Pyranha Z.One Whitewater Kayak Review
Pyranha seem's to have been pretty busy this past year designing new boats. The Karnali and the Z.one are two notable designs that should be very popular. The Z.one is a recreation of the InaZone, which was one of the first (and best) free running kayaks of all time (in my opinion). In the words of team Pyranha member Dave Fusilli "the Z.one is faster than the InaZone, its more narrow, its longer, it has a little more edge, new better outfitting of course, and bad ass colors". Looks like a comfortable, "do it all "Grand Canyon boat to me!
The Specs:
Large-In Stock!
|
Length
cm / ft |
Width
cm / ft |
Volume
Litres / US Gal. |
External Cockpit Length
cm / ft |
External Cockpit Width
cm / ft |
Weight
kg / lbs |
Suggested optimum load weight range
(inc. paddler) |
|
|
265cm
8' 7" |
68cm
26 ¾" |
262.8lts /
69 Gals |
90cm / 35.4"
|
48.8cm / 19.2"
|
17.9kgs / 39.4lbs
|
75 - 115kgs
|
165 - 253lbs
|
Medium-in Stock!
|
Length
cm / ft |
Width
cm / ft |
Volume
Litres / US Gal. |
External Cockpit Length
cm / ft |
External Cockpit Width
cm / ft |
Weight
kg / lbs |
Suggested optimum load weight range
(inc. paddler) |
|
|
257cm
8' 4"* |
65cm
25 ½"* |
210lts / 56gals
|
90cm / 35.4"
|
47.5cm / 18.7"
|
17.1kgs /
37.6lbs |
65 - 95kgs
|
143 - 209lbs
|
More information on the small is coming soon!
Pros:
Dave Fusilli's a guy that know's kayaking, and Pyranha boats better than me (and probably you too)....So I am going to let him do the narrative:
"The Z.one is going to be a great boat for those folks who want to go fast, surf, spin, and squirt. This boat has a very loose and forgiving hull. The overall width of the boat is a bit more narrow which adds some speed, makes carving easier and most important makes the boat easier to roll. If you are the type of kayaker who misses the speed of a longer boat or who gets bummed when you can't catch that little glassy wave, there's a good chance that the Z.one will pleasure your person.
"I took it down the upper Gauley a few times and had a blast in the bigger holes. It was as much fun as I have had in a playboat. I then got hurt at the Gauley (not kayaking) and I found myself paddling the Z.one a lot because I couldn't really playboat or paddle hard rivers, but it was still fun for me to paddle the Z.one on easier rivers for the simple fact that I could go fast and flat spin with ease."
Moose Fest 08 from jared seiler on Vimeo. Check out the Z.one footage at 1:56.
Cons:
It's a pretty long boat so it might be tough to learn rodeo moves like cartwheeling. On the other hand, it will probably hold a stern squirt forever.
The Verdict:
The Pyranha Z.one is going to be a great boat for all types of paddlers. Beginner and intermediates will like the ease of rolling and stable hull. They can think of it as a space age Dagger RPM with a planing hull, great outfitting and cool colors. Advanced boaters can surf glassy waves, and use the Z.one as a big water boat. I think that this is going to be a super choice for The Grand Canyon, The Main Salmon, Kennebec, Ottawa, Cross Mountain Gorge, ocean surfing and any river with powerful eddy lines, large surf waves and lot's of water. The Z.one will be fast enough to make moves, punch across strong currents and tear apart shallow, fast waves. Click here to order one today!
