POUROVER
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LOOKING FOR A GOOD TIME boat insider PYRANHA’S FREE RUNNING VARUN EQUALS DOWNRIVER FUN
It looks like 2011 is shaping up to be Pyranha’s year of play. This season, two new designs are spawned into the family born with last year’s Molan. First up is the Varun, a fun and friendly river play boat that’s already turn- ing heads. Later this spring, the Loki will be a long, classically styled old school mover. “There are two ways a kayak can take shape,” Pyranha designer Richard
Taylor says. “We either know exactly where we want it to sit and what form it’s going to take, or it can be a very organic process with lots of concep- tual work first. The Varun took the first route.” Borrowing design features and ethos from the freestyle success of the
Molan (
www.rapidmag.com/0002), the Varun shares its center planing hull section and two-way rails concept, with numerous refinements and modi-
fications to create a stable, easy carving, user-friendly ride. “We’ve taken the concepts that worked really well for the Molan and ap-
plied them to a river running scenario,” continues Taylor. The Varun gains 11 inches but only 1.5 gallons of volume over its muse, resulting in slicey ends for squirts, stalls, cartwheels and other old school downriver moves. Pyranha worked hard on the volume distribution, creating a boat that feels
well balanced, with plenty of pop for more advanced playboating moves. Lower volume behind the cockpit makes for easy rolling. Taylor says volume allocation—along with paddling position and overall bow and stern height— take cues from another success, 2005’s much-loved Pyranha Seven-O. One of the challenges with the Molan were its slippery carving edges. The Varun’s shallower stern hull and sidewall angles make it easier for be-
PERFECT POSITIONING river 411
When it comes to mounting your raft rowing frame, most folks will tell you there are only two options. Center mounts place the oarlocks at the halfway point along the raft’s wa-
terline, putting the power on the pivot point. This is ideal for very heavy loads, and is the most common setup for multi-day rigs. Stern mounts put the guide seat on the back tube, sitting high on the rocker
with oars in lap. This is a typical commercial daytrip setup, where the guide wants to keep the clients in view and away from the oars. The fact is, the typical recreational rafter’s boat is not loaded with three
weeks of food and gear, or with 6–10 passengers. For a daytrip or weekend, a center mount will likely place passengers forward of the oars, making the raft bow heavy. With a stern mount, you can’t back ferry and the guide’s power is lost in flexing the raft’s rocker, rather than turning or moving the boat. The ideal position lies in between. For a light gear load and a couple of pas-
sengers, placing the oarlocks two thirds along the waterline with the guide seat in front of the stern rise makes for a balanced and predictable ride. The pivot stays near the center of the raft, the guide can hold an angle pushing or pulling, is efficient pulling the flats and doesn’t mess with the stern rocker. The trick is to experiment with different positions—don’t view the frame as
fixed. You’ll find different setups for various load types. Move not only the frame, but also the oarlocks and seat to best position, and then mark those locations on the frame with a Sharpie. Several D-ring placements and long frame straps help keep options open. —Jeff Jackson
26 RAPID SPRING 2011
PHOTO: TOM MECKFESSEL/
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