Pyranha kayaks always remind me of when I am snowboarding...if I get too relaxed and 'lazy' on my board I usually catch an edge and get a real beat down. But when I am leaning a bit downhill and going fast, those edges can get you anywhere you want to go. They keep you on your toes so-to-speak, which is great for river running.
I saw this last summer after I pulled the trigger on my 9R2L and it's amazing still how SPOT ON this review is. Well done! I still really enjoy the boat and it continues to support my progression, but I did feel like I needed a true class V creeker to add to the quiver that had more forgivness.
Alex is an amazing resource for info...thanks for the camping feedback. Most whitewater camping kayak reviews go like this....Bruhhhh , good boat you can fit a bunch of beers in there....the end
Thanks for the review. Still haven’t seen a large 9R2 on the water here in Norway but I sure have seen some Rippers. The Machno seems to have gone under the radar for most people, which I think is kind of a shame because it’s actually a boat that would fit those people.
Agreed. I never thought that Pyranha gave it the same amount of marketing as the 9r, and they missed an opportunity. The Machno is objectively the best creeker on the market right now
Thanks! We had a really hard time getting Rewinds, and then keeping them in stock. I am finally going to get seat time in a demo this weekend and you'll start to see my thoughts
I was recommend this boat as a good learning creek boat but seems like it really wants to just go down river. I’m interested in getting better at ferrying and eddy hopping to work on technique. Not sure how displacement vs planning hulls, edges vs no edges, shorter boat vs longer boat, all fit into this equation? Maybe a video on boat design and how this helps accomplish different goals would be interesting to have out there? Any thoughts about what you would recommend for this would be much appreciated! Thanks as always for being such a great resource!
I would put you in a Machno instead 10/10 times for a high performance boat that you can learn in on a wide variety of rivers. If you're primarily going to be in higher volume rivers then I would think about a Nirvana.
Thanks. Went back and listened to some of the podcast about creek boat evolution and the interview with Wade. Really good stuff there. Will be interesting to see how Dagger’s code will fit in.
Alex, how does it compare to the original 9R Large? I feel like that would be the best apples to apples comparison rather than comparing it to the 9R, 9R2, or machno large. You mentioned a bit about it in the first 9R video but only a couple seconds. Cheers
You can use the 9r to 9r2 comparison to get a sense for what is different, some additional details like the extra stern length are covered in detail in this video as well.
Just paddled the Gauley in a large for two days. The boat wore me out. It really needs drove HARD to make moves in pushy water IMO....whew🤷🏽 Haven't had a chance to creek one.
Hi Alex Love the videos and your straight up opinions on your experiences in them. I am currently considering switching from a Nirvana Large to a 9R2 large. Main reason is comfort the lower knee position in the Jackson boats is aggravating a hip issue on me. A pity as I love the boat. My question is your video clips show a lot of hard paddling down stream with some lovely boofing and manoeuvres down big features. I tend to play my way down rivers catching every feature and looping features. Some people love it some hate it but its the way I paddle. I have no real interest in whitewater racing so the length is not an issue for me. What do you think of the 9R2 for this type of paddling ie catching every eddy , working back upstream as well as running the bigger features? I am 6 ft 3" weigh 195 lbs and am an intermediate paddler paddling class 2/3 with the odd class 4 stretch/feature. I am definitely a large boat guy. Any thoughts on the plastic. A mate split a large machno after less than a years use which put me off it. Your comments on the plastic and the weird dent in the 9R2 hull are making me wonder should I go for a pyranha boat? I sat in the 9R2 and it was a lot more comfortabl than the Jackson boat for me. Totally the knee position - flattening my knees doesn't work. Difficult to demo the boats with the COVID crisis here so wondering what you thought. Also I tried the hooker fittings for the 9R2 and was pleasantly surprised. I thought I would hate them but they seem to connect me to the boat. With the hip issue I can't jam myself into the boat but the hooker fittings seem to connect me to the boat without the discomfort of an overly tight fit. Any thoughts on them? Forgive the essay and keep posting the videos.
