Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view
Brian Vermillion recently got his hands on the new Pyranha Machno (small) and took it down the Cheoah.
Cheoah release was last Saturday, and I was lucky enough to get a full lap in while testing out the Pyranha Machno. I chose to use the Machno small, which ended up being the perfect size for me. At 5’5” and 150lbs the small Machno at 73 gallons was perfect for this gem of a run.
The Jackson Kayak Nirvana is the new 9ft kayak on the block. But how does it compare side by side with the Pyranha 9r?
Brian Vermillion has taken these comparison shots.
A Jackson Kayak Nirvana Vs Pyranha 9r if you like. Check them out.
I was lucky enough to get hold of a medium Machno for a demo not long after it came out. I was hopeful that maybe I could get away with a medium as it looked awesome and I really wanted to paddle one. I paddled it and enjoyed it, it was fun but I knew (although I tried to ignore the fact) that it was too big for me, (I’m 5’5″ and 58kg). So the waiting for the small to be ready began.
I had planned a demo day through work and was hopeful that a small Machno would be ready to make an appearance for this and it did not disappoint!
Continue readingWhen I was about 16/17, I bought a Pyranha S6 that had these brilliant thigh braces called ‘Hookers’ that you could adjust not only back and forward but rotating them. This allowed you to make them easier to get out by having less coverage of your leg or, in my case, give you as much connectivity in the boat as possible but covering more of your leg.
MADISON, WISCONSIN, February 7, 2017 — Paddlesports Retailer is now open for registration for both buyers and vendors. To date, the number of Founding Exhibitors has grown to over 40 leading brands, with more exhibitors registering daily.
“We’re pleased that the paddlesports industry has been so supportive,” said Sutton Bacon, co-founder of Paddlesports Retailer. “In just 70 days we’ve gone from an idea to execution, and we’ve done so by providing an extremely good value for the exhibitors,” said Bacon.
Paddlesports Retailer will debut on August 29 – September 1, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin utilizing the common format of an opening on-water demo followed by three days in the hall. Earlier in the month, a broad coalition of paddlesports brands formally endorsed Paddlesports Retailer as the industry’s official national tradeshow.
Side by side comparison of a Pyranha Machno, Pyranha 9r and Dagger Mamba 8.6. This is a great way to show off the size of the new Machno!
Thanks to the guys from Kayak Shed for letting us share this image.
Revealed at PaddleExpo 2016 the new Pyranha Machno. Is this new boat from UK based Pyranha about to take the whitewater market by storm?
New lines and new outfitting brings the Pyranha whitewater range bang up to date. The 9R has been a huge success over the last 12 months and the amount of interest in the Machno would suggest that this new boat will also be very popular.
There is definitely no footage of a prototype Pyranha Machno in action in this video!
Or is there?
There is definitely some great action on what may be the best river in the UK – The Upper Mawddach.
Bren Orton Stakeout 2016. Bren has been let loose in the Canadian wilderness for 6 weeks to surf some of the biggest and best river waves in the world. Huge tricks, new combos and some epic wipe outs.
David Fusilli and team are on Border Patrol.
Boundary Creek is a little bit of a mission. You have to paddle about 6K down a lake, then do a 3K hike up Boundary Creek to then paddle down the beautiful limestone gorge. The creeks path cuts in and out of the Montana, USA and Alberta, Canada hence the name Boundary Creek.
Darren Clarkson-King is a huge fan of old school kayak designs and owns many of the classics. He gives us his take on Old Is The New New.
Should you buy new or used, will you enjoy your paddling more in the latest boat?
We all love the smell and feel of a fresh new boat – the latest design, latest color to match our PFD. We may tell ourselves that our skill base will increase with the latest design. Whilst this may be a half truth it is not the whole truth. Some of the worlds hardest runs were pioneered many years ago, at the evolution from composite to plastic. Sure you have all seen Stikine footage of Dancers, Eclipse or Overflows. Or the Indus footage in Stunt and Roto bats. What about the Tsangpo in H2 or classic Cali runs in the Diablo. Lets not forget the steep runs of Europe in the mighty Topo. You can still find these styles of boat on ebay, gumtree etc for less than a night out.
Why spend £1000 on a boat you are going to want to upgrade soon anyhow, or worse break and landfill, taking 500+ years to decompose. An older design will do he same job for a good part of your paddling than a latest design. It’s good to see some of the classic making a come back, on weekends around the UK, on longer multi day trips across the globe and on late night ebay shopping the rise of older boats is plain to see.
Continue readingROHO will be taking their demo fleet to the Washburn release this Sunday (9am – 4pm). They will have boats available from Jackson, Pyranha, Waka and Zet for you to try on the top section.
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