Choosing the right kayak can really enhance your experience on the river, and understanding the differences between various designs is key. Whether you’re looking to play on features, run steep creeks, or something in between, there’s a boat that will suit your needs. Let’s break down the differences between a full slice, half slice, and creek boat, and why you might choose one over the other.
Full Slice
Full slice boats, like the Ozone, are all about play. They have low-volume tails and bow ends that make them perfect for vertical tricks like cartwheels, stern squirts, and bow stalls. If you love spending time in play waves and want a boat that encourages freestyle moves, this is the design for you. However, they’re less forgiving in big water or steeper rapids, as their low volume can get caught more easily in the current.
Why Choose It?
• Ideal for playboating and freestyle moves. • Great for more advanced paddlers who want to maximise their fun on features like waves and eddy lines. • Not the best choice for steep, technical rivers due to its lower stability.
Half Slice
Half slice boats, like the Ripper 2, offer a blend of play and river running. With a slicey stern for tricks but more volume in the bow for stability, they are versatile enough to run harder whitewater while still having the capability for stern squirts and splats. They’re perfect for paddlers who want to mix playful lines with challenging rapids.
Why Choose It?
• The best of both worlds, playful enough for tricks but capable on more technical whitewater. • A great choice for paddlers who want fun on easier rapids but the ability to run harder lines as well. • More forgiving than a full slice, making it suitable for a wider range of paddlers.
Creek Boat
Creek boats like the ReactR are designed for stability, control, and safety when running steep, technical rivers. They have high volume and rounded edges to help punch through big water, avoid getting pinned, and provide excellent resurfacing after drops. While they lack the playfulness of slice designs, they shine when you need confidence and control on challenging whitewater.
Why Choose It?
• Best for steep creeks, big water, and running technical rapids. • Maximum stability and safety features, ideal for pushing limits on harder rivers. • Not built for tricks, but perfect for paddlers focused on making it down safely through tough conditions.
Which Should You Choose?
• For play and freestyle tricks: Go with a full slice like the Ozone. • For all-around fun with some play potential: Choose a half slice like the Ripper 2. • For challenging, steep rivers and tough lines: You’ll want a creek boat like the ReactR for ultimate confidence and stability.
Each kayak design brings something unique to the river, so choose based on the kind of paddling you’re planning to do, whether that’s playful fun, running challenging rapids, or pushing your limits in creek boating.
If you want to learn more about the different boat styles out there and how to pick the perfect one for you, check out our “Core Lessons” course. Subscribers have full access to this course and every other course on OWW.
Ekstremsportveko is a week-long festival in Voss, Norway, Europe’s extreme sports capital. The week comprises racing, partying, community events and chaos from a range of different extreme sports. It’s a week when subcultures collide, with athletes from all over the world gathering to share a love for outdoor spaces, adrenaline, and community.
In this short piece, I’m going to run through some important takeaways from an intense week at Veko 2026 for those hoping to attend in the future.
Screenshot
Rule 1: Always Be Community
I believe that the more risk-taking a sport involves, the tighter the relationships you form are. When you have to trust your friends with your life, close bonds form that spread wider as the community grows. Ekstremsportveko is a large-scale example of this; a gathering of people who want to fall off of, or out of stuff. Jump out of a plane, off a cliff, down a waterfall or across a huge road gap. Every sport at Veko is risky, and as a result, the communities and cultures you see at the festival are tighter than at any other festival.
As kayakers, one of the founding communities of Veko, we represent a large share of participants and athletes during the week. We bring the best parties, liveliest crowds and most wholesome community. If you are going to Veko, get involved in community events. Go to the kids clinic, race, and come for a drink at the kayak club BBQ. Always be community.
Kayakers BBQ at Voss Elveklubb
Rule 2: Pace Yourself
“The marathon continues”, shouts Rhys after another day of stout kayaking and prior to another huge party in the festival tent and before another day of extreme downhill kayak racing.
Veko is a marathon; there’s no doubt about it. If you plan on attending every event feeling good, you have to pace yourself. Avoid the crowds in the festival tent by joining a car park party with the kayakers and get an early night so you can feel good in your kayak again tomorrow. Bring coffee. Eat well. Keep smiling even through the sleep deprivation. I tend to find that drum and bass helps.