Hey Kiernan! Before you do do anything else I'd try removing the seat pad and seeing how that works for a lap or two. If you look closely a lot of the JK team paddle without the pad to add knee height. Like you said I love the 9r2L for charging, but not as much for eddy hoping. At your weight it could be large for you. I'd look at the Phantom first. Based on what you're telling me it seems like the better investment would be in a half slice. Have you considered a Ripper, Braaap or Rewind?
@@AlexBarham Cheers Alex I appreciate the feedback. I miscalculated my weight I don't know where I got 195 lbs from I am 217 lbs so definitely a large. I have a Ripper and love it but I like to have a creeker in the quiver with some volume behind me for the (relatively speaking) higher class runs. It gives a little confidence and forgiveness. The phantom is too narrow for me unfortunately. I will definitely give removing the seat pad a go on the Nirvana and see if that works. Thanks again for coming back to me. The run in the videos looks epic. If I ever get stateside it is on the to do list. Cheers.
My initial thoughts were "yup. Exactly what I expected." I was on the dealer pre-release call and they were really stressing that the major difference will be that the Antix 2 will be a smaller, more play oriented boat than their competitors. Not going to speculate on what's better though.
And...what about a 9R II small?! We small folks often get the shaft when it comes to a good variety of boats appropriate for our size. Just sayin'... :-)
You're not wrong that you don't get the same amount of options. However, if there aren't enough customers out there, then you can't expect them to make the boat at a loss. The Alpha 70 or Zet Five would be good ones to look into though. Got reviews up for both
Pyranha kayaks always remind me of when I am snowboarding...if I get too relaxed and 'lazy' on my board I usually catch an edge and get a real beat down. But when I am leaning a bit downhill and going fast, those edges can get you anywhere you want to go. They keep you on your toes so-to-speak, which is great for river running.
I think that is a great way of putting it. Not always what you want, but makes nailing lines much more fun.
@@AlexBarham exactly!
I saw this last summer after I pulled the trigger on my 9R2L and it's amazing still how SPOT ON this review is. Well done! I still really enjoy the boat and it continues to support my progression, but I did feel like I needed a true class V creeker to add to the quiver that had more forgivness.
Thanks Lee! Glad I'm not off in the weeds
Alex is an amazing resource for info...thanks for the camping feedback. Most whitewater camping kayak reviews go like this....Bruhhhh , good boat you can fit a bunch of beers in there....the end
Thanks man! I try. Can't say I do a lot of overnight trips, but I can at least load a boat and see what happens
Thanks for the review. Still haven’t seen a large 9R2 on the water here in Norway but I sure have seen some Rippers.
The Machno seems to have gone under the radar for most people, which I think is kind of a shame because it’s actually a boat that would fit those people.
Agreed. I never thought that Pyranha gave it the same amount of marketing as the 9r, and they missed an opportunity. The Machno is objectively the best creeker on the market right now
It's always good to start right off with a healthy serving of
*Sickaroni* ...
Well done!
Bahaha thanks Rick!
Thanks, another superb review 👍. Could you possibly do A Rewind review??
Thanks! We had a really hard time getting Rewinds, and then keeping them in stock. I am finally going to get seat time in a demo this weekend and you'll start to see my thoughts
I was recommend this boat as a good learning creek boat but seems like it really wants to just go down river. I’m interested in getting better at ferrying and eddy hopping to work on technique. Not sure how displacement vs planning hulls, edges vs no edges, shorter boat vs longer boat, all fit into this equation? Maybe a video on boat design and how this helps accomplish different goals would be interesting to have out there? Any thoughts about what you would recommend for this would be much appreciated! Thanks as always for being such a great resource!
I would put you in a Machno instead 10/10 times for a high performance boat that you can learn in on a wide variety of rivers. If you're primarily going to be in higher volume rivers then I would think about a Nirvana.
Thanks. Went back and listened to some of the podcast about creek boat evolution and the interview with Wade. Really good stuff there. Will be interesting to see how Dagger’s code will fit in.
Great review thanks Alex man,,,, oh I took your advice and have the large :)
Awesome! Enjoy it!
