Jackson Kayak has published its 2027 colors, and the interesting part is that the three lines no longer share one palette. Fishing, recreation and whitewater each got their own set, chosen for what people actually do in those kayaks.

Here is every 2027 color, what it looks like on the water, and which hulls carry it.

Fishing: Forest, Cypress, Spitfire and Blackout LTD

The fishing palette went quiet. Three of the four are muted earth and water tones, which is a change from a lineup that has run bright for a few seasons.

Forest is the deep green, and it is the one that carries over into the recreation line as well. Cypress is the lighter, siltier green, the color of water with a bottom you can nearly see. Spitfire is the one bright option, an red and teal blue with hints of black mixed in that reads as high visibility on open water. Blackout LTD is the limited run, flat black with no pattern at all, and is only available for Jackson Kayak dealers.

Every fishing hull gets all four: the Big Rig FD, Bite FD, Coosa FD and Knarr FD on the pedal side, and the Bite Angler, Coosa X, Mayfly and YuPIK on the paddle side. The Blue Sky 360 Angler and 360 Pro carry the same four.

Recreation: Flare, Rio and Forest

Recreation went the other direction. These are the kayaks that get loaned to friends, taken on float trips and spotted from a long way off, and the palette reflects that. They are more open and fun colors.

Flare is the warm one, oranges running into yellow. Rio is the cool blue counterpart. Forest is the shared green, the one color that crosses between the fishing and recreation lines this year.

The Take Two tandem carries all three. The Riviera carries Rio and Flare.

Whitewater: Smashberry, Matrix, Yellow and Dashboard Burrito

Whitewater kept the loud palette, which is the correct call. A kayak upside down in a hole needs to be visible to the people on the bank, and color is safety equipment in a way it simply is not on a flat lake.

Smashberry is the pink and purple swirl. Matrix runs green over black. Yellow is exactly that, flat and bright, and it is the easiest of the four to pick out in whitewater. Dashboard Burrito is the limited edition for 2027, and limited editions in this line have a history of being gone before people decide they want one. Again this limited edition is only available at Jackson Kayak dealers.

All four cover the Antix 3.0, the Flow, the Gnarvana, the Clutch and the Rockstar V.

What is going away

The 2026 fishing colors are Tempest, Black Widow and Forest, and Jackson has moved several hulls in those into closeout. Forest is the only one of the three that continues into 2027.

If you have been waiting on a specific 2026 color, that is the one piece of timing worth acting on rather than thinking about. Closeout colors usually do not come back.

Picking a color that is not just a color

Two of these choices have a practical side worth saying out loud.

On whitewater, brighter is better, and that is not an aesthetic opinion. Yellow and Smashberry are easier to spot from the bank and from an eddy than Matrix is, and if you paddle water where a swim means someone is tracking your kayak downstream, that matters.

On fishing, the opposite argument gets made about spooking fish, and it is weaker than people think in most water. A hull is below the waterline and a shadow is a shadow whatever color casts it. Where the muted colors genuinely help is clear shallow water and sight fishing, which is exactly the water Cypress was drawn for.

Jackson Kayak 2027 Colors, Answered

What are the 2027 Jackson Kayak fishing colors?

Forest, Cypress, Spitfire and Blackout LTD. All four are available across the fishing line, pedal and paddle, including the Blue Sky Boatworks hulls.

What are the 2027 recreation colors?

Flare, Rio and Forest. The Take Two tandem carries all three and the Riviera carries Rio and Flare.

What are the 2027 whitewater colors?

Smashberry, Matrix and Yellow, plus Dashboard Burrito as the limited edition. They run across the Antix 3.0, Clutch, Flow, Gnarvana and Rockstar V.

Which color is in more than one line?

Forest. It is the deep green and it is the only 2027 color shared between the fishing and recreation lineups. It also carried over from 2026, which makes it the one constant across the change.

What does LTD mean on Blackout LTD?

Limited. It is a limited run rather than a standing color, the same idea as Dashboard Burrito on the whitewater side. When a limited color sells through it is finished for that model year.

Which 2026 colors are being discontinued?

Tempest and Black Widow are not continuing. Forest is. Jackson has put several 2026 hulls into closeout in the outgoing colors, so that is where to look if you want one of them.

Does color affect the kayak itself?

No. Color is pigment in the same polyethylene, so the hull, the outfitting and the weight are identical whichever one you pick. The only real differences are visibility on the water and resale appeal.

Can I order a 2027 color that is not in stock?

Yes being a Jackson Kayak Never Out Dealer. We keep all models and colors in stock! If you don't see it in stock online, give us a call at (615) 696-7887.