Pyranha ReactR Review – The Kayak That Just Wants to Boof!

I’ve been paddling the small Pyranha Kayaks ReactR for a little while