ONLINE PROFILE


Length 8’4” Width 25.5” Volume 70 gal Weight 40 lbs


Paddler 135–200 lbs MSRP $1,149 www.jacksonkayak.com


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ONLINE PROFILE


Length 8’ Width 25.6” Volume 74 gal Weight 42 lbs


Paddler 120–230 lbs MSRP $1,199 www.pyranha.com


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WAVE_RIPPER JACKSON KAYAK ZEN 65


I


n 2012, Jackson Kayaks released “a pure river runner”—the Zen. Building on the successes of the past nine years, Jackson wanted a design that brought back the old school spirit of river running using modern ideas. The Zen comes equipped with new bling including updated grab handles, a newly designed welded hull support track and a snazzy water bottle holder. Are they just dressing it up or does its beauty come from within?


FIRST IMPRESSION


This was the easiest boat to hop in and get comfortable. The nice, high back- band and quick-to-adjust, piton absorbing bulkhead were instant turn-ons. One tester did have a slight mishap when a cord on the Jackson Sure-Lock backband system came untied on the water. Luckily the outfitting is simple and quick to fix.


FIRST DATE


The Zen has a moderate rocker, sits quite low in the water and feels nar- rower than the other boats tested. All this adds up to, as one tester put it, “a racing machine.” Setting a ferry angle, you zip speedily across the current and attainments take less effort than in most of the other boats. It gets up to speed within two strokes and holds a line with laser-like precision. The Zen’s speed also makes it easy to catch even the smallest green


waves. A huge bonus if there are lots of catch-on-the-fly waves on your favorite river.


Throwing the boat on edge, the rails bite hard and won’t let go until you tell them to. Coupled with its impressive speed, it rips deep into eddies and flies across funky currents in a hurry.


Our lighter testers were able to spin and change direction mid-rapid with ease, while testers near the upper limit of the weight range found that, with the edges riding lower in the water, more muscle was required to change course than with the other boats. If you like a boat that is highly maneuver- able, choose the size that places your weight on the low end of the recom- mended range.


The moderate rocker doesn’t lend well to riding up and over waves and holes, especially steeper ones. That wasn’t much of a worry, though, since the Zen’s speed and the shape of the bow allow it to knife through features with authority. Just don’t expect a dry ride.


LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP


Searching for a ride with easy-to-adjust outfitting, supersonic speed and hard carving, hole plugging, catch-waves-on-the-fly ability? Then be at one with the Zen and live happily ever after.


CLASS_V_CRUSHER PYRANHA BURN M


P


yranha first introduced the Burn in 2006, when it quickly captured the hearts of river runners and creekers alike. After wooing paddlers for several years, Pyranha sought to make the relationship even stronger with softer raised edges, a tweak in the rocker profile and peaked decks. Team Pyranha UK paddler Chris Easterbrook says, “It’s the Burn we’ve known and loved made better.” Are these changes enough to keep the flames of passion burning bright?


FIRST IMPRESSION


The first things of note when hopping into the Burn are the quality ratchets on a backband that seems to move perfectly with your body. A bit daunting is the number of pieces of outfitting. While we eventually got a great fit, expect to spend more time than with any of the other boats getting there.


FIRST DATE


Our testers found the Burn to be in the middle of the pack in terms of speed but liked that it only took three strokes to get there—a great feature for tight technical runs where you don’t have much space to build momentum. The Burn likes to be dominated and our aggressive testers were rewarded with a very responsive and quick-turning boat. The key to get it to perform is in understanding those redesigned rails.


Slightly raised and shorter than the original Burn, the updated edges are less prone to accidentally catching the water or hanging up on rocks. The tradeoff to these higher edges is that you need to lean farther over when you want to use them. Advanced boaters won’t have any issues with this because the Burn has terrific secondary stability. Beginners, however, may find this “sweet spot” far beyond their comfort zones.


The advantage of these no-trip rails on a technical run is a disadvantage on a wave, where it’s a long way from edge to edge. The Burn easily skips up and over holes. The rocker profile and the peaked, water-shedding bow deck help keep the boat on the surface and moving quickly downstream, while the extra volume in the stern prevents unintentional back enders.


LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP


The Burn is a boat that beginners could grow old with but is probably better suited for the class IV and up crowd. Take charge and be on your game and it will handle small volume technical rivers that require quick maneuvering, and still feel at home among the holes and confusing crosscurrents of larger volume runs.


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