Gear Review: Pyranha Scorch X Whitewater Kayak

The Pyranha Scorch X Whitewater Kayak is one of a kind. When this boat came out, there was quite a lot of hype and skepticism. The hype, of course, was paddlers anticipating what it may be like to skip out of drop with a 10 foot long, high rockered, flat hulled, sharp edged creek boat. Others speculated that 10 feet would be way to long for their normal kayak runs. The boat itself caught the eye of many because it really is a kayak that’s pushing boundaries in boat design. I can imagine Dave Fusilli pondering the thought “Is there really such a thing as too much rocker?” In this review I’ll tell you why the Scorch X has a permanent spot in my quiver, and what to know before buying one.

The first the most obviously feature that stands out about the boat is that it’s 10 feet long. That length in one of the kind in the current whitewater kayak market. In whitewater boat design, kayaks are typically 9ft and under. Or they jump straight to 12 feet to be competitive in whitewater racing. Pyranha said the hell with that. From what I can tell the goal with the extra length was to increase speed and skipping ability in order to link up moves on the river. Well they hit the nail on the head with that one. While coming out of drops, all you need to do is edge the boat in the direction you want, and it is soaring precisely into the next set of rapids. The increased speed can be incredibly useful when dealing with powerful holes or big waves, giving you power to punch through or over instead of getting bogged down. I would say this is where the Scorch X excels.

Being 10ft however, it is not a huge fan of tight spaces, micro eddies, and would much rather be on high to medium water runs than low water runs. The other thing about this boat is that it likes to be driven. You would be best suited setting your angle, generating speed a bit earlier and letting your edges lock into the line rather than floating into a rapid unprepared. There are other designs out there that can accommodate such paddling style, but the Scorch X isn’t one of them. I’ve heard fellow paddlers say “When it’s on line, it’s the best kayak on planet earth.” The flipside of that coin is that when you’re off line it is harder to recorrect than shorter, softer edged creek boats.

Overall this kayak is for someone who loves paddling fast and linking up moves in steep whitewater. The extra rocker will allow you to skips over holes instead of being destroyed by them. The planning hull and sharp edges will allow precision to experiment with a new line or dial in an old one. Even if you’d tried the regular sized Scorch, I’d highly recommend you demo the X because it’s a different animal that truly is breaking boundaries in whitewater design. Kudos to Dave Fusilli and the Pyranha Team for bringing such a game changing boat to market.