Alex, how does it compare to the original 9R Large? I feel like that would be the best apples to apples comparison rather than comparing it to the 9R, 9R2, or machno large. You mentioned a bit about it in the first 9R video but only a couple seconds. Cheers
You can use the 9r to 9r2 comparison to get a sense for what is different, some additional details like the extra stern length are covered in detail in this video as well.
Just paddled the Gauley in a large for two days. The boat wore me out. It really needs drove HARD to make moves in pushy water IMO....whew🤷🏽 Haven't had a chance to creek one.
Yes, it expects you to be on the gas at all times
Hi Alex
Love the videos and your straight up opinions on your experiences in them. I am currently considering switching from a Nirvana Large to a 9R2 large. Main reason is comfort the lower knee position in the Jackson boats is aggravating a hip issue on me. A pity as I love the boat. My question is your video clips show a lot of hard paddling down stream with some lovely boofing and manoeuvres down big features. I tend to play my way down rivers catching every feature and looping features. Some people love it some hate it but its the way I paddle. I have no real interest in whitewater racing so the length is not an issue for me. What do you think of the 9R2 for this type of paddling ie catching every eddy , working back upstream as well as running the bigger features? I am 6 ft 3" weigh 195 lbs and am an intermediate paddler paddling class 2/3 with the odd class 4 stretch/feature. I am definitely a large boat guy. Any thoughts on the plastic. A mate split a large machno after less than a years use which put me off it. Your comments on the plastic and the weird dent in the 9R2 hull are making me wonder should I go for a pyranha boat? I sat in the 9R2 and it was a lot more comfortabl than the Jackson boat for me. Totally the knee position - flattening my knees doesn't work. Difficult to demo the boats with the COVID crisis here so wondering what you thought. Also I tried the hooker fittings for the 9R2 and was pleasantly surprised. I thought I would hate them but they seem to connect me to the boat. With the hip issue I can't jam myself into the boat but the hooker fittings seem to connect me to the boat without the discomfort of an overly tight fit. Any thoughts on them? Forgive the essay and keep posting the videos.
Hey Kiernan!
Before you do do anything else I'd try removing the seat pad and seeing how that works for a lap or two. If you look closely a lot of the JK team paddle without the pad to add knee height.
Like you said I love the 9r2L for charging, but not as much for eddy hoping. At your weight it could be large for you. I'd look at the Phantom first.
Based on what you're telling me it seems like the better investment would be in a half slice. Have you considered a Ripper, Braaap or Rewind?
@@AlexBarham
Cheers Alex
I appreciate the feedback. I miscalculated my weight I don't know where I got 195 lbs from I am 217 lbs so definitely a large. I have a Ripper and love it but I like to have a creeker in the quiver with some volume behind me for the (relatively speaking) higher class runs. It gives a little confidence and forgiveness. The phantom is too narrow for me unfortunately. I will definitely give removing the seat pad a go on the Nirvana and see if that works. Thanks again for coming back to me. The run in the videos looks epic. If I ever get stateside it is on the to do list. Cheers.
@@kieranmolloy2132 No problem man good luck!
Alex what are you initial thoughts on the new antix? Will jt be better than the rewind ?
My initial thoughts were "yup. Exactly what I expected."
I was on the dealer pre-release call and they were really stressing that the major difference will be that the Antix 2 will be a smaller, more play oriented boat than their competitors.
Not going to speculate on what's better though.
Curious to hear you compare the 9rii to the scorch ?
I'll certainly be making that comparison once it arrives!
What was your favorite seat position? Thanks
I leave the seat stock 95% of the time
And...what about a 9R II small?! We small folks often get the shaft when it comes to a good variety of boats appropriate for our size. Just sayin'... :-)
You're not wrong that you don't get the same amount of options. However, if there aren't enough customers out there, then you can't expect them to make the boat at a loss.
The Alpha 70 or Zet Five would be good ones to look into though. Got reviews up for both
What is your favorite creek boat?
I'm a huge fan of the Machno. You'll also see me in the Nomad for runs that are heavy on rock bouncing