The Elite Connection Upgrade Kit is available free of charge to all owners of an Elite spec Pyranha Kayak via our dealer network, or our UK factory. The upgrade boosts the rigidity and durability of the Elite thigh grip area for further improved performance and energy transmission.


As a development-led company, we are always seeking to improve our products, particularly for performance, durability and safety. We have been asked for some models to be made lighter, but often the developments we wish to make are restricted by process and material limitations.
In response to our drive to improve our products and respond to paddlers’ requests, we recently introduced stiffer thigh-grips, which we have made available to all existing Elite customers as a free upgrade, and we can now announce the last part of the upgrade which mechanically boosts the strength of the cockpit, our Elite Connection Upgrade Kit.
This fitting is a recommended upgrade to enhance the shell’s rigidity for both performance and for safety, strengthening our proprietary paddler safety cage, and is a remarkable improvement. You only need to sit in a kayak with and without this feature to feel the difference in rigidity.
For 2026, all Elite spec models will include the upgraded thigh grips and Elite Connection Upgrade Kit. The latter also enables our future “Elite Pro” specification option, which is soon to be made available via the Pyranha Customiser on select models.
We will offer a factory upgrade for anybody with a 2025 spec Elite kayak through this autumn for all kayaks brought back to us and are also providing training and resources to service-centre-enabled dealers to offer the upgrade as a free of charge service.
Sadly, we have also seen that a few cockpit kiss-offs, the component which creates a connection between the inside and outside of the boat, may cause the outer skin of the kayak under the cockpit rim to be under excess stress during use. This upgrade, with its 3M tape bond, will further strengthen the cockpit rim and repair any further damage to these kiss-offs, as well as providing the aforementioned performance and safety improvements.
Here’s the quick-fire points:
- The Pyranha Elite Connection Upgrade Kit can be added to all Pyranha Elite kayaks and will repair any damage to the kiss-offs, as well as providing performance and safety benefits.
- Kayaks have always been a considerable investment, and as such, we will be providing these free of charge so all paddlers who have invested in an Elite spec Pyranha kayak over the last 24 months can benefit from this upgrade.
- We are currently shipping upgrade kits out to our dealer network; please contact your local dealer to arrange your upgrade.
- Our 2026 specification of Elite will have the upgraded thigh grips and Elite Connection Upgrade Kit pre-installed.
- We have worked extremely hard to improve our boats over the last 6 months of testing. This upgraded connection provides better performance and future reliability than previous solutions.