B O A T I N S I D E R
We all want to change the world. PHOTO JENSEN KLATT // PADDLER LUKAS KALKBRENNER
THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION
PYRANHA’S NEXT EVOLUTION IN FREESTYLE DESIGN
THERE’S BEEN A REVOLUTION in playboat design the last couple of years. Designers have ever-in- creasing demands to create boats that are easy for the novice market to make bounce, roll and spin and for the pros to get huge air. And you can’t just let them eat cake when the proletariat cries for an af- fordable and single kayak that does it all. So even as a freestyler, river running must be saved from the guillotine in design. Pyranha’s new Rev takes it full circle, offering a
small, medium and medium-long version, each with a Bastille-sized list of alterations to their 4-20 design to create a kayak that could make heads roll at the World Freestyle Championships in 2009. Although as purebred as freestyle kayaks come these days, Pyranha designer Graham Mackereth knew his boat had to appeal to both the expert and beginner pad- dler and he wanted a kayak that transitioned seam- lessly from the biggest features to smallest rivers. The wheels started turning on the Rev with some
more obvious hull tweaks. Mackereth started with a far more symmetrical shape than Pyranha paddlers will be used to and moved the cockpit forward, giv- ing the Rev a high-volume centre for lots of pop. According to Mackereth, it is the full-length, re-
leasing Vortex rails that allow great fl at spinning. He says with a fl at aft hull section and softer radius in the centre and front sections, you should fi nd edge-to-edge transitions quick and require little ef- fort. It feels snappier to carve but edgier for sitting and spinning, sort of like the Crazy 88, but not that edgy. The chined stern helps cut drag, adding to the Rev’s speed on a wave, which Pyranha has al- ways been known for. If you look closely you’ll also see Mackereth kept
rolling by giving the Rev what he says are slicier ends than his previous models—oh, the forgotten joy of endless cartwheels—and fi ner edges will give better initiation for your other arsenal of tricks. In late fall of ’07 the Rev made its fi rst rounds out of the factory and around the world of offi cial test
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rivers. In the hands of instructors at North Carolina’s Nantahala Outdoor Center, it impressed so much that they placed an order. “It’s a boat that should make people look and
feel better than they really are,” says NOC paddling school Director Wayne Dickert, so of course the Rev is being added to the school’s instructional fl eet. “The Rev proved to release faster, pop bigger and
carve easier than any boat Pyranha has designed thus far,” says NOC store manager and boat buyer Daniel Dutton. “I especially loved initiating this boat in a hole or wave to go airborne and connected mul- tiple tricks with control and ease.” Keep in mind these fellows are pros, for the rest of
us who take a little more time to get comfortable in a new boat, the fi ner points of the design may not be as obvious right away. “It’s easy to roll, loop and fl at spin if paddled ag-
gressively; a good paddler should really be able to get the best from Rev,” Mackereth says. “But like any top-end boat, it does take a few paddles to
get really dialed in. A quick test might not refl ect its ultimate potential.” One thing pros and recreational paddlers agreed
upon was the Pyranha Connect 30 outfi tting. The system is comfortable and easy enough to adjust, however some testers found themselves continually re-adjusting loose fi ttings. This does not outweigh just how responsive and forgiving the Rev truly is—two traits that have served monarchs and one English boat designer very well in the past.—Neil Etienne
PYRANHA REV S / M / ML
LENGTH .......................6’ 1”/6’ 2”/6’ 3.5” WIDTH ............................ 23.5”/24”/24.4” VOLUME ..............46.2/53.1/56.8 US Gal WEIGHT ........................N/A/31.4/N/A lbs $1,159 US >>
www.pyranha.com
Footnote: Pyranha has just announced they will be re- leasing a large Rev. Final specs yet to be determined.
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