Pyranha Fusion Review & Self-Support Kayak TRs

[Cutch]

Since the Pyranha Fusion walks a fine line between touring kayak and creek boat, I figured I could combine a boat review, a few trip reports from the last two seasons, some random ramblings about self-support kayaking, and a bunch of photos from places like the Selway, Jarbidge, and the Grand.
Go here to check it all out The Colorado Kayak Chronicle: Pyranha Large Fusion Review, Photo Dump & Self-Support Fun from 2010 & 2011

What rivers are you hoping to self-support kayak this season?

I have the Montana bug, among others. Some hiking with a plastic backpack should cure that this season.

[lmyers]

Thanks for the review Cutch. I am still trying to decide if I want to go with the Fusion or the Jackson Rogue, LL Remix XP, or a few others....

I have heard that the Fusion tends to oil can really bad, how's yours holding up?

Just got back from scouting the Canadian in NM, that's at the top of my list for self-support trips this year. Also hoping to get a San Juan, Chama, Westwater to Moab and Labyrinth self-support trip in this season....

[Phil U.]

Nice Cutch.

What access to the Canadian did you find, Logan?

I hope to paddle a couple of the rios Logan mentioned as well as something in southern Utah. I just got back from there and the Escalante really calls to me. There was floatable water in it when I was there. Too beautiful. The Virgin Narrows is still on my to do list. The Dirty Devil has relatively easy access and is a lot closer... I was pretty surprised how much water was in a lot of the rios. Boulder Mountain, headwaters of the Escalante, had 2' of snow at 9600' and more coming as we left. The Fremont was flowing well. The Muddy and the San Rafael were low.

[Cutch]

Hey Logan,

Obviously I'm biased towards Pyranha, but having seen the other kayaks in action on our trips I think I can compare accurately. Our Fusions are holding up well, and we haven't had oil canning problems in either. That said, when fully loaded with Grand Canyon weight the amount of flex in the hull was substantial when the boat was on shore. A support bar along the bottom would be a nice addition for the extra support, and for a place to strap gear to.

Don't let the lower volume of the Fusion fool you. It's narrower and missing about 25 gallons out of the leg area. This makes the boat faster than the XPs, which leads to more effortless river touring. The hatch area has ample volume, and the lower volume of the Fusion doesn't sacrifice the hatch packing space available. You lose packing space around your legs.

If you weigh over 250lbs, then the XP is probably a better fit for you. If you are under 170lbs, I think the Fusion is a better boat for you. For the record, I'm 5'8", 165lbs, and paddle a very heavy boat.

I want to do the Canadian too... And Phil, Escalante is very high on my list.

[lmyers]

Thanks Kyle. I am kinda biased towards Pyranha as well......I am similar in size, a little smaller - 5'6", 150. Sounds like the Fusion is the boat for me. Is it just a large and small, or do you know if they make a medium?

[Cutch]

Only two sizes. Get the Large Fusion. It's perfect for your size.

The small Fusion has an abnormally small hatch opening, IMO. For very small paddlers it looks like a great boat, but to make it more user friendly I would remove the foam block that separates the hatch from the rest of the boat. I've seen this done on the XP9s to create more packing space.

[Dave Frank]

Nice write up, Kyle. Looking forward to spending more nights out of my Whitewater touring boat as well.

[abron]

Awesome review and TR! that sounds like too much fun... I need to start collecting SS gear.I am also interested to see if the JK rogue is up to snuff with the XP10 and fusion. I am pretty biased towards JK since they have been so successful in helping my 're-learning' curve in the last two years, but the standard is definitely set by the XP and fusion on the longer, harder runs like the Grand.
It looks like the prices are at CKS are:

Rogue $799 on sale ($999 normally)
Fusion $850 or $950
XP $998
CKS| Sit-Inside Kayaks: Perception, Remix XP, Prijon Cruiser, & more
moar gear...holy crap..!