Are they going to die?
I’m looking at a Jackson Fun 1.5, their website says it’s rated for up to a 120 lbs user. The person that would be using it is closer to 135 lbs. Will that 15lbs really present that much trouble? It’s a barely used kayak for a please just take it away price that otherwise seems perfect.
No. It should be fine.
The jackson fun boats are whitewater kayaks for kids. Typically with those kind of designs if you are above the spec weight the boat will ride tail heavy in the water. This can be fine for an experienced paddler and actually fun for paddler who knows how to play in moving water. For a kid in a kayak learning in moving water it might be a challenge. So it depends a lot on who is going to use the boat, if they have experience, how rough of water are they going to be paddling in, and if the responsible adult has skills and experience to teach the kid how to handle a playboat that it is going to want to stall the tail. You definitely will need to have a spray skirt and the kid will have to know how to pull it and exit when you first get started.
I know it sounds like it’s for a kid, but really it’s for a kid sized adult. I’m thinking something just over the edge wouldn’t be very wise to purchase for a still growing child, but this person hasn’t gotten much heavier in decades. As for experience, 0 would be an honest answer, but he picks things up amazingly quickly typically. Ultimately his goal would be the Lehigh River but that’s pretty far off for now. This is his local water, @260cfs. Average is closer to 100 in the summer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDpvH5VH-Do
As far as I can tell, it’s not ridiculously insane but not flat either.
Thanks for the information. Normally I would just look for something that fits “right”. But when you start talking about saving $500+ it’s at least worth looking into.
Here is the issue I see, from someone who has exceeded their WW kayak about the same in weight. The boat will be pretty easy to roll. But they will have dead centered as things get messier to avoid catching stern or bow. Don’t see an issue with starting there for simple class 2 IF the legs and feet fit in. Have you checked that? But if the goal is class 3 or higher, my suggestion would be to look for a boat with some head room.