For size comparison, here’s the Wavesport Fuse sandwiched in between my Necky Jive and a Jackson Star (which is smaller than the 2Fun) that I ended up demo-ing as well:

I can see how people develop a quiver of whitewater kayaks.

I took the Fuse mainly on the Skykomish River, on the Class III-IV Cabledrop to Split Rock run that includes Boulder Drop.  Here’s my take on it.

Forgiveness

The Wavesport Fuse is an extremely forgiving boat, which is why I think it would be a great beginner boat – mainly because it’s also short enough to let you surf as well, so you get the benefit of a solid river runner without missing out on learning how to play.

People talk about the ‘secondary stability’ of the Fuse, meaning a kind of second chance you get to not flip over.

I don’t know if I noticed that in particular, I just found myself going through stuff that I was amazed to be upright at the end of.  I had been using the Jackson 2Fun (see my review of the 2Fun here), which initially I found very stable, but after messing around with the outfitting I think I threw it off kilter and began flipping around all over the place, so the Fuse ended up being a big relief after that.  (Probably not the Jackson’s fault, I think it was me tweaking the footpads and seat position.)

The Fuse does have a slightly higher and bigger volume stern than the 2Fun, which adds to stability:

The Wavesport Fuse stern (right) compared to the Jackson 2Fun

Comfort

I LOVE Wavesport outfitting!  Some people say they either fit you or they don’t, but I know someone who’s built very differently than I am, tall and leggy (her, not me) and she loves the Fuse outfitting too.  The knee pads are on runners and really adjustable, and the seat is just plain comfortable.

Surfing

I’m not an expert surfer, but I did also take the Fuse on the Wenatchee and spent some time at Turkey Shoot with it.  I feel like between the two, the Jackson 2Fun is a bit easier to surf because the edges seem to release a little more easily, and I’ve heard that from some other people as well.  However, I got some really nice surfs in on the Fuse and I know some good paddlers who love the Fuse as a surf boat.

Tricks

Are you kidding?  I really can’t do tricks at this point.  Overall the 2Fun will offer more options in this area because the stern is slightly shorter and has less volume, however I’ve seen videos of good playboaters doing all kinds of crazy stuff in the Wavesport Fuse.  I do know that when I first got the 2Fun I did stern squirts on the first day and I was not able to do them in the Fuse, but again I think that’s partly because I got worse at doing stern squirts for some reason.

Rollability

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the Wavesport Fuse an 8 or 8.5 for rollability, and the Jackson 2Fun a 9.  (The 2Fun is so easy to roll I’d give it a 10, but someday they might make a boat that rolls itself and I’m saving the 10 for that.)  The secondary stability of the Fuse that I talked about appears to also provide just a tad bit more resistance on the way up, but it’s really negligible, and I’d classify both boats as very easy to roll.

(To be fair, I’ve swum in both boats, which just goes to show you can mess up a roll in any boat if you pull your head up too early, and I’ve also rolled up no problem in the middle of Boulder Drop in the Fuse.)

The Important Stuff

On to Libby’s review of the Wavesport Fuse.  Libby’s OK with the Wavesport Fuse, although for some reason she seemed more at ease overall in the Jackson 2Fun.

Libby demonstrates the admirable stability of the Wavesport Fuse.

She does find it pretty easy to maintain the correct moderately aggressive kayaking posture in the Fuse.

Ooo, big hole on river right!

And size-wize, another great thing about the Fuse as compared to a 40 lb river runner like my first boat, the Necky Jive, is that it’s easy to carry and there’s plenty of room to stick it in the car.

Must... stand... on.... everything....

Overall, I really like the Wavesport Fuse 48.  When I was flipping all over the place in the 2Fun (again, after I messed up the outfitting) I had a lot of people tell me I should stick with the 2Fun because it was the more challenging boat and would make me grow faster.  I tend to think along those lines anyway, but then I thought, what if just for once I chose to not do something the hardest way possible?

