Monday, June 11, 2007

Pyranha Burn Review

Pyranha Burn rated with respect to the following criteria.
(Rating are from 1-5 with 1 being the worst possible score and 5 the best.)

Stability: 4
Initial: 4
Secondary: 5
The Burn’s secondary stability is the feature that sets it apart from other creekboats on the water. No boat locks in it’s secondary stability more than the Burn. Put simply, you place the Burn on edge and the Burn stays on edge for confident, precise carving.
Speed: 4
Not as fast as something like the Jefe, but certainly faster than many of the other creekboats we’ve paddled. Easy to accelerate, the Burn reaches top speed in very few strokes.
Rolling: 3.5
This rating needs to be quantified. If you’ve got a reliable roll, then this boat isn’t going to feel any harder to roll than any other boat out there. If you’re still figuring out the combat roll than this boat won’t be as easy to roll as something like the Jackson Mega-Rocker. The paddler sits low in the boat, the edges are a little hard, and the sidewalls are somewhat high.
Turn/Carve: 4
The hull is pretty responsive. See comments under “stability” for carving rating.
Outfitting: 4.5
The seat in the first-gen Burns was a little narrow. Pyranha has fixed this problem in the current Burns; the result being a very comfortable ride. The seat is a little difficult to move, but that’s probably a good thing in a creekboat. The ratchet backband is nice and big for maximum support. The “step-up” center wall is a nice safety feature in this creekboat as well. Some smaller boaters have mentioned that they don’t feel that the burn fits them snug.
Weight: 4
It’s a creekboat – you don’t want it if its light. This 45lb boat has a strong layup.
User Friendliness: 4
This really is an easy boat to paddle. It has a nice balance between tracking and turning, floats the paddler high on the water, boofs well, and accelerates quickly.
Additional comments: We’ve had a lot of luck putting beginners in this boat as an introductory river-runner. They appreciate the stability and ample volume. This is one of those boats you can’t outgrow. You can learn in it, use it as your reliable river-runner when running rivers right on the edge of your limit, or take it creeking. I used this boat exclusively when I safety-boated the rafting trips on the Cheoah this year and always appreciated it’s speed, maneuverability, comfort, and volume. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed creeking with it on some of the Southeastern classics.
For more info and detailed specs click here.

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