Spring is here and its time to play! I just got the new small Pyranha Recoil and I have been dying to try it out. Its been very dry around here in North Carolina, but I kept looking at the rising water levels in West Virginia and decided it was time for Spring Break. Its usually drysuits and ice in the eddies this time of year in West Virginia, but instead we were greeted with warm spring temperatures and sunny skies too! Yes, it was paradise–surfing big water, warm temperatures, sunny skies, and cold beer!! This may have been the best spring break of my life!
So, we started with the Upper Gauley. It was running about 2400 out of the dam and about 800 out of the Meadow. Great play level! I had a wonderful time in the small Recoil. I have enjoyed the shorter playboats of the past couple of years because they are so easy to turn when surfing and fun for looping, but I must say I always missed the loss of speed and having a stern and bow to initiate on eddy lines, do stern squirts, splat wheels, and my favorite trick–the rocket move stern pirouette. I just love twirling through a wave train on my stern…So, the Recoil brought all that back to me. It has speed and stability in the rapids and there is plenty of stern and bow to initiate into the river. This aspect for me means more play. Before I was limited to waves and holes, but this design made it possible to play on more features again. There seems to be just enough length too, because the Recoil surfed waves and holes with the same ease of turning as the shorter boats. It was actually better because there was more speed which gave me more thrilling and dynamic rides. Leland said he has never seen me surf so well before. He said it was incredible to watch how the boat allowed my playboating to progress so quickly throughout the course of the day. I noticed too. By the end of the day, I was playing every feature and actually surfing instead of washing off or flipping. It was heaven. And the best part is that I could play better and I was still very stable through the rapids. The boat was very easy to handle and I had good lines everywhere–some of my best ever on the Upper G. The boat was also easy to roll–I really apprecieate that in a boat, so I was very glad!
surfing it up on the Insignificant wave
Surpised at the amount of control I was having and that I was actually still on the wave!
I must say, though we were really bummed by the long lines on the Gauley that day. Just kidding! We were the only people on the river and it was sunny and 75 degrees on a Saturday. Where was everyone? This was the place to be!
Next stop was Northern West Virginia. Wow, everything was stompin high up there! We got to do a really cool run on the LIttle Sandy. I ended up taking my creek boat because that is what the others were doing and I didn’t know the run, There were so many surf waves on that run, it was unbelievable, and I found myself wishing I was in the Recoil. This is another feature that I find cool about the Recoil–its not a park and play boat–its a river play boat that performs as well as a park and play boat. I have never been one to want to take a park and play boat down most rivers, but I always found them superior in their play ability to the point that I would take it anyway. But with the Recoil, its the best of both worlds–really. Little Sandy is definitely a run to check out if you are ever in that area–its one of my favorite class III+/IV- rivers.
After that we headed over to the Cheat to surf a park and play wave called Bill’s Hole on the Cheat Narrows. I think the river was running about 10,000 cfs–a perfect level for this hole. The hole looked small and manageable from the road, but when I got in it, it gave me a wild ride!
Notice the rocker in the bow. I believe this rocker is what makes the boat so easy to handle in the rapids and while surfing. There is enough length in the boat for speed, and the rocker keeps the bow from pearling.
Getting a really fun and bouncy blast.
I am still learning to playboat, so I was not able to throw any crazy aerial tricks, but I can only imagine that this boat would do them. It front surfs incredibly well and it has alot of bounce that could turn into aerial blunts and loops. Those are my goals for the year–to learn some crazy aerial tricks. With the Recoil, I believe its gonna happen–and I will have some good lines down the river too!