For me, the key was that when I switched back to the Fuse I ended up having more fun, and gained confidence and skill because I tried more things.  I never would have tried Boulder Drop for the very first time at 2400 cfs in the 2Fun, but I felt OK giving it a shot in the Fuse, and it also made me a better roller, since after swimming twice in Boulder Drop I learned to REALLY keep my head down at the end of a roll.

(Plus, the last 3 times I’ve done Boulder Drop have been in the Jackson Star, which is more squirrelly than the 2Fun – which goes to show that starting out in a slightly easier boat doesn’t necessarily hold you back.)  I love the Star, by the way, just haven’t written a review on it yet.

So ultimately, I’d say the Wavesport Fuse 48 and the Jackson 2Fun are both great boats – pretty comparable and good potentials for beginner boats, but the Fuse is probably an easier boat for some people starting out and leaves plenty of room to have fun and grow – I don’t see it as just a beginner boat at all, simply one that works well for beginner kayakers as well as intermediates.  And it really does open up the door for kayakers with more experience to use it in more difficult whitewater, like Class IVs.  Overall, a great boat – I give it two thumbs up.

Libby yawns a lot in the Fuse. Not sure what that means.

The Jive is a much longer, heavier type of river runner boat that’s a great beginner boat and supposed to be excellent for ocean surfing, but on shorter river waves I was always getting the nose whipped around.  From the photo below comparing the two you can easily see why:

I took the Jackson 2Fun on the Lower Gorge and the Headworks sections of the Green River – here’s my take on it:

Forgiveness

From what I heard about moving from the Necky Jive to more of a playboat style like the 2Fun I expected to be getting flipped over every time a wave hit me sideways.  (I’ve got a really good roll but am more or less not so great at bracing.)

Instead, I could not believe how forgiving this boat was.  The stern is a litle bit more grabby, but overall once I got used to the edges I was able to get away with pretty much what I can do easily in the Jive.  This was totally not what I expected (and a huge relief.)

I also sit a bit lower in this boat, which made river reading a bit more difficult, but bracing easier.

Comfort

I didn’t use the optional soft seat because I wanted to not sit too high – it would probably be fine, but I was comfortable without it.  I know I didn’t adjust the inflatable footbags as carefully as the Jackson people explain how to, but I felt like I had decent foot support without it.

The back band is really adjustable and I felt like between that and the shape of the boat I was able to use a much more forward stance than in the Jive.

Photo by Chris Peele

Surfing

The 2Fun was a blast to surf in – in fact, after paddling like crazy to surf with the Necky Jive (and burying the nose and getting whipped around constantly), it was amazing to actually get onto a wave and, well, just surf!  The edges were easy to use once I started trying.

Tricks

Let’s just say I was able to do 2 or 3 actual vertical stern squirts, my first ever.  I only got one out of every 10 or 15 attempts, but that’s not the boat’s fault.

Rollability

The Jackson is super easy to roll, so much so that I actually flipped all the way over coming up from a roll.

Carryability

After lugging around my 40 lb Necky Jive for a year, the Jackson 2Fun is like picking up a purse - amazingly light.

Maneuverability

I felt like it was easier to get a good line with the 2Fun because it’s lighter and easier for me to move sideways across the water, plus it’s a bit slower than the Jive so I had more time.

Libby’s Review of the 2Fun

Now down to the important stuff.  Libby’s not wild about kayaks in general (because a paddle usually means she has to stay home) but she gives the 2Fun two paws up due to it taking up much less room in the back of the car:

It also fits her pretty well, although I can definitely see she’s going to have trouble getting the skirt over that tail.

(Yes, I have a very patient dog.)

Overall…

I was seriously shocked at how easy and versatile the Jackson 2Fun was.  It’s so forgiving that I think it would be a fine boat for a beginner, although I should mention that I really haven’t tried many of different boats.  I do know that I didn’t notice a huge difference in stability between the 2Fun and the Necky Jive, which is supposed to be a very good beginner’s boat.

So overall, two thumbs up for the Jackson 2Fun – I can’t wait to get one!

P.S.  A big thanks to Aquasports in Redmond for handing over a new boat to demo when they couldn’t find their old one, and also for not caring that I took a picture of Libby in it.