The Hype Is Real: Antix 2 Delivers!

I don’t know about you, but I get a bit tired of all the rad boaters pushing boats with the implication that anyone, including me, a 69 year old female whose rad date has long expired could somehow come even close to unleashing the potential of any boat like they can.

I am someone who likes numbers, statistics, evaluations and I spend hours reading reviews, asking incessant questions of anyone that will listen, looking at the videos posted, and pouring over all the figures; comparing the new boat to previous boats I loved, boats I didn’t love, and on and on.

For some reason the new Antix 2.0 appealed to me right off. Maybe it was the fact that I absolutely loved the original Antix. Maybe it was because I totally trusted the design team to be honest and that the product would do what they said it would. And yes, maybe I got caught up in the anticipation and hype of a really well done launch campaign and just wanted a boat that could make even me look good again and I was willing to grasp at straws.

Once the boat was pre-launched to the Team a couple days prior to the hard launch, I did something I never do. Ordered two boats sight unseen, never paddled, not even comparing stats and drawings, not asking my buds a million techie questions, not even having second thoughts or buyers remorse.

Fast forward to seeing the boat in person for the first time. The boat is a work of art; smooth lines with simple clean graphics. It is beautiful. The differences I noticed immediately are: The seat is wider and not at all cramped side to side so I had to pad the boat more than the old one, which felt fairly cramped on me. I sit deeper in it than the old boat—it is a bit taller in height and has more volume in the knee area. The knees are more upright which makes the fit extremely comfortable and it feels more natural—no more splayed out hip joints. The bow rocker is kicked up more than the old one and the stern much flatter and thinner. I will take one point off for the seat comfort. If you are thin and not well paddled, you may find it is a bit hard and I feel the pressure after an hour or so but that is an easy fix.

Once outfitted, I felt really solid in the boat. I may add some thigh blocks on the sides of the hull to keep my knees locked in but as is, they are pretty solid and my knees are not prone to slip out like in the original boat. The seat moves easily on a wide track so it is easy to adjust sitting in the boat when you want to be more front or back biased. The backhand is higher and sits in the small of your back and feels really comfortable and locks you in better. It doesn’t rotate down like the older one tended to do on me. The top string is routed to sit on top of the hip pads and doesn’t interfere with them at all. I have long legs and needed to take the plastic foot plate out (it just pulls off the track towards the back of the boat) and grind off the bottom a bit so that I could push it further forward in the boat without forcing anything. If you feel resistance and can’t get the plate (without the foam on it) far enough forward, that is what you need to do. I kept the foam as is and it fits perfectly on the plastic plates with this modification.

On the water was a total positive experience, like way beyond my expectations. I can’t remember a boat that I have been in that I felt so comfortably at home in with the first stroke. It is fast, smooth, loose and feels balanced even though it looks a bit back biased with the seat in the middle position on me.

Surfing is effortless and silky. On a dynamic wave I had to rudder a bit more than I like but that is me and maybe the seat position. On a smooth wave, either big and glassy or small and flat, the boat will sit and front surf without wanting to deflect off until you give it input and then it feels loose and responsive. It will spin easily and I don’t think I was ever able to spin the Antix 1.

It is maybe the best river running boat I have ever paddled. It is solid on the water, doesn’t get deflected or pushed off line, is easy to make small corrections and is instantly responsive to forward strokes. It launches off boofs and ferries in a straight line, carves smoothly into and out of eddies and is absolutely rock solid in weird water-something I really love. Nothing grabs, nothing catches, and you just feel totally in control the entire time. Oh, and it rolls incredibly easily. Yeah, yeah, we have all heard that before, but as someone who has been having combat roll issues recently, this guy is the easiest boat to roll either side for me that I can remember in maybe 20 years.

So there you have it, a first time paddle review from a mortal non rad paddler. I usually don’t post reviews until I have paddled a boat extensively in order to give the boat a chance. No need for this guy; it is that good right from day one.

Who needs this boat? Short answer—everyone. If you want the perfect do-everything travel boat, this is the one. If you are getting over mental or physical issues with your paddling, this guy will give you confidence and bring you joy. Teaching? You bet, it is perfect and is a boat no one will outgrow. Running hard stuff? Look at the Team videos and judge for yourself.

Learn more about the Antix 2.o here. https://jacksonkayak.com/jackson-kayak-antix-2-0-2021/

I am incredibly excited about this boat and hope you give it a try. I think you will love it as much as I do!

Happy Paddling,
Hilde