The Bula flying cow.
Rule 3: Run Guts, Take Shortcuts
Racing is a big part of Veko with two main races: an extreme downhill kayak time trial and a head-to-head boater cross event. It’s important to remember that despite the cash prizes, these competitions are just for fun and the crowds love chaos. Run the guts and play dirty with a grin on your face.
If entering the inflatable race, there’s a prize for the most creative inflatable item, but bear in mind that you’ll have to go up on the main stage with whatever you win on. *cough cough Jamie*
Running the guts on the Myrk racecourse in the ReactR.
Rule 4: Video of the Day is Not Optional
Every day at 9 pm is the video of the day. All athletes gather to watch each other’s videos created that day. Always cheer for kayakers and always boo the skydivers. Support your video team by showing up and representing the kayaking contingent.
Rule 5: Go Kayaking
With roadside, accessible kayaking and drinkable, free-flowing rivers, Voss is one of the best creeking destinations in the world. Don’t get eddied out by the parties and remember to get out there and explore the beautiful rivers that a lucky few call home. My top picks are the Raundalselvi, Teigdal and Myrk. Get after it!
There’s really only one rule:
You have to experience Ekstremsportveko. Get in early, buy a ticket, and come to Norway for the best week of your life every year. p.s. There are no rules.
Ekstremsportveko 2027 will take place from June 27th to July 4th.
I’m just back from an annual pilgrimage to Slovenia and the Soča River. It’s somewhere I’ve paddled many times (over the past 2 decades – gulp!), and have had the privilege of coaching many paddlers over the years.
First, the destination. Clear water. Easy logistics. Multiple sections giving plenty of options from easy floats to stiff grades. Soft rocks (by this I mean old, water-worn, smooth boulders, rather than sharp rocks or rocks that crumble as you touch them). Narrow canyons. Wide open sections. Playwaves. Powerful eddy lines. Beautiful mountains surrounding the river. Historical interest. Friendly locals. It is the destination that has it all and can give a mixed-ability group the most inclusive whitewater trip ever. Every time I’m fortunate to paddle there, I’m blown away by the quality and beauty of the valley and river. If you ever get the chance to go there, you should!
The most beautiful environment for paddling – and rocksplats for days!
Secondly, the boat choice. It’s a slicy boat for me. Back in 2022, I wrote on this blog about the perfect union being an Ozone and the Soča. Since then, I’ve managed to curate a small fleet of Ripper 2s to allow students to paddle whilst on the Soča, and I’m here to highlight some of the real advantages of using a slicy boat in these environments. Whilst I’ll focus on the Soča, there is no reason why your local runs wouldn’t offer the same opportunities in a playful boat.
The Ripper, showing why it earned the #RipperUp tag!
On trips to the Soča, I’ve worked with a wide range of paddling abilities, from people starting to explore and develop skills in the grade 2 environment, all the way through to those looking to become coaches and leaders on higher grades of water. We ask everyone to bring a creek-style boat, and have a fleet of Ripper 2s on hand to mix and match depending on what people are working on each day. On each trip over the past few years, everyone has spent a couple of days in a half slice, and the smiles (and skill development) from their time in these boats are justification enough for having access to them. Heading to a section you’ve paddled a couple of times? Take a different boat and set different challenges for members of the team. Looking to work on edge control and sharpen up reactions? Jump in a Ripper. Want to really explore trim and how it affects your boat? Jump in a Ripper. Want to make a simple eddyline a huge amount of fun? Jump in a Ripper. Maximise the fun available on a grade 2 section? Jump in a Ripper. Move into a more challenging grade of whitewater? Jump in a creeker!
The slicey boat family and their resurgence have also brought the Pyranha motto, ‘Play the River’, back to the fore. Paddling is so much fun, and playing in whitewater is one of the things that makes it so much fun. In the UK, one of the most paddled rivers is the Afon Dyfrdwy (frequently known as the River Dee). This river is the home run of paddlers who have been all over the globe in search of the finest whitewater runs. They still head out on this grade 2/3 section and use half slices to make the most of every eddyline and surf wave to develop their skills. If it works for them, it’ll work for all paddlers across the globe!
Playing the river has never been so much fun!
