A quick comparison - for what it’s worth - on an artificial G3 course. Would dearly love to have tested the ReactR on something much steeper but the rainy season has come to an end.
Thanks for the video. I'm thinking about boating again after a few years off - class 3 paddler. Last two boats were a large Burn 3 and a medium Machno. The Machno kept me upright better :-), but I found it a bit vague and it was harder to keep on line. I'm trying to figure out if the Reactr will be a bit easier/friendlier than the Scorch w/o giving up too much like the Machno did.
Hi Michael. Thanks for the comment. You’ve really got to demo them. If I remember rightly, the Machno didn’t have rails so could be a bit woolly. ReactR will give little up to the Scorch, apart from straight line speed and acceleration. Have a look at my most recent video for an impression of what it’s like when driving it a bit more.
Nice one Tim . Havent really paddled a pyranha since the machno , which i found to big for the stuff i paddle . Scorch looked much better for railes than machno but then this comes along
Thanks good to see, as for me it would be whether to swap out my scorch. Could you say a bit more about the different things you mentioned they do. You said the scorch is faster and just as stable, what would you say the ReactR does well and less well performance wise rather than outfitting.
Of course. For me, the medium Scorch’s forté is carving around the river and sticking to a line. It gets its stability through speed and is only at its best when you give it a plan. Suddenly changing to ‘Plan B’ isn’t its thing. The ReactR is the opposite. I found you don’t need to drive it so much and it’ll happily adapt to changes you want to make. It isn’t as fast by far. It doesn’t do quick acceleration either. It boofs much better than the Scorch and is quicker to turn. It feels more stable slower speeds and feels more forgiving because of the flared sidewalls. Just bear in mind that the comparison I made was on easy whitewater. The differences would become more apparent on harder whitewater, and there may be different differences or similarities on different types of water. Also bear in mind that how I paddle a boat isn’t the same as how you would and you may come to completely different conclusions.
Thanks, Tim! Interesting that you didn't find it comfy - did you adjust much? Mainly the seat position, footrest (position and foam setup), and thigh grips (position, angle, grip). Seemed like you were having plenty of fun nonetheless; hopefully, catch you out on the water sometime!
Firstly and really importantly, I thought it was a superb hull and volume distribution. Everything else is minor and very much subjective. I’m sure that 99.9% of other people will get on well with the sitting position. I had to say what it was like for me though. I’ve got one on order and I’ll be able to alleviate most of the discomfort with footrest and foam setup, as you say. Can’t wait for the boat to arrive!
Yes it would be more comfortable but to sort the legs issue, I would have to take the seat pad out and bring the thigh braces as close to me as poss. I don’t want to put anyone off the boat because the outfitting wasn’t the best for me. I’m a bit of an odd shape. I imagine that most people would prefer it.
Nice review, thanks. USA here we don't have them around quite yet. I'm a Scorch large paddler at 91 kilos. The reviews we typically see here are more sales pitches... Guys trying to sell or pump up their CZcams channel views. Interesting take on the higher seat position and knees, I'm going to wait to try the large. Edit: I'm also 54 years old and played soccer for about 30 years so my knees don't like being shoved down.
Thanks Robert. No point in me being anything other than honest. Just one thing: the seat position is not high. Apologies if I gave that impression. You actually sit low in the boat. However, since my knees were somewhat squashed down, removing the seat pad and lowering my bum even further is the only way of alleviating the difficulty.
Yeah I getcha, I'm referring to the same sort of thing. I dislike the narrow feeling when sitting inside of a Scorch or Ripper, my legs feel too vertical. The "froggy" knees is something I like for control and stability, I also find it more comfortable.
what boat would you recommend for a beginner and would be good for calm sea ie to do a trip from portsmouth to isle of white uk and rivers too? @Pranhakayaks @timwatson
I can’t really advise cos I’ve no real experience on the sea, but if you want to paddle long stretches of relatively calm water, either a sea kayak or a longer touring kayak would seem to suit.
I do not recommend beginner kayaks unless you want to remain a beginner. The novice attribute should not be assigned to the kayak; it belongs to the kayaker.
They are two different types of trip, I wouldn't recommend you try to paddle from Portsmouth to the island without a good understanding of tides, weather and shipping rules and movements, the Solent, especially the eastern end has some of the busiest seaways in the UK with some fairly complex tides. Please join a club and get the proper training.
Thanks for the video. I'm thinking about boating again after a few years off - class 3 paddler. Last two boats were a large Burn 3 and a medium Machno. The Machno kept me upright better :-), but I found it a bit vague and it was harder to keep on line. I'm trying to figure out if the Reactr will be a bit easier/friendlier than the Scorch w/o giving up too much like the Machno did.
