This Outfitting is Elite

Andy Butler talks us through the various ways we've upped our outfitting game and delivered on the demands of paddlers, and then some!
Elite outfitting is available now in the ReactR: www.pyranha.com/kayaks.php?ka...

[@DiscosVideos]

FINALLY someone putting in pads for shouldering your boat.

[@cheskybaba4864]

Liquidl Logic had them forever built into their badass seating. Never a sore shoulder when portaging. ALL boats should have padding there.

[@maxdavy3333]

Your marketing is dangerously reeling me in 🤣 can’t wait to demo!

[@PyranhaKayaks]

🥰 It's easy to market things you're excited about ;P Let us know what you think when you do!

[@christophberenotto]

Wow, this looks really nice. When you get this in a half slice I might finally switch over. Glad you thought about recyclability too

[@zoombytimallen2094]

The cleats are the future of outfitting! They are the fastest and the strongest

[@FF-bu4ze]

Looks good 👍🏻. Appreciate the recycling thought as well.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Thanks!

[@bnorrgar]

I hope the back rest D ring's on the back band have a back up for when they blow out so it's repairable in the wilderness. Blown out Jackson D rings to the point I went back to ratchets! But thank goodness you finally made the cockpit rim portage worthy... Perhaps that'll be a feature on all Pyranha boats in the future?!?

[@PyranhaKayaks]

They're pretty robust, but shouldn't be an issue to rig it slightly differently in a pinch! We'll be looking to have those carry pads on new releases from this point out, yep!

[@stuartreedsadventures]

Looks amazing, can’t wait to try it

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Let us know what you think when you do!

[@stuartreedsadventures]

@@PyranhaKayaks Definitely will, I suspect this may be the boat mentioned when I was discussing something else with Pyranha that is top secret 🤣🤣🤣

[@slicebo]

Play boat? 😅

[@PyranhaKayaks]

@@slicebo we're working on one with GuiGui, yep! It'll be out later this year, with Elite outfitting.

[@Cary_Glenn]

I'm going to hold off my judgement until I see it in real life. I know it is popular to hate the ratchets but they have worked well for me for years. I have yet to find a rope based system that I trusted. I find the other rope systems always slip or wear, and never make it so I am truly wearing my kayak.

[@andrewlees4369]

I was sceptical at first too, for the same reasons but I was blown away by how much more connection and comfort you get from the built in mechanical advantage pulling towards you. It has been thoroughly tested in the Rip-R Evo model which has been out for a year or so and has won world championships, so far it's not let us down!

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Let us know what you think once you've tried it! We were reluctant to change at first, but this setup is reliable and brings a number of other advantages over ratchets too - i.e. simpler system, easier to maintain/repair, and far easier/faster to adjust across a wider range.

[@briandecicco6217]

@@PyranhaKayaks uuugh I hope that is the case. You guys make better boats than Jackson so hopefully y’all have made a better rope system than they have…’cause theirs sucks, in this beater’s humble opinion

[@PyranhaKayaks]

@@briandecicco6217 we're pretty confident we have!

[@erikmentink1183]

I hope this outfitting will also be availible for other models

[@ziyhe1751]

Happy to see all those amazing changes, but sad for not selling in my country 😢

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Sorry to hear we don't have a dealer near you! If you know a good kayak shop, tell them to get in touch ;P

[@charliebil8613]

Owwwwww, is this a reactR specific outfitting or across the board outfitting?

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Elite outfitting is specific to the ReactR right now, but we do plan to fit it to the upcoming GuiGui x Pyranha freestyle boat :)

[@opcfoundationtac]

Wahoo! Now if i could retrofit into my scorch and machno😊

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Sorry, this outfitting isn't backwards compatible!

[@harrisonrea9506]

Happy to see you guys went back to the cockpit rim shape that is flatter like you had on the 9R Large. My Scorch has been not that fun to carry. I hope this boat isn't as heavy as the Scorch.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Despite being a bigger boat, it is lighter, and the deeper cockpit rim and padding make it feel half the weight!

[@onaraggatip961]

I really like the look of this setup. Had many woes with C4S back in the day but Stout ironed that out. Having loved the badass in LL I then retrofitted it into my Machno which has been a game changer! After 3 or 4 years out, I’m back and on the lookout for something fresher and faster. Interested in volume specs though, I’m sitting right at the top of the Machno weight range and the ReactR doesn’t look as big??

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Give the ReactR/Elite Outfitting a go and let us know what you think! You're best comparing weight ranges rather than volumes - the ReactR isn't particularly voluminous, but it is generously sized, with some decent width to it, and great room for comfort.