Rationale for adding a half-slice to your quiver (that isn’t just N+1 being the right number of boats) if you’ve not read enough above. If you don’t know me (and there is no reason why you should!), I’m a professional whitewater kayak coach and outdoor instructor. I now work not only as a coach but also as a trainer, teaching other coaches to deliver leadership and coaching courses and assessing across the full suite of PaddleUK awards. I also have a large number of awards, credentials, and qualifications that allow me to do this. I’m letting you know this, in case you need to justify to a significant other (parent, partner or best friend!) why you need a slicey boat. ‘I read it on a blog’ has less credence than ‘a fully qualified coach said this was the best way to develop my paddling and make the most of environments that I may have previously discounted as fun to paddle’.
Getting vertical is a great way to explore how your boat interacts with the water (and often leads to developing your roll!)
We have a well-worn saying as whitewater coaches. We can make easy whitewater hard, but can’t make hard whitewater easy. This translates to ‘it’s far better to make easy whitewater hard to develop skills in, than expose people to hard whitewater before they’re fully ready for it’. Using a slicy boat really allows you to do this, rather than floating down a river and then making your next challenge the next grade of whitewater.
A note on safety – slicey boats are more likely to pin and more challenging to hit lines with in whitewater that is a higher grade than you are used to – in these instances I’d always reach for a bigger boat to allow me to stack the deck in my favour!
Breaking the 100ft waterfall mark has been a long-term goal of mine and has taken many years of slowly building experience at different heights before deciding to step up to triple digits. Last week, everything seemed to line up with a dream crew of Kiwis willing to help make it a reality.
Floating towards the biggest drop of my life so far
Ram Falls is located in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada, and was first successfully paddled back in 2012 by the late Peter Thompson, Dylan Thompson, and Ryan “Babybird” Lucas. Since then, there have been only a handful of descents, and it hasn’t been touched since 2019. Ram was never my original plan as my first 100-footer; however, after plans fell through this winter, I chatted with Knox and Aniol, and we all agreed that it was a great option to fire up.
A day after the North Fork Championships, a crew of Kiwis and I made the two-day drive up north from Idaho to Alberta. That day, I got a message from the crew that ran it back in 2019 that the gauge may be reading too low for Ram to come in. Since we had already committed, we decided to check it out anyway and explore some other gems that the local area had to offer as a consolation prize. I arrived a little earlier than the boys and met up with a friend who happened to live an hour away from Ram. We warmed up on the Bighorn, a stunning section of small boofs and drops to dust off the driving cobwebs and were able to have a great night’s sleep in a real bed for a change, in the comfort of knowing that the big scary waterfall was too low to paddle.
Staring it down
We had a slow morning, making porridge and coffee and talking about pins, levels and plans for the coming few days, if Ram wasn’t in. Around noon, we made the drive over to the waterfall. We had come this far; why not check it out? The drive to the national park was stunning, and we were met by friendly park rangers who didn’t bat an eyelid at our kayaks and explained the best way to reach the base of the falls. At the base, my initial thoughts were that flows were marginal, and I wanted more water to be on the safe side. Luckily, Pebbles, my Kiwi counterpart, was significantly more optimistic than I was. We took photos and compared them to screen recordings of when Ed Muggridge and Aniol Serrasolses ran it back in 2018. We analysed small side channels, shelves, and so on, and eventually decided that the flow was about the same, if not even higher, than when they ran it. Oh god, we’re back on…
We drove up to find a way to the lip of the waterfall. From here, you could really gain perspective on how big it was. Back to the screen recordings. The lead-in wave seemed bigger than when the boys had it; the lip looked good enough. We scouted for a while, watching small rocks fall down the falls and bounce back up in the boil at the base of the drop. We already knew it was relatively shallow but deep enough. Just make sure you tuck up, and the little pebbles can hit the back of your helmet! After plenty of deliberation, Pebbles and I had both decided that it was good to go, and we were keen. We geared up and anxiously waited for the other 3 Kiwis to get back to the base of the falls to set up safety and media.
One quick game of rock, paper, scissors later, it was decided that I would go first. I gave Pebbles a big hug, whistled to the crew below to let them know I was ready, and walked over to my ReactR. It was for sure one of the most nervous times I’ve ever been in my kayak. I felt that I had done everything possible to prepare for this moment, but there is always an element of uncontrollable risk when paddling waterfalls at this height.