Hi Michael. Thanks for the comment. You’ve really got to demo them. If I remember rightly, the Machno didn’t have rails so could be a bit woolly. ReactR will give little up to the Scorch, apart from straight line speed and acceleration. Have a look at my most recent video for an impression of what it’s like when driving it a bit more.
great review! Thanks for your input!
Thanks pal.
Nice one Tim . Havent really paddled a pyranha since the machno , which i found to big for the stuff i paddle . Scorch looked much better for railes than machno but then this comes along
Cheers Andy. I guess what I’m saying is, if you’re interested in one or the other, try both.
Thanks good to see, as for me it would be whether to swap out my scorch. Could you say a bit more about the different things you mentioned they do. You said the scorch is faster and just as stable, what would you say the ReactR does well and less well performance wise rather than outfitting.
Of course. For me, the medium Scorch’s forté is carving around the river and sticking to a line. It gets its stability through speed and is only at its best when you give it a plan. Suddenly changing to ‘Plan B’ isn’t its thing. The ReactR is the opposite. I found you don’t need to drive it so much and it’ll happily adapt to changes you want to make. It isn’t as fast by far. It doesn’t do quick acceleration either. It boofs much better than the Scorch and is quicker to turn. It feels more stable slower speeds and feels more forgiving because of the flared sidewalls. Just bear in mind that the comparison I made was on easy whitewater. The differences would become more apparent on harder whitewater, and there may be different differences or similarities on different types of water. Also bear in mind that how I paddle a boat isn’t the same as how you would and you may come to completely different conclusions.
Thanks, Tim! Interesting that you didn't find it comfy - did you adjust much? Mainly the seat position, footrest (position and foam setup), and thigh grips (position, angle, grip). Seemed like you were having plenty of fun nonetheless; hopefully, catch you out on the water sometime!
Firstly and really importantly, I thought it was a superb hull and volume distribution. Everything else is minor and very much subjective. I’m sure that 99.9% of other people will get on well with the sitting position. I had to say what it was like for me though. I’ve got one on order and I’ll be able to alleviate most of the discomfort with footrest and foam setup, as you say. Can’t wait for the boat to arrive!
Thanks for the comparison!
Was the Reactr easier to turn "on the fly" than the Scorch? Or just different?
Cheers. Yes, it’s much easier to turn at speed than the Scorch.
Would it be more comfortable if spent time adjusting everything? Not suggesting you didn’t
Yes it would be more comfortable but to sort the legs issue, I would have to take the seat pad out and bring the thigh braces as close to me as poss. I don’t want to put anyone off the boat because the outfitting wasn’t the best for me. I’m a bit of an odd shape. I imagine that most people would prefer it.
@@timwatsonphotography thanks and good video by the way 👍
Nice review, thanks. USA here we don't have them around quite yet. I'm a Scorch large paddler at 91 kilos. The reviews we typically see here are more sales pitches... Guys trying to sell or pump up their CZcams channel views. Interesting take on the higher seat position and knees, I'm going to wait to try the large.
Edit: I'm also 54 years old and played soccer for about 30 years so my knees don't like being shoved down.
Thanks Robert. No point in me being anything other than honest. Just one thing: the seat position is not high. Apologies if I gave that impression. You actually sit low in the boat. However, since my knees were somewhat squashed down, removing the seat pad and lowering my bum even further is the only way of alleviating the difficulty.
Is your paddles upside down?? Usually the brand name is facing up. But maybe it’s the camera angle?
id have said they look upside down as well
Definitely upside down. I like it that way. More crisp throughout the stroke, especially at the catch.
However you like it is best for you 👍
Funny that you mention it feels too wide, personally I feel Pyranha boats are too narrow and the extra width is really selling me on the ReactR.
It’s not that the boat is too wide. I liked how wide it was in terms of dynamics. Just the effect on the legs that was a bit unpleasant.
Yeah I getcha, I'm referring to the same sort of thing. I dislike the narrow feeling when sitting inside of a Scorch or Ripper, my legs feel too vertical. The "froggy" knees is something I like for control and stability, I also find it more comfortable.
Just noticed your paddle is the wrong way round.
Everyone thinks I’m weird but prefer it that way round.
what boat would you recommend for a beginner and would be good for calm sea ie to do a trip from portsmouth to isle of white uk and rivers too? @Pranhakayaks @timwatson
I can’t really advise cos I’ve no real experience on the sea, but if you want to paddle long stretches of relatively calm water, either a sea kayak or a longer touring kayak would seem to suit.
I do not recommend beginner kayaks unless you want to remain a beginner. The novice attribute should not be assigned to the kayak; it belongs to the kayaker.
They are two different types of trip, I wouldn't recommend you try to paddle from Portsmouth to the island without a good understanding of tides, weather and shipping rules and movements, the Solent, especially the eastern end has some of the busiest seaways in the UK with some fairly complex tides. Please join a club and get the proper training.