“The Crux is all about pointing
it at the second star to the right and blasting off.”
“The rails make the
M:3 the sportscar of creekboats. You can hook in and hang on to almost any ferry.”
NECKY CRUX
The Necky Crux awards aggressive paddlers who put the flat bottom on edge and dig in to hold a line. Here’s a boat that is quick to respond to correc- tions; you might say it’s like paddling a big playboat. The Crux is a noticeably heavy
boat, especially because it is only 7’ 7” long. Weight still spells durability to most paddlers who feel that more plas- tic between them and chewy rocks is a good thing. On the water the Crux feels slow to get it up and moving out of the starting blocks but stable and tough to knock off balance or off line. You wouldn’t think a heavy boat would boof but even in flat water with a ca- sual power stroke it was easy to lift the bow of the Crux off the water. At Ager’s Falls on the Moose—a clean 18-foot- er—you had to be subtle or you’d be flat. Let the bow fall over a drop and the narrow bow dives deep before the sculpted decks dump water smoothly and evenly. Perhaps the coolest thing about the
Crux is the spring-loaded bulkhead system. What? The bulkhead footbrace is hooked to two high-tension springs that give before your ankles do when you piton a big drop. The guy who ran our shuttle was on crutches for related reasons. The Crux is an ideal creeker for play-
boaters who can’t imagine paddling a boat longer than 8’ and for precision paddlers who would rather try to hit tight lines than bash down big water.
CREEKERS’ FEEDBACK Spring-loaded shock-absorbing “Shock-Stop” bulkhead is reassuring. Heavy for its length. One of the best boofers. Feels tough.
NECKY CRUX Overall ............................8.1 Acceleration .....................7.5 Manoeuvrability ..............7.8 Stability .............................7.8 Resurfacing ......................8.1 Boof-ability .......................9.8 Outfitting ..........................8.3 Tracking ............................ 7.1
PYRANHA
M:3 243
The M:3 is an updated Micro—the long- standing classic creeker—and follows its ge- netic lineage as a dependable, fast, stable waterfall workhorse. We reviewed the larger of the two models
Length ............................7’ 7” Width ................................ 25” Weight .........................43 lbs Volume ........................72 gal Weight Range ............... n/a Price ...................$1,549 Cdn ................................$1,099 US
www.necky.com
(243) which measured 8’ 11”, just an inch shorter than the longest boat, the Jefe. With only a modest rocker stretched along this length the M:3 is rocket-fast. Pyranha com- pensates for any lack of manoeuvrability due to the gentle rocker with a sharper chine in the stern. It isn’t so much a compromise as a best-of-both-worlds. It makes the boat fast and gives paddlers edges they can use if they need a sudden redirection. The more careful volume distribution of
the now-wider M:3 (especially around the seat) delivers good primary stability and also helps address the Micro’s tendency to backender. Pyranha has improved the outfitting by
simplifying it. It no longer takes the Fast Times at Ridgemont High ultimate set of tools to adjust it; the outfitting is minimal but is easily modified and it puts you in a power- ful high-and-wide posture. Pyranha too has answered the call for more
hull speed for all round river paddling. For most paddlers the new M:3 is more suited to big water than technical stuff where short quick moves are required. The M:3 has ample space and comfortable upholstery making it great for expedition paddling.
CREEKERS’ FEEDBACK: Fast. Balanced ends. No-frills and easily adjustable Syncro 5 outfitting is comfortable and reliable. Good stability. Why don’t they make the stern deck’s rescue points so they’ll work for swimmer’s grab loops?
creekboats 41
PYRANHA M:3 Overall ........................... 8.7 Acceleration .....................8.4 Manoeuvrability ..............8.7 Stability .............................9.2 Resurfacing ......................8.2 Boof-ability .......................7.7 Outfitting ..........................8.8 Tracking ............................9.5
Length ............................8’ 1” Width .............................26.5” Weight .........................44 lbs Volume .................... 68.2 gal Weight Range ...154–231 lbs Price ...................$1,499 Cdn ................................$1,099 US
www.pyranha.com
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