I floated towards the drop. The lead-in is very slow and flat. Arguably, too slow and flat for my liking. Too much time to think. Spotting my markers, I got hit by the last wave directly above the lip and BOOM, flow state achieved. Time slowed down; I was able to put myself perfectly in place, set my angle, stare it down, throw my paddle and tuck for what felt like an absurd amount of time. I hit the water and instantly felt the mess of boil and small rocks flying all around me. One quick hand roll and I realised I had a perfect line, an insanely soft hit, and I could celebrate a big goal achieved.
The boys threw my paddle back to me, and I joined them on safety for Pebbles. Watching him come down, it seemed like he also had a perfect line. Except when he rolled up, you could see the bow of his boat had caved in, and he was in a fair bit of pain. We got him to the side and found that he had hurt his knee and ankle. Did he hit bottom?! I jumped out, removed the footplate from my ReactR, and we swapped boats so that Pebbles could straight-leg paddle the runout while I paddled his crumpled kayak down. The boys immediately made Pebbles a makeshift splint and took him by an arm each to hike him up the 200ft scree slope back to the cars. We later found out that he had suffered a compression fracture to the top of his tibia and potentially some torn ligaments too. It’s hard to accept injuries when it seems like everything went right, but unfortunately, that’s the risk we take, and we are incredibly grateful to be surrounded by an epic team that was able to support Pebbles and me to deal with anything that came our way.
What looked like a perfect line from Pebbles
Did Pebbles hit Pebbles? The moment we realised something was wrong.
For most of my whitewater career, I’ve been a raft guide who also kayaks, and so my summers have been spent taking strangers down familiar waterways, my winters have been spent in a creek boat, and I’ve never had much need for a half slice. That changed last summer when I decided to add videoboating to my resume. This resulted in the purchase of a well-loved Ripper 2 for work.
Around the same time, I found a deal on a Firecracker, a boat I had wanted for years, and I couldn’t pass it up. In one Spring, I went from rarely paddling a half slice to paddling my two half slices more than any other boat. I’ve gone back and forth justifying owning both the Firecracker 242 and Ripper 2 M, but have never been able to let go of either. I do, however, understand the stars don’t always align to allow so much overlap in a fleet. Hopefully, my experiences in both may help someone make the difficult choice I’ve been avoiding between them!
Side by side, the Ripper 2 and Firecracker are quite different-looking boats. The longer, slightly flatter profile of the Ripper 2 compared to the short, wide Firecracker offers very different styles of paddling and playing. The Firecracker (which I borrowed from my local shop before I bought one on my own) was the half-slice I learned to stern-squirt in. Having finally started to understand the timing of the hip flick to get the Firecracker stern down, I was faced with frustration my first few laps in my Ripper 2 when I couldn’t get it vertical. One day, though- and I wish I remembered who gave me this insight- I had the chance to be paddling with a top-tier boater who shared the nuance in getting a short, snappy stern down as opposed to long, lazy stern squirts. After that, jumping between the boats, I could iron out the adjustments, and now both offer endless play in eddy lines.
As far as surfing, the Firecracker is of course a standout. As I try more and more Pyranha designs, I continue to reach for the Firecracker when surfing conditions on the local runs are ideal. The Ripper 2, however, performs a little tighter and snappier on waves but is a great boat to surf nonetheless. Its length can sometimes hinder me on certain waves, where the Firecracker may be better suited.
Though it sometimes comes with drawbacks, the length of the Ripper 2 really shines when I want to push myself in a half-slice. I’m unsure if this is aligned with popular opinion, but if I want to take my half-slice on something steeper, I want my Ripper 2. The speed and agility that boat provides when you’ve spent a lot of hours in it can really perform on some more challenging whitewater. The Firecracker can rip some beautiful boofs, but sometimes I find it a little harder to reach the speed I need to make moves and get through holes. I still feel confident in my Firecracker, but the chance of me being endered is much higher.
The sizing of either design will significantly affect the boat’s “sportiness.” There’s definitely a big difference between the feel of the small Ripper 2 and the large Ripper 2, but as a very medium-sized paddler, I can fit into them both pretty comfortably. When I was lighter, I preferred the Firecracker 232 but still liked the Ripper 2 Medium; now I prefer medium in both. Sizing can be tricky, and the most effective way to know which size you’ll like is to get in the boats and test them out.
