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We had the pleasure of being some of the first paddlers to get out and review the Pyranha ReactR for ourselves! Here are our first impressions of this next generation Pyranha whitewater kayak.
Outfitting
The biggest change we see, by far, is Pyranha's new "Elite" outfitting. Gone are days of sitting with your boat in your home for hours on end - fiddling with a steel backplate. To move the seat in the ReactR, undo the main seat nut and loosen the screws on either side. You're then free to slide the seat forwards and backwards into multiple positions!
Seat Foam
The standard Pyranha seat seen in the Stout 2 models has been replaced by a lightweight pocket foam seat pad. It's nice and spongey making for a really comfortable and ergonomic seat. There is also super soft, abrasion resistant cushioning within the knee positions, making for a really comfortable ride. As well, the Pyranha ReactR also features "hooker" style thigh braces which are manuevrable forwards, backwards and side to side. Alowing you to set a paddling position with fantastic connectivity but still very comfortable.
Carrying
Another very notable feature of the new ReactR is the rounded cockpit rim. This has been a popular feature from newer manufacturers in the game for a few years now. Pyranha have not only rounded the cockpit rim to make shouldering your boat a more pleasant experience. They have added a strip of foam into the cockpit rim which sits on your shoulder. This makes carrying your boat back up the river for another lap in the summer a dream!
How does the new ReactR paddle?
We paddled the Pyranha ReactR Medium just before it was fully released to paddlers worldwide. There are some notable features of the shape of this boat to cover. Including the Pivot Hull, Turning Capabilities and Dry Bow.
Pivot Hull
For the ReactR, Pyranha took the time to develop a brand new hull design. Featuring two planing surfaces and a pivot point. This clever design gives you great control on the bow when landing drops. As the planing hull catches the water and helps you to maintain course and speed. Then you can kick your weight over the pivot point and onto the back planing hull to make fast, aggressive turns and to skip away from the drop.
The pivot hull allows for changing your line in a fraction of the time. Drop back onto the stern hull of the ReactR to lift up the bow and make super fast turns. Without burying your stern and edges, like you would in a halfslice kayak. This whitewater kayak handles in a similar manner to modern halfslice boats as the hull moves freely in the water. However, without dragging the edges of the the boat into the waterline. This makes the ReactR the most responsive full size river running, creeking kayak we've paddled yet!
Eddies
When reviewing the bow of the Pyranha ReactR it feels rather big at first. Giving the impression that it's not going to snap around until you can get your hips engaged across the eddyline. The edges of the ReactR are softer when compared to the Scorch with it's sharp, prominent edges. We expected to glide across the eddyline and experience an amount of drift. However, we were pleasantly surprised to feel the break outs weren't jarring as expected but neither did we experience any drift (oversteer if you like). We were sat exactly we we wanted to be, nicely tight in the top of the eddies. Our experience of the boat makes the ReactR still an ideal kayak for intermediates in whitewater as the edges aren't hard enough to trip you up, yet you also get the benefit of experiencing tight, intricate moves.
The Bow
The bow sits nice and high in the water, promoting a dry ride for the paddler. The shape of the deck lines sheds to water away from the paddler and is redirected under the boat and off to the sides. Perfect for dry head days in cold weather and for styling your boof strokes!
Sizing
We paddled the Medium Pyranha ReactR, which has an advised paddler weight range of 70-95 KG. At 75 kg with kit myself I did feel that the ReactR was on the larger side, however I didn't suffer any lack of features due to this. I would recommend any shorter torso paddlers to boost up the seat with a few foam shims in order to get the most out of the new ReactR.
Round Up
We're thrilled to review the new Pyranha ReactR and see it in production, heading out to rivers around the world. We feel this kayak nicely fills the gap between a halfslice and an all out creeker - something that is not so in demand nowadays on UK rivers. Portaging with the ReactR is a blessing due to the comfort on the shoulder and the new outfitting system which allows for quick changes whilst out on the river if necessary. This is a boat that both grade 2 to 5 paddlers can have a great experience with, whether on the local whitewater course or dropping through steep creeks in the alps.
Flow Kayaks are receiving a demo Pyranha ReactR Medium imminently and we look forward to taking bookings for testing. You can contact us on 01158557542 or email shop@flowkayaks.co.uk to arrange your demo! You can pre-order your Pyranha ReactR Medium or Large with us now.