[@onaraggatip961]

@@PyranhaKayaks Thanks for the reply. Ideally I need to demo one. I’d guess I’m up there at 125kg without kit, have you had any big guys paddling it as yet? I won’t lie, the back end doesn’t fill me with confidence being a heavy paddler but I’m definitely swaying towards the ReactR as a Machno upgrade.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

@@onaraggatip961 you are at the top of the weight range for the Large, so it would be worth demoing to be sure - the tail more functional than it is sporty though, so it'd just be overall performance that you'd be wanting to confirm.

[@kevins5340]

Are all Pyranha boats getting this new outfitting? Specifically the Firecracker?

[@holmespun]

They’ve said like they would have to make major changes to the old molds, so sadly no.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Sorry, Elite isn't backwards compatible!

[@RebeccaBaltich]

😍

[@patrickcarafa]

Good morning,do you have a newsletter?Best Regards.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Yep! The sign-up form is on our website :)

[@patrickcarafa]

@@PyranhaKayaks Waiting for you.See You.

[@davehumpleby3440]

That is SEXY! I just wish you could have done that to all your boat models before I bought one... which was only recently. I seem to have a gift for buying something just before it gets upgraded or a new version comes out.

[@brianluisi7616]

100% agree, but I did feel like modding my 242 made it mine, also I got 400 off in a sale, still I feel you frustration

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Are you the chap I spoke to at MEM? I think your friend was right if so; new mantra, 'don't hesitate!' haha.

[@davehumpleby3440]

@PyranhaKayaks No. Must have been some other chap with the same gift for bad timing.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

@@davehumpleby3440 😂 oh dear!

[@IraFowler3]

Will the Elite outfitting become the new standard for all pyranha kayaks moving forward?

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Only for new models released from this point on, ReactR and the upcoming GuiGui x Pyranha freestyle boat being the only ones on the books right now.

[@stevemartin5448]

I’ve never really subscribed to this idea that Pyranha outfitting is poor. I’ve got three modern Pyranha boats and really get on with the ratchets. The thigh hookers were a game changer for me and the cockpits are comfortable. I do agree with the idea of a wider back band though. Other makes with “better outfitting” feel too much like arm chairs and are really heavy… you know the make I am talking about… change the outfitting if you like, Pyranha, but don’t do it just because of a social media. I’ve paddled Pyranha boats for 35 years (and tried plenty of others), so do know what I’m talking about.

[@joesee8079]

Agreed, simple and bomb proof is what I'm you want. Once you foam it out its great. I'd rather have that than some gimmicky crap that breaks on you.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

You and @joesee8079 are absolutely right - we've very deliberately only added improvements that were necessary/worthwhile, fixed things that were broken, not the ones that weren't, and steered away from gimmicks or overcomplication - we're actually really excited that we've managed to move the outfitting on so far without compromising on safety or weight.

[@Mitch_Ryder]

In nearly 30 years of paddling, I never bought a Pyranha because of the terrible [edit: “sub par”] outfitting. This could finally change it.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

'Terrible' might be a bit much, but we're stoked to hear this might change things for you!

[@tommyb9746]

Retrofit?

[@PyranhaKayaks]

No, sorry!

[@mattbarnes3451]

Still the same painstaking method of seat adjustment? It was really the only thing i didn't like about pyrahna outfitting....Also, shoulder padding looks way too narrow IMO.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

Nope, just that wing nut in front of the seat to undo, then slide it to where you want it and replace. Shoulder padding is just right - boat feels like half the weight with that and the deeper cockpit rim!

[@stellarmetalworks9850]

I like everything but the twine that holds the backrest. Why take something awesome like a strap and cheapen it up so much with string..not very elite in my opinion. Those D rings are going to blow out and that string is going to turn into a frayed mess of horsehair

[@PyranhaKayaks]

The high-strength Dyneema and high-quality aluminium racing cleats we're using don't make it any cheaper than a ratchet system - simpler though! We've tested this enough to know you're wrong on that last sentence.

[@ilps2878]

It looks like parachord though and difficult to grip unless you somehow thicken the chord with a handle or that funky knot you got there.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

@@ilps2878 that's why that funky knot is there :)

[@RZR621]

I’m glad Pyranha quit the ratcheting back band system. It’s always been garbage. Jackson has always had the best outfitting system and looks like Pyranha feels the same way.

[@PyranhaKayaks]

All we'll say is, we only change something if we feel like we can make something better than anything else out there.