In conclusion, choosing between the Ripper 2 and the Firecracker is never going to be cut-and-dried. Many of one’s benefits highlight where the other may have shortcomings. For anyone deciding which boat to buy next, I encourage you to try as many styles and sizes as possible and reflect on the goals you want to achieve with the boat! The beauty, I think, in these two designs is that you really can’t go wrong with either, and their versatility allows paddlers with a range of goals to find the right boat.
Pyranha Storm (Medium & Small) Review: Something Special
What can we say… we both think that this boat is something truly special. Thom has had the privilege of paddling the Storm Medium for a while now, testing it across several different river styles and features. Paula got her Storm Small a bit more recently (the medium is always made first, as you may know!)
First Impressions: Sunbury Weir (Thames)
Thom’s first introduction to the Storm was on a high-water Sunbury Weir wave on the Thames. This wave is big and super-fast (and definitely recommended if there is plenty of water in the Thames). The Storm’s aggressive rails and wide, flat hull absolutely ate it up. The hull is incredibly loose; with the slightest shift of weight onto a rail, the boat carves like a dream. Spins, flip turns, and blunts were the order of the day. Thom loves surfing big waves, and he walked away thoroughly impressed.
River Running: The Moriston
Next stop was the Moriston. Thom has paddled this river many times over the years in a few different kayaks, and the Storm is without a doubt the most fun boat he has ever taken down it. The short tail and playful nose rocker turned every single feature into a treat. Thom was initially a little dubious about how a boat with such a flat, wide hull would boof, but he was pleasantly surprised. It skipped out of drops like a much larger boat. The generous rocker allows you to skip into tiny eddies, turn with barely any effort, and catch the smallest waves. Meanwhile, the short tail meant Thom was throwing tailies and splats on features he had never even considered before (on the Moriston!). We did so many laps, trying tricks and moves Thom had previously felt he didn’t have the right boat for.
We took the boat for a spin on the Garry that week, too, and the number of kids eyeing up the Storm was a good gauge of its popularity.
Low Volume Fun: DeeFest
Our next opportunity to rip in the Storm was at DeeFest. Although the river was super low, there was still so much fun to be had—eddy lines to slice, small waves to shred, splats to throw, and smiles for miles. This was also Paula’s first chance to try out the Small Storm. Sometimes we small people find that the small doesn’t really mean small, and we are swamped by the allegedly small version of a popular boat. Not the Storm. Pyranha has made the small a proper small, absolutely nailing the sizing. Paula jumped in with minimal adjustments and immediately felt at home. She was soon tailying on every eddy line, cruising over holes, and carving up the small waves on offer. Paula was catching waves on the way down which she normally wouldn’t consider. She even managed to have a long surf on a family trip on the Wye on a wave we all thought would not retain.
High Volume River Running: The Upper Dart
Once we got home, the summer rains hit, and the Upper Dart came up to a prime flow. Dropping everything, we rallied to the river, incredibly excited to try the boat there. The Upper Dart has so many amazing features and technical moves. The river was high, with several must-make moves to avoid holes. We were seriously impressed by the speed this short boat could generate; at no point did it feel sluggish or vulnerable. The generous rocker and slicey tail made lifting the bow over features effortless. Because the hull stays wide all the way up the bow rocker, the Storm is stable and holds its direction perfectly when landing and skipping over features. In the Storm, you can have the confidence that you would normally get from a more traditional “river runner”, without missing out on any of the river play that you want to turn your hand to. We surfed and enjoyed every single feature like never before. It turned into one of the longest laps ever simply because we kept walking back up to run lines again!
The Verdict
In summary, Pyranha has absolutely nailed it. Having tested it on a huge variety of river styles, the Storm has earned a permanent spot in our quiver. It packs both business, giving you the confidence to clear holes and hit your lines, and party, to squirt and taily your way down the river. Combined with a hull that any surf boat would be jealous of, the Storm really is a “one-and-done” kayak.
I seem to like this boat more every time I take it out. The ReactR is a highly capable design that strikes a great balance: stable when things get pushy, but also playful and nimble for finding joy in every eddy turn.
