{"id":21539,"date":"2020-01-30T17:03:17","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T16:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pyranha.com\/blog\/?p=21539"},"modified":"2020-01-30T18:20:42","modified_gmt":"2020-01-30T17:20:42","slug":"review-pyranha-9r-ii-large","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pyranha.com\/blog\/review-pyranha-9r-ii-large\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Pyranha 9R II Large"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With Photos by Ouzal Hinz<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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I was pretty excited when I heard Pyranha was going to make a second generation of the 9R series.\u00a0 The original 9R Large fit me well and complimented my Machno nicely for times when I wanted more speed.\u00a0 I also always have some amount of anxiety surrounding an update of an existing boat that I like.\u00a0 I worry the new design might not suit me as well and being at the top of (or sometimes over) the weight range on most boats, sizing is always one of my biggest (pun intended) concerns (#bigguyproblems).\u00a0 I always wonder if the new design will be big enough for all-day comfort and will it float me high enough in the water for me to take advantage of all the intended benefits of the design.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the stats of the 9R II Large were finally released, my fears were eased and my excitement spiked.\u00a0 Despite being the same volume (90 gallons) as the first generation, the new large is around \u00be of an inch narrower and 6 inches longer!\u00a0 Just reading the stats got me excited.\u00a0 One drawback of the original 9R Large was that because of the design choice to keep the overall length to under nine feet (to keep it in the short-boat class when racing), it simply wasn\u2019t as fast or nimble as the Medium version. \u00a0I was really pleased to hear that this time around the design would not be restricted to the arbitrary nine-foot mark.\u00a0 The added length would certainly help add speed and just as importantly it allowed for a slight narrowing of the overall width, which enhances both speed and agility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When reading a review of a boat (or any other gear), it is important\nto have some background on the reviewer to be able to take their assessment in\ncontext and see their opinion for what it is. \nAs for me, I started paddling canoes with my dad in the 1980s and moved\nfrom canoes to kayaks in 2000.  I\u2019ve been\npaddling 100-150 days a year ever since with perhaps 20% of that time spent\nplayboating and the other 80% spent running creeks and rivers.  As a big guy (6\u20191\u201d tall and 265 lbs), I\u2019ve made\nit a point to try most of the larger kayaks that have come out over the\nyears.  I enjoy trying different boats\nand comparing the various design features\u2026 after all, every choice in design is\nsomewhat of a tradeoff and I find it interesting to experience the differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of writing, I\u2019ve had about a dozen days in the 9R II Large.\u00a0 A couple of great days on Johnnies Creek, a steep (300 FPM), low-volume creek consisting of a mix of bedrock slides and boulder rapids.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also gotten ten days on another local favorite, Little River Canyon, at levels ranging from 400-1300 CFS. \u00a0The character of Little River Canyon varies greatly depending on the water level.\u00a0 At lower levels, it consists of technical, boulder-choked rapids that require precise manoeuvring.\u00a0 At higher levels, the character shifts to that of pushy river running on steep rapids with some serious holes.\u00a0 The variety of levels over the past month have provided a great opportunity to test the 9R II Large in a lot of different situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the first noticeable things, when looking at and paddling the 9R II, is the dramatic, up-turned bow.\u00a0 The bow rocker continues almost all the way to where the deck of the boat meets the nose.\u00a0 When sitting neutral in the water, the uppermost extent of the bow rocker is at least as high as the front of the cockpit rim, maybe even higher.\u00a0 On the water, this results in a ton of bow lift and a boat that wants to go over everything in its path.\u00a0 When coming off pour-over features and ledges, it changes downward momentum into forward momentum extremely efficiently\u2026 sending the paddler satisfyingly skimming across the backwash. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the overall width being narrower than the original 9R Large, the widest part of the 9R II Large<\/a> stays wider for longer towards the stern of the boat.\u00a0 This strategically placed width and volume really helps keep the boat more level when coming out of holes and landing drops.\u00a0 Instead of a big wheelie, where the bow shoots skyward and lots of momentum is lost, the downward momentum becomes forward momentum without slowing down as much. \u00a0The updated large also has a little bit more pronounced chine edge in the center of the boat which can be engaged with a slight lean to whip into an eddy or hold a line when charging through turbulent water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Large Machno\u2019s greater overall load capacity is something to consider for paddlers over the recommended weight range for the 9R II Large, those planning to carry enough gear that would put them over the recommended range, or just those wanting the biggest, most forgiving boat for heavier paddlers.\u00a0 The Machno<\/a>\u2019s higher volume and rounder edges do make it even more forgiving, but it is certainly not as high performance.\u00a0 The tradeoff is that being narrower and having a slight edge keeps the 9R II from getting pushed around as easily in higher volume situations and in those scenarios, it seems to hold a line a little better than the Machno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is some video from my first week paddling the 9R II Large.\u00a0 I tried to pick out clips that show the way the hull reacts in a variety of circumstances.\u00a0 Since that first week, I\u2019ve moved the seat forward and am feeling even more dialled-in, a change I\u2019d definitely recommend for anyone at the higher end of the weight range.\u00a0 With my weight slightly more forward, it was easier to control the bow and seemed to really add precision to my boat placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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