I just thought the foam blocks were put in to support the yak during shipping and storage. I pulled mine out as well, as the accessories that came with mine were in the hull behind the foam block.

The Jackson dealer (Mountain Sports) told me those are structural supports as mentioned above and need to stay in.

Hey District Paddle. I was at the Garland store this weekend and saw this Yak. I almost bought it, but wanted to do some research. I then found that this is fresh off the production floor. I will miss this saturday's review, but I am interested in hearing your thoughts and seeing a demo. Will you be posting a youtube video of the demo?
Thanks

I probably won't be able to get a video up, but I will definitely write a thorough review after Saturday.

I'll have some pics as well.

The foam pieces in all Jackson kayaks serve two purposes, 1st structure support. 2nd flotation.
If you remove the foam piece you will see failure in the upper deck over a period of time especially in this Texas heat.
And they will not warranty the kayak if you do so.

Yep, most kayaks have foam blocks in the seat area especially and removing it may contribute to cracking in that area where the foam was removed. It's there for a reason and not just for packing.

I went by last nite but wasnt able to get a good look underneath. It seemed the scuppers were made for transducer mounting. Can you verify that?

Agreed 100% Cudadude. I know the Cuda can store full size rods in the hull. Could you tell us where the foam is located in that boat so this is possible? It seems a fairly simple design change on the Ascend could still give you the support needed and allow enough room to pass the rods through the support areas. Yes, I have an engineering degree but more importantly have slept at a Holiday Inn Express.

I swung by Bass Pro last night prior to Yu's domination of the Astros to check out this new kayak.

First impressions of the layout. The deck has a lot of hatches, almost too hatchy. Is that a word? The small round hatch just in front of the seat has a small bag and would be suitable for keys, wallet, and cell phone in a small dry bag. The hatch directly behind the seat is large, but upon opening it I noticed they put a foam block completely across the beam to support the seat. Although there still should be room to store rods you're going to have to use the small round hatch on the bow to do so, but the whole may not be big enough slide the rods in (giggity) with the reels attached. I suspect the reason for the foam block is to properly support the seat when in the high position. The seat height is adjustable to three height positions, and will swivel/lock at 45 degree intervals; neat feature.

First impression of the hull. The kayak itself looks to be 31" wide and with the seat I would peg it around 65 lbs. The bow of the kayak is very unique. It reminds me a lot like a poling skiff with a touch of carolina flair. Although it looks like the bow drops below the kayak, it's just the angle of the photo. The design should make for a quiet entry into the water when you're trying to be stealthy. The bow flows into a continuous running keel similar to the Ride 135. The similarities continue with the two tunnels leading to the outer edge of the kayak. Although, the Ascend doesn't have as much pontoon effect like the Ride 135. I do believe the Ascend will also suffer the gurgling/geyser effect that Ride 135 suffers from the tunnels catching air. I could be wrong depending on low the kayak sits in the water and how tall the tunnels are, but it looks like it'll have the same problem. It does come with scupper plugs, too.

Performance thoughts. Stability should be on par with the Ride 115 and Coosa, but less than the Diablo Paddlesports' Diablo. "Speed" and tracking will probably be its strengthens over those kayaks, but you'll need to put a little more effort to get her turned around in tight places.

Overall, it looks like a serious contender in the kayak/sup hybrid genre.

Nice feed back Neumie, it looks very promising fo sho.It never fails!!! when I have all the kayaks I need a cool one comes out.

I noticed that the hatch behind the seat opens the wrong way. If you're on the water you have to reach over the lid if you need to access anything in that compartment.

Getting it.

Be sure to post a report, and pictures if possible!

Welcome to the forum!