Welcoming any thoughts/reviews on the Jackson Hero as a entry level whitewater yak. I’ve recently become addicted to this sport and have been “flat-watering” for the most part all this year past on a 14’ liquid logic and am looking for a little more “thrill” but don’t currently possess the skill level for whitewater as of yet.
“Pre-owned” River Runner
is the best entry boat for anyone looking into getting into white water. Not a huge investment. Likely saleable if you move up or move out of the sport. The model depends on your weight, size, (and, maybe, shoe size). 
I think the biggest lost of investment in white water boats is for the person who buys a brand new river runner. Specialized playboats and creekboats, in good shape, will retain better value. Used river runners, in very good shape, are dime a dozen.
sing
What size, weight are you?
Make sure you’re looking into the proper size of Hero … the Super Hero is apparently best for anyone 141?+ or tall, sort of like a Small and a Large. More importantly, there’s some great answers if you ask the same question at the BoaterTalk.com BoaterTalk forum – I know of at least a few regulars there who paddle one of the two, and it’s designer and others with Jackson use BoaterTalk.
If you’re looking for a nice, stable, comfy, roomy river runner, also look at the Wave Sport Diesel (love my super stable, maneuverable, comfy and fun Diesel 65) and the Dagger Mamba. Or maybe the Riot Booster or Dagger GT (of approriate sizes) you want a used boat for under $500. Compare specs/photos/descriptions here:
http://playak.com/kayaks.php?id2=291&id=252
One of my buddies
borrowed a Super Hero to try out and he loved it. He’s too tall for the Hero at 6’4". We used it on the San Marcos where he got to try it on large and medium drops, a couple of class 1+ rapids and a couple of miles of flatwater. It seemed to handle everything pretty well and he was able to keep up on the flat stuff without too much effort.
you might
want to also try posting your question to boatertalk website as that site contains significantly more ww boaters than pnet.