The Micro series of boats, first released in 1994, have been popular creek boats ever since. However, creeking has evolved along with creekboat design. Loads of manufacturers have released more modern designs like the c.f.s, Java and the Huck. Now Pyranha have decided to retire the trusty micro in favour of a new machine – the M3. Here’s what I reckon…

The Look:

Fresh ‘n’ new! The M3 really looks the business, with the new “Syncro 4” outfitting and Clip in points made by DMM. The “Syncro 4” outfitting works really well. The boat needs minimal time spent messing around with glue and sandpaper getting it right as it comes with pre-padded seat and hip pads. The hooker thigh grips give the control of quad straps combined with the easy access needed for rivers and creeks and the backrest was great, providing positive support from the moment I got into the cockpit. The M3 features a full plate footrest, rather than the “shoc-bloc” system favoured in Pyranha’s playboats, giving adjustability, control and safety. Anyone taking big hits can layer the footrest up with thick foam. There’s no peli case holder as standard anymore, although these can be ordered from Pyranha. The boat comes supplied with a bag of foam fittings as standard, along with the ubiquitous Pyranha sponge.

All of the safety features found on the highly successful H3 are fitted to the M3. These include the Pillar, Clip in points and new High Visibility End Grabs, all of which worked flawlessly on the water. This neatly leads us onto the next section…

The Ride:

I’ve been testing the M3 on some of North Wales’ fabled creeks and this is my opinion. The M3 has a fair bit more rocker than the old Micro boats, leading to easier and more predictable boofs, quicker resurfacing and increased manoeuvrability. Even though the rocker has been increased, the boat still has ample enough speed to get you where you need to be on the river and get you away from where you don’t! The M3 has good acceleration from a standing start and has really precise tracking, letting you set your angle early and pile on your speed.

The M3 doesn’t have a planning hull, meaning less painful landings but (some would argue) less performance. Pyranha have accounted for this by sharpening up the rails and putting their trademark double rail at the front of the M3, leading to stable and precise break ins and outs and good performance on waves. O.k. so you won’t be hitting fat blunts in the M3, but it carved about better than most other round hulled creekboats currently on the market.

When things went wrong, the M3 was really forgiving. The rails are sharp but not trippy. The M3 is marginally wider than the Micros, so initial stability is excellent, similar to that of a flat hulled boat. Rolling was quick and easy, on both the front and back deck. The M3 is kind of like your favourite school teacher, who wouldn’t give you detention for bad work!

When pushing things a bit, the M3 responded well, staying on line, boofing on command and handling the pushy stuff predictably and with great stability.

The downsides:

Remarkably few. No Peli Case holder as standard is a bit of a pain. The “Safety Cage” featured in the Super XR spec H2 and Micro boats was really handy, as it enabled super fast exit of the boat in times of need and is sorely missed in the M3. Finally, if you move the thigh grips as far back as they can go, the fixing bolt stops the Backrest from being tightened or loosened unless you saw the bolt down. Other than that, the M3 is awesome in every respect.

To sum up:

Whilst the M3 is designed to replace the Micros as Pryanha’s flagship creekboat, I reckon it will appeal to all sorts. It’s a stable machine, handling all grades and gradients well. It’s fast, predictable and highly manoeuvrable. It handles drops impeccably and resurfaces quickly. All in all, it’s a mint machine.

Specs:

Length: 248cm
Width: 67cm
Weight: 20kg
Volume: 258 litres
Price: £779
Contact: www.pyranha.com

Review by Tom Parker