Earlier this year, I was invited on a friend’s birthday trip to Ecuador. A location I had heard a bit about, but had never been high on my list to visit. My wife, Holly and I picked up Ali and Cara and headed to Manchester Airport. After successfully checking in our 3 ReactRs and 1 Scorch, we were on our way to Ecuador to meet Maeve and Alec.
We first headed to a small town called Baeza, where, during the months December to February, you can find a small microcosm of kayakers who have travelled from all around the world to paddle Ecuador’s rivers. Baeza is situated at the confluence of two large rivers, the Rio Quijos and the Rio Cossanga, both of which have multiple sections of varying grades and styles of whitewater. Baeza is a perfect hub for kayakers, and there are several kayaker-accommodating places to stay as well. For our time in Baeza, we stayed at Hotel La Casa de Rodrigo and were warmly hosted by the main man himself, Rodrigo.
Coming from the UK, I am very familiar with low-volume, steep creeking, and having been to the Zambezi a few times and spent some time in Indonesia, I’ve had my fair share of big-volume, too. Ecuador certainly has both of these styles, but it also has a lot of what I like to call “medium-volume” paddling, which is something vaguely in between these extremes. Where the river is around 20-40 metres wide, littered with boulders sub-surface, creating whitewater features or standing proud of the surface for us to navigate around.
On day 1, we got straight on the Quijos, Bridge 3 to Sardinas, a section which gave us a great warm-up and taste of the medium-volume style. Immediately, I appreciated being in the ReactR. Whilst the whitewater wasn’t particularly challenging on this section, effortlessly navigating the river, weaving between the boulders, making countless S-turns, and surfing small waves on the fly was just a small insight into how fun and capable the ReactR is. Throughout the week, we moved onto sections like Chaco Canyon, Bonbón, and the Upper and Middle Cossanga, all of which I really got to enjoy all of the ReactR’s features.
It has sharp edges for effortless navigation through large boulder gardens, and plenty of bow rocker to help boof over holes that come at you quickly in stacked sections. From the Scorch to the ReactR, the clear addition of more than 5cm of width gives this boat great stability, which I felt especially grateful for in the confused cross-currents coming down these large boulder gardens.
The pivot hull and soft, angled rear side walls enable you to move it around like you would a slalom boat. To lean back and release the nose of the boat whilst experiencing minimal water resistance around the tail opens up the possibility for low-angle eddy turns, making for super-fast entrances and exits – and not only in the conventional way either. Driving deep into an eddy, pulling one sweep stroke to maintain your downstream speed and simultaneously turning your nose back into the flow, as if paddling a downstream gate through an eddy, was a particular favourite of mine to do in this boat.
A highlight of the trip was the Middle and Lower Cossanga. High-energy water pushing its way down through large boulder gardens whilst being at the bottom of a 100m gorge is a pretty epic place to explore. What made this section a little more sporty for us was the heavy downpour of rain as we started the lower section. The guidebook descriptions of the rapids no longer resembled anything we seemed to scout, but everything still ran cleanly. Working efficiently as a tight-knit group, we navigated what would be considered the upper end of our class 4 read and running abilities. The ReactR really came into its own for this. The stability in pushy water, its bow rocker to help boof big holes that sprung up on us, and the ability to change direction super quickly when avoiding monstrous holes. The lower Cossanga then joins the Quijos, on a section which we had done earlier in the week. Arriving at the confluence this time was a mild relief to be out of the ever-rising, steep-walled gorge, but it was clear to us that it was now a lot higher than before, making for some classic big-volume whitewater. The playfulness of this boat really shines on this style of water – with the flat hull, you get some incredible surfing and spins. The rocker profile, bow and stern, allows for huge air time off the back of waves and huge head-dry kickflips!
The classic sections of this valley, and one of every visitor’s favourites, is Casa de Queso (Cheese House). This section is much steeper and therefore lends itself to being run at lower flows. Its steep creeking style goes on for kilometres, with clean, continuous whitewater the whole way. We had met a guy named Thomas, in his 6th season in Ecuador, who showed us down in just 45 minutes. Steep boulder gardens often have particular channels to navigate, and rarely all in a straight line, so constantly adjusting my angle and position between rocks and crossing currents was the aim of the game for this river. This section really showed the ReactRs creeking ability; namely, its nimbleness and ability to throw low-angle sweep turns before accelerating away from boulders and sieves, and its almost always dry nose for satisfying boofs. All these same attributes were appreciated when we moved south to Tena on the Upper Jondachi, another Ecuador classic.
