Quick Pyranha Scorch Medium review: why did I buy one: It's simple. It's just more fun for me to paddle than the Machno was. The Scorch surfs really well and the edges made eddy catching fun and crisp. Another big factor was the comfort. The knee position and thigh brace position fit me much better than the Machno. I didn't boof the Scorch I demoed on the Nanty because it was my friend's boat, but I can promise I will boof the @#$ out of my new Scorch. It made the classic Nantahala fun moves a joy. I was able to surf Rope Wave, Surfers, 3 Hump Rock, and so many smaller waves really well. Caught things on the fly, did Walk the Dog and Skin the Cat though I missed the ferries all the way across, but I am sure I'll get them. A full-on creeker like the Machno would not have been nearly as dynamic and responsive. I did the Racer's Line at the Falls and it was fine.
Cons? A few times it would lock into a line, and I would find myself doing several sweep strokes to unlock it. Tom B. said rocking my weight weight forwards or backwards would help with that. We shall see. Leland says to move the seat to center to prevent this, and I may... I wish the seat was easier to move. Also, as some of my friends reported, it does have a tendency to splash the paddler in the face. I used little boof strokes when in wave trains, and/or angling the bow when going through waves or holes to prevent this.
It's also comparable in weight to other modern creekers, that being heavy, and it is a long boat. But it doesn't paddle like one. I would forget that I was in such a long hull.
I have the seat all the way forwards, thigh braces in the middle position. The Scorch rolls easy; not sure anything could roll as easy as the Machno.
I have been in full-slice playboats for months now, so maybe that's why the edges felt great, but they did. Carving into eddys is so sweet. In bigger, pushier water like the Ocoee etc. the stern edges will probably come into play, and I will be anticipating that. No idea how it will do on easy creeks like Sauty or Greenbriar, but I'm hoping to find out this winter.
Compared to the Jackson Nirvana M: The Scorch has good primary stability, but not too much. The Nirvana M I had felt like it had way too much primary stability. As a result I didn't trust the way the Nirvana felt so stable. And the Nirvana would go from supreme primary stability to power-flipping me when the stern caught. There seemed to be no secondary there. It was a light switch, on or off- upright or flipped. I know some people love the Nirvana and I am only speaking for myself.
The Scorch has good primary stability but also feels good in the secondaries. I was doing some goofy things in it just to see, like not paddling at all through Whirlpool and the swirly water after, and leaning way back at the same time, lol. It was fine and I am sure I looked ridiculous but that's kind of my thing.
The Stomper 80, which I still have fond memories of, had poor tracking and was slow. So as a river runner it was not that fun honestly. But on a creek it was really fun. It turned and boofed so easily. It is why I thought I would dig the Machno more than I did, because they are both displacement hull creekers. But - I was working really hard to keep the Stomper straight and didn't realize how much until I tried the Newmad. I was going to buy a Newmad, long story, but it didn't work out so I bought a Machno which is very similar to a Newmad in some crucial ways. I still think there is a market out there for shorter creekboats like the Stomper 80, especially for women. I had the Machno for a year and a half but rarely paddled it. The Machno would feel like a bobby cork at times. It was just a big thing to put on the roof racks and the thigh hooks were in a weird position I could never make right. I have several friends who love their Machnos, it's just personal preference, but I would end up taking the Jackson Antix 2 M instead. The Scorch is something I look forwards to paddling because I know I can carve and surf in it.
Why buy a Machno instead of a Scorch? Confidence builder, no surprises, makes things simple when rapids get complicated, if looking to step up to creeking will take care of you, tracks well, busts through holes, easy to roll.
Why a Scorch instead of a Machno? It may fit your body type better like it does mine, sportier ride, rocker profile goes up and over things, carves well and has good speed.
That's my quick review, from a middle-aged woman who doesn't paddle anything particularly difficult and has a weird hobby of squeezing into slicey playboats.
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