Pyranha first introduced the Burn in 2006, quickly capturing the hearts of river runners and creekers alike. After wooing paddlers for several years, Pyranha sought to make the relationship even stronger with the Burn II, featuring softer raised edges, a tweak in the rocker profile and peaked decks.
Team Pyranha UK paddler Chris Easterbrook says, “It’s the Burn we’ve known and loved made better.” Are these changes enough to keep the flames of passion burning bright?
Pyranha Burn II Specs
(S / M / L)Length: 7’9” / 8’ / 8’3”
Width: 25” / 25.6” / 27”
Volume: 63 / 74 / 80.3 U.S. gal
Weight: 37.4 / 41.8 / 44.1 lbs
Paddler: 77-209 / 121-232 / 165‑275 lbs
MSRP: $1,199 USD
Shedding some light on the Pyranha Burn II
Getting the right fit
The first things of note when hopping into the Burn II are the quality ratchets on a backband that seems to move perfectly with your body. A bit daunting is the number of pieces of outfitting. While we eventually got a great fit, expect to spend more time getting there.
Speed and handling
Our testers found the Burn II to be in the middle of the pack in terms of speed but liked that it only took three strokes to get there—a great feature for tight technical runs where you don’t have much space to build momentum.
The Burn II likes to be dominated, and our aggressive testers were rewarded with a very responsive and quick-turning boat. The key to get it to perform is in understanding those redesigned rails.
Finding the sweet spot
Slightly raised and shorter than the original Burn, the updated edges are less prone to accidentally catching the water or hanging up on rocks. The tradeoff to these higher edges is that you need to lean farther over when you want to use them. Advanced boaters won’t have any issues with this because the Burn II has terrific secondary stability. Beginners, however, may find this “sweet spot” far beyond their comfort zones. The advantage of these no-trip rails on a technical run is a disadvantage on a wave, where it’s a long way from edge to edge.
The Burn II easily skips up and over holes. The rocker profile and the peaked, water-shedding bow deck help keep the boat on the surface and moving quickly downstream, while the extra volume in the stern prevents unintentional back enders.
Will the Pyranha Burn II light your fire?
The Burn II is a boat that beginners could grow old with but is probably better suited for the class IV and up crowd. Take charge and be on your game and it will handle small volume technical rivers that require quick maneuvering, and still feel at home among the holes and confusing crosscurrents of larger volume runs.
Follow us on Instagram @paddlingmagazine.