Whilst in Tena, we stayed at Jungle Roots, owned by Diego, a local professional kayaker who also runs a charity called Yaku Churis. This programme enables kids in deprived areas to learn to kayak and gain tuition in leadership skills. We got to meet and paddle with two of the kids on the programme on their local section, the Jatun Yaku. Another big-volume section, with surfing and kickflip joy all around. Following the kids into all the big holes and watching them flying off big waves with various rotations was such a special time. It was a real example of how kayaking is a great way to have fun and connect with your local river and the wider area. I would highly recommend visiting Yaku Churis’ website to learn more about the project and the dangers this river, local area, and community face.
Throughout the 2-week trip, we racked up over 150km of paddling, and I certainly appreciated having the comfy Elite Outfitting for all of that. Some days we’d be on the water for 3-4 hours straight, so comfort was key! I like having my throwbag on a waist belt just under my spraydeck in front of me. I was still able to fit my water bottle and drybag with a camera between my legs, making for easy, quick access to both footage and hydration!
The ReactR is capable of running all the whitewater you may face, and you’ll have a lot of fun whilst doing it. Ecuador has kilometres of incredible whitewater of all styles that will keep you entertained for years, let alone just a short trip! If you’re visiting Ecuador and need a medium or small ReactR to rent, you can find one at Rodrigo’s.
The ‘What kayak should you learn in?’ question is one that comes around again and again. It’s been great to see half slice boats making a resurgence, and from a coach’s point of view, I see more people back learning on Grade 2-3, getting their technique and skills dialled in, rather than relying on a big creek boat to survive an early push into Grade 4, where the consequence of a missed roll or line tends to be less forgiving.
But is a performance half-slice with sharp edges the way to go for every paddler? While some people benefit from being ‘cuddled’ down the river in a creek boat, this can slow down the learning curve and, for those not venturing into steeper drops, give dull feedback to the paddler.
I’ve been looking to add more boats to the Kinetic Paddlesports hire fleet alongside the ReactRs and was intrigued by how the new InaZones would fit clients and whether they would bridge the half-slice/creekboat gap.
It does look like the old InaZone from the late 90s, but this isn’t a boat for tricks like its predecessor was. The new InaZone is bigger, faster, more forgiving, but just edgy enough to give good feedback.
I’ve had both sizes for a while now, and clients have used them for ‘Intro to Whitewater’ and ‘Paddlesport Instructor’ courses through to some Intermediate coaching days, and I’ve paddled the medium-large on the River Eden and Leven, and I can fit into the small-medium. Whilst they might not fit anyone really small or anyone really large, these two sizes fit the majority of people really well, and from a fleet perspective, the sizing is spot on with the 2 sizes covering everyone so far.
Ella driving towards her target.
They are notably fast on flatwater and super fast surfing, making small flushy waves easy to stay on (and let’s face it, we have plenty of these in the UK!).
Mattie surfing.
On steeper waves, the InaZone keeps you on your toes, making you move the boat to keep the nose high and certainly rewards good technique for keeping the front dry. The volume at the back and the peaked deck shed water and stop it from backlooping.
Mattie lining up the drop.
They track really well in a straight line, allowing people time to set up moves without spinning out, which is great for building good technique. The conservative (by modern standards) rocker profile suits grade 2/3 well, rather than the foot of rocker suited to grade 4/5, which we have all become so accustomed to paddling. This also means there isn’t an auto-boof button in an InaZone; you will have to work to boof it and learn properly. But if you miss the move, the volume and shape of the back deck of the boat push you forward and away from the hole rather than backlooping.
Mattie driving off the lip.
The trend towards half-slice boats gives extremely blunt feedback for those learning, which suits some people who learn quickly and don’t mind rolling frequently, but this InaZone gives feedback in a more subtle way. It will let you know quicker than a creekboat, with a warning wobble but not a half-slice style ‘wathunk’ when you catch an edge.
It’s a fun boat to paddle!
On flat-water Instructor Training courses, the boat has been a favourite choice for participants. The lower-deck profile makes a really easy platform to rescue boats from, and the secondary stability gives confidence to reach out away from the boat.
A stable platform and a low deck make rescues easy.
The new InaZone comes with two different outfitting specifications, I’ve been paddling the more affordable ‘Element’ spec and it does the job perfectly well with plenty of connection to the boat and quick to adjust outfitting, which is also lighter than the ‘Elite’ spec found in ReactR and Storm, and I reckon it is the way to go for fleet or club boats, and those looking to save money or weight carrying or loading a boat.
The new InaZone is a great boat for learning and for anyone who loves fun on grade 2/3, and is certainly a new addition to the Kinetic Paddlesport fleet.
An Ode to a Playboat, by a Non-Playboater: my first few laps in the Helectron
Last year, I hit my goal of 200 days on the water, and of those days, less than 10% were spent in a playboat. Unless you count a half slice as a playboat, which I do not. I self-identify as a creek boater, so much so that on my home rivers, my friends tease me when they see me in a boat with less than 60 gallons of volume.
Enter, an opportunity to paddle the Helectron on a 5-hour New River playboat lap (iykyk), and exit, someone closer to a playboater than they’ve ever been. Now, I find myself singing the praises of a boat I really have not enough expertise to speak on; but as a “non-playboater”, who tries to occasionally playboat, I can’t help but love the Helectron.
My home river, the New, already has less than a foot of water, meaning long flat pools perfect for distracting myself with trick practice. Double pump, check. Stern stall, check. Something that could maybe resemble my first cartwheel, check. I’m grateful to have more ‘slicyness’ in my bow than some other designs to make the flatwater play a bit more achievable. The closer I am to getting tricks, the more I want to practice, and the more I practice, the closer I get! It’s a viciously amazing cycle that the Helectron is helping me with.
Surfs were great, of course, and a fun hole on my home run has already provided hours of loop practice. Unsuccessful, but enjoyable. It was easy to catch all the little whitecaps scattered through familiar wave trains, and I’m eager to get the Helectron on a proper surf wave. More important than all this, it’s a boat I can actually sit in for hours on end, only popping my skirt to let my feet out occasionally.
My last point of praise for my new favorite playboat is its performance on downriver paddling. The slots and eddies and ferries are normally something I give up on a playboat lap. I choose to spend my energy practicing my double pump, not carping my way down rapids until I can get upright. However, whipping in and out of the James Brown Eddy at Lower Keeney’s, I felt confident and comfortable, which is no small feat while driving a playboat. It boofs great and speeds up quick, letting me zip around lines I enjoy running, in between the surfs and splats it already has a great reputation for.
All in all, now that I have a Helectron in my fleet, I may be an occasional playboat convert. It’s a boat that can keep me entertained on low-water slicey laps and perform how I need it to on high-water surf sessions. As much as I love my Firecracker, I will definitely be thankful not to be slow cruising down the river while the homies spin their way down in playboats!
I’ve been paddling the Large Storm for a bit now, so I thought I’d share my thoughts…
Whilst I’m excited to get the Storm on some bigger waves, for me, it’s going to be about opening up options on the small waves – it’s super loose and easy to spin, and whilst I can tailee it happily, it’s on a wave that it shines. I’ve not been a fan of short half slices in the past, preferring the speed of the longer options, but I’m hooked on this boat! Spinning and grinding on the local waves I can normally only front-surf, is a game-changer.
Definitely the perfect boat for my local rivers of the Kent and Leven. Surprisingly, it feels stable and predictable, almost creekboat-like, dropping through Backbarrow and the big weirs on the Leven, and through the drops on the Kent, it skips out really well. Looking at the square side wall profile, I was expecting powerflips and wipeouts, but it’s been surprisingly forgiving, and it’s bugging me that I can’t work out why!
It’s different to tailee from my Large Ripper 2, needing a more dynamic unwind to get the shorter, wider stern under, but as I get used to that, the shorter back end opens up new tailying spots I would have previously hit the bottom on.
Last, but by definition, not least, it’s a Large! and a proper ‘Large’, not a medium-large. At 95kg, with a split paddle and kit bag in, it sits high and would happily fit a much heavier paddler. At 175cm I’ve got the footrest nearly all the way up, and even with boots on there’s still loads of room!
