers will stress-test them before use and will carry a leak-repair kit. Hull stress caused by compression straps and summer heat can separate bulkhead seams in short order.

Hatch design: These hatches are strikingly durable. They seat well at both high and low temperatures and last for years if treated with respect. I use stainless-steel cable ties to keep them in place, but that is overkill for most boaters.

A steering system is essential: Steering systems make sea kayaking easier, safer, and more enjoyable. The argument that they are unnecessary is difficult to justify.

Tracking/Scudder: Juras are stiff enough to track well. They cut readily through wind and oncoming waves; incorporate extremely strong, low-stretch stainless-steel cables and well-designed footpegs; and are suitable for demanding paddling environments. They incorporate “scudder” technology in their steering system. Scudders are basically steerable skegs that can be retracted into a slot in the hull to protect them from shore landings in current, surf, and/or high wind.

Scudder simplicity: This system is easily understood, maintained, adjusted, and repaired in the bush.

Scudder cons: Seaweed, abandoned fishing line, and miscellaneous flotsam and jetsam can stop the scudder from retracting (and occasionally from pivoting). Pebbles and sand can jam the scudder in its housing, preventing deployment. This is not an issue for paddlers traveling in groups (which is overwhelmingly common). Another paddler simply clears the jam without any material delay. Deployment malfunctions and jams also impact over-the-stern rudders. A scudder jammed in its housing presents no material difficulties to forward progress and can be overcome with simple paddling adjustments. Very high winds (and seas) from roughly 45 degrees off the bowline can overpower the surface area of the scudder, but most paddlers will be intimidated by such water and will opt for shore out of an abundance of caution. Safe boaters plan ahead for such contingencies and develop coping strategies in advance of need.

Repair kit/spare parts: My comprehensive repair kit for this boat and its steering system weighs a bit more than 1 pound, is smaller than a Nalgene water bottle, and fits readily into pointed, end-of-boat spaces that are otherwise of limited use.

Seats: Comfortable enough for extended time on the water (12 hours or so).

Sailing: The Jura is the only craft of its type I have encountered that is specifically designed to accommodate a sail. This sail is easily deployed from the cockpit using lines and pulleys anchored to the deck and controlled by small cleats mounted near the cockpit coaming. This system is an aftermarket product.

Great value: With reasonable care, these can be lifetime boats.

Chops: I have some 10,000 miles of solo expedition kayaking under my spray skirt and have been paddling for 45 years. My experience includes three expeditions of over 2,000 miles, and covers water of all types from the U.S./Mexico border to the Bering and Beaufort seas (well north of the Arctic Circle). Roughly half of this mileage was accomplished in a Venture Jura HV, and the other half was accomplished in a Pyranha Fusion Connect creek boat.

5

I purchased this kayak in…

Submitted by: Muskyhunter on 5/30/2018

I purchased this kayak in 2016. I have been a canoeist for over 30 years and never really enjoyed kayaking until I bought this boat. The large volume keeps me from being cramped up in the cockpit. I have done a week long trip with this boat in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and it was a wonderful experience. The boat is fully equipped to handle almost anything. The day hatch is a great accessible compartment. The built-in drop down rudder is perfect for windy days or surfing. I highly recommend this boat.

5

If you're an XL paddler looking to get into sea kayaking make sure you check out the Jura HV

Submitted by: Jake1979 on 4/19/2017

Are you an XL paddler? Tired of paddling kayaks that paddle like a raft, sslow sluggish and unresponsive? Your wait is over, venture Jura HV is the sea kayak for you... Fast, tracks great, white water outfitting. Larger cockpit for easy in and out.

Engage the connect seat system, Put this on edge and carve a turn like a pro. In the surf, no worries, the Jura has enough rocker to have a great time for costal play. If you're an XL paddler looking to get into sea kayaking make sure you check out the Jura HV!

4

If you are a larger paddler…

Submitted by: jluman71 on 6/3/2016
If you are a larger paddler around the 6'2"/260lb variety with tree trunk legs and size 14 feet, looking for a plastic boat with outstanding quality, get this. The deck height should accommodate most NBA players' shoe size.

After a lot of research and lusting after several models and manufacturers, fit and fate led me toward the Jura. I tried an MV at Rutabaga in Madison WI and knew I was done looking. If I managed in the MV, I had no fear ordering the HV.

This is my first, and possibly last, sea kayak. I tend to buy and keep toys and equipment a lot longer than some and I think the Jura will stand the test of time with care.

It is a beautiful boat and I have received plenty of compliments already. I love the lines on it. Mine is orange but the colors for venture boats have a mild, off color speckled-look up close. The bucket seat and cockpit adjustment is outstanding. 4 hours in the saddle with no complaints. It can hold me in as tight as I want or let me lay back and stretch. The ratcheting back rest is a welcome feature. Love the convenient paddle-park.

The boat tracks excellent without the skeg positioned until the crosswind or current calls for it. The full-down rudder position really does the trick on a winding, turbulent creek. Operation is smooth and predictable. I used permanent marker to draw hash marks next to the adjustment slider to give me a position gauge.

A couple marks against the boat might be a little tinkering but I enjoy that sort of thing:

  1. I found the aft deck rigging a little sparse so I added a couple more bungees. One across the "jura" name and one diagonal next to the day hatch. This holds the spare paddle much better than before.
  2. I also had to adjust the rudder lines once, but this is easily accessed via the "inspection panel" in the aft. Not sure how they got loose or stretched in the first place but everything has been working great ever since.
  3. Gotta be a little careful getting in and out so as not to leave skin on the ratchet teeth.
8.5 - 9 so far.

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