Over the past decade South American has earned its reputation for possessing world-class whitewater and been marked as the top grounds for modern whitewater exploration. On the fence if I wanted to take my known and trusty 9R or the new Machno that I had paddled very little, I decided to give the Machno the ole’ college try. With my shiny new Pyranha Kayaks Machno in hand I set foot into the Chilean whitewater paradise with what was about to become my new trusty stallion.
Photo: Chris Korbulic
MY PROFILE: At 6′ tall and weighing in at a massive 145 pounds.
MACHNO PROFILE: At 8’8” and 82 gallons, the Machno was created with a curved planning hull design, optimized bow rocker, peaked bow and stern, and with enough edge to carve your way down the river without getting tripped up in those tricky cross currents or boils.
COMFORT: I was impressed how comfortable I felt in the boat just with the first few strokes down the river. I didn’t have to work out the kinks, tinker endlessly with my outfitting, or adjust my paddling style. I was pleasantly surprised to paddle the boat down stream with ease as I set off into my first days on the water.
ROCKER: Enhanced bow rocker. It seemed that the boat was soaring over the most complex whitewater features, keeping my dry head days from becoming few and far in between.
STABILITY: The wider platform, and the peaked bow and stern added stability and made resurfacing predicable in the most unusual of currents. Forgiving enough edges to not catch in awkward places, but still present enough to carve your way into eddies, over boils, shape you angle on those aggressive rock boofs, and into those die hard leaning curler moves we all love! Locked and loaded down with overnight supplies on the Rio Cochamo (sleeping bag, cooking supplies, food, and safety gear; 30+ pounds of extra gear) the boat continued to paddle exceptionally with the same tendencies as it previously did with out overnight gear.
The Machno has opened a whole new world of confidence for myself while pushing my limits from the cockpit, whether it is big water river-running, waterfalls, or creeking. This #machine will continue to be the boat I can count on in any situation and will be joining me on my local backyard runs and more paddling inspired journeys across the world! For any questions contact dylankmckinney@gmail.com or follow me @dylankmckinney. Cheers, Dylan.
Photo: Chris Korbulic