Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view
I have owned the Stomper 90 for over 6 months and now seems like a good time for an initial review.
Having been in small play boats for so long meant that getting into the stomper felt like I had bought the Ark Royal and not a kayak. That said, on the water it does not have the bad characteristics of a big boat, for example slow to turn, slow to paddle etc. It is infact very manoeuvrable.
The Palm Helix is billed as the ultimate play vest. RRP is around £80, but a search of a few UK Kayak stores will reveal that a brand new Helix can be had for less than £45!
The Sweet Wanderer Helmet comes in at around £120 which is around £50 cheaper than the Rocker. A search around the net can find Wanderers (and its Ski cousin the Rambler) for less than £100. The small visor (now fully integrated on the new model) keeps water and sun (if it’s around) out of your eyes so you can focus on the task at hand. Sweet’s occigrip tensioning system ensures that the Wanderer stays put giving optimum protection.
Review by James Bebbington – Team Pyranha
Obviously I will be biased towards Pyranha boats as Pyranha sponsor me but these are my actual opinions and thoughts of the boat and how I have found it over the time I have been paddling it.
Outfitting
I weigh about 10 stone and am 6ft tall with long legs. I managed to fit comfortably in the boat and could even move the seat 3 quarters of the way forward if I wanted (without the shock block in).
Instagram photo of one of the new T’s
I haven’t really seriously paddled a Dagger kayak since I owned a Vertigo years back. At the time I was pretty happy with the outfitting although I did change the back band. I was therefore very interested in giving the Kingpin a go to see how things had developed over the years.
The Kingpin comes in the now traditional three different sizes. I managed to get hold of a Kingpin 6.3 for a few days at the end of the summer. I was fairly limited on where to paddle it due to the lack of rain but did get to spend several hours throwing the boat around at a local P&P spot.
Continue readingA couple of new karabiners have landed today. The plan is to add them to my Pin Kit.
After looking at some DMM kit in the local climbing shop I was very tempted to buy a couple of bits there and then. However I remembered that V12 Outdoors are a dealer for DMM who also stock DMM cosmetic seconds.
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. Continue reading
As soon as I jumped into the I3 the 1st thing that I noticed was how extremely comfortable it was (a pre-syncro 4 boat). There is a hell of a lot of foot room which meant I was able to wear my 5:10 boots whilst in the boat with out any loss of feeling or discomfort.
The thigh braces are pretty well designed and can be adjusted forward and back to get the right feel. This ultimately will mean better control of the boat. The bulkhead foot braces come with varying thicknesses of foam cut for the shape of the bulkhead, these are easily stuck into place. The back band is the now industry standard – ratchet system. It works well and appears solid enough.
Continue readingI managed to get hold of a Pyranha S6 200 a few weeks ago and manged to squeeze myself into it for a quick spin out on my local wave. I’m 6ft 1inch tall and managed to get in the boat with no hassle at all. The S6 comes in two flavours the 190 and 200 versions.
Outfitting:
The outfitting will be familiar to anyone who has used any of the other boats in the recent Pyranha range. The quick and easy adjustment of the seat and thigh braces allow you to trim the S6 quickly and the now obligatory ratchet backrest make getting comfortable a breeze.
I have been using the Palm Extrem Vest for the past year as my main PFD. I must admit that from the start I was a little sceptical about the front opening system and did have a debate with myself about whether or not I should have bought the over the head Amp vest.
After 12 months of use I am now ready to commit my thoughts to the site.
From Palm:
The Schlegel Topline paddle was probably THE paddle of the late eighties – mid nineties. Tough, hardwearing and almost indestructible. The Topline came in a number of flavours but the most distinctive was the River Safety edition. They have one blade painted neon pink and the other neon green/yellow for signalling on the river!
Continue readingSchlegels classic model has dominated the rivers of our planet for more than 10 years. Now improved with the very latest materials: fibre-reinforced, high-density foam for stiffer blades, aluminium protective insert around the edge of the blade. In addition there is the comfort of soft foam hand grips which minimise heat loss to the hands whilst increasing grip control. The blade is reinforced by the shaft running along almost its entire length, allowing the most powerful paddlestrokes in the toughest white water.
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