I just ordered a Jackson Angler Kayak from Watermans Depot out of CA and the anticipation is killing me. I haven't gotten any information on shipping/tracking number and they say they are waiting to hear from Jackson. What are your experiences with Freight shipped kayaks?

Most of us buy a kayak locally. No wait unless you have a special color they don't have in stock.

See if you can cancel your order and go pick your Jackson kayak up at Mountain Sports in Arlington......that's what I would do.

I have gotten two yaks shipped from cali. It took about a week. I picked one up at the freight center.

Ditto

yep, dittos

Im up in Amarillo and no one seems to have had the Jackson Big Tuna Urban Camo with a Rudder. The only reason I ordered from CA website was I was under the impression that shipping was free and got a good deal on an angler paddle. My emailed receipt even said Free Shipping (Not including Boards). Well, like an idiot I was sorely mistaken. I called and kindly spoke about their misleading website all for some free shirt I still have yet to see. Its been a few weeks and still have not gotten any info on my kayak. I was just curious if I am just being ridiculously impatient/impractical about the time it normally takes for dealers to order and hear back from the manufacturer (Jackson). 1,2,3,4 weeks? I have no clue. I also am trying to avoid paying my credit card in full before I ever even smell any polyethylene.

I would try to get my money back and find another way of purchasing one myself. You may call Jackson and see if they can locate one near you or a dealer that will order one for you close by.

I'm in Kansas and ordered my kayak from Austin Canoe & Kayak. They had free shipping and I got my kayak a few days after ordering it. ACK gave me tracking number, I contacted the trucking company and got an approximate delivery time. The driver called me when he was an hour away so I'd be home. Excellent service from ACK.

The closest Jackson dealer might be in Oklahoma City. Drive over and make a fun day of it.

Kayak manufacturers mold kayaks in batches so if they don't have your model in that particular color it could be a month before they mold it. Owners of kayak shops have to place preseason orders months in advance and this typically sets the tone for what the consumer wants from the dealer, so the manufacturer will produce more of a popular color. They are listed as an authorized dealer for Jackson, so that's good. It may be as simple as they didn't have your particular color in stock and are waiting for Jackson to produce more in that color. Or they keep a very limited number of kayaks in stock and have Jackson drop ship all internet orders; not very convenient.

If the communication between the retailer and yourself is acceptable, then I would let them make good on the sale and rectify the situation as best as possible. I certainly would not pay in full until some shiny plastic was sitting in my front yard.

Having said that I would personally never purchase a kayak from an online dealer unless I was certain they had a true retail store, like AKC. I personally know of a kayak "shop" (no store front, just did online sales and had the manufacturer drop ship the item) in Texas that was shut down by a manufacturer for false advertising. Basically, they were purchasing 2nd quality kayaks from the manufacturer (which are cheaper than 1st quality because of some minor defect, and are then added to the rental fleet of the kayak shop) and selling them to the consumer at the same price as a 1st quality yak without disclosing they were a 2nd quality yak. When someone tried to make a warranty claim on their kayak the manufacturer denied the claim because they had purchased a 2nd quality kayak, which are not warrantied.

I highly recommend you make sure you obtain the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin with your kayak. The MSO will state the quality of the kayak. Check to make sure the serial number on the MSO and kayak match.

I don't see anything wrong with ordering a kayak. But I do like to support my local kayak dealer. It's nice to be able to drive over and pick something up instead of waiting on it to be shipped.
Communication between you and the place you bought should established and they should give you a answer in hours and not days. As mentioned, there are local dealers that would be able to help.

i ordered my 2 jacksons from backcountry.com they shipped in 2 weeks no sales tax, and free shipping/freight if you ship them to your work (or buisness). they gave me a tracking number though, contact the people you got it from and ask for a tracking number. if you use them ask for scooter he hooks you up sold me a 2014 for the price of the 2013 cause they were out of stock on the 2013's my wife wanted

Talked to the company I ordered from, Jackson Kayak is back ordered like crazy right now. Hopefully have my boat cooking in the oven within the next week! This wait is killing me!

Still no kayak over a month later. Man I made a huge mistake ordering