Ricochet

It's a composite slalom racer, and a darned nice boat. While Jackson is known for its mass-produced kayaks, I was given options in hull volume, layup weight and graphics that made this a custom job. I went with the full volume and standard layup, which weighes in at about 18 pounds. You get to locate your footpegs and the seat. I ordered a custom graphic, and they continued the theme on the seat. Nice touch. The boat is very well-made. While the outfitting is minimalist to save weight, it fits like a glove and is extremely responsive to body english. It easily accelerates and carves like a knife.

The negatives? Haven't found any.

The big surprise is that the price of this custom boat was a fraction of many off-the-rack composite sea kayaks. If you're looking to race or just have fun messing around in a very responsive kayak, this is your ticket.