Pyranha Ripper: Initial Thoughts

This boat has literally changed the way I look at the river.

To have the ability to dip the stern and either get vertical, or do a quick pivot turn, has transformed the river into an entirely different playground; the Ripper‘s design takes on the #FastIsFun ethos of the 9R, with the lower stern rocker even boosting its speed so you can punch through features and tear up lines in search of that next, deep eddy line.

The Ripper stays high and dry through features thanks to the full volume bow, and when you add in the extreme bow rocker you skip through features like you’ve been shot out of a canon; this makes for a kayak that can be enjoyed on all classes of whitewater. Recently, I found myself enjoying the heck out of a class 3 wave train with a good eddy line; surf across the wave, dip the stern, pirouette, set it down, and surf back.

I stand at 6 feet and 173lbs, and like the Medium Ripper for a little bit of everything; because all the sizes of this boat are right around 9 feet though, I can choose to drop to the Small Ripper if I want a boat that will be more playful. If I want to have more confidence for River Running and Surfing, I could even move up to the Large Ripper for a bit more volume and stability.

As my Team-mate, Kyle Hull says; “No matter if you’re in to chill laps down your local run, or getting recklessly vertical on some class 5, the Ripper is the boat for you.”

The Ripper Small and Medium are available now, with the Large coming soon… head to your local Pyranha Dealer today, and #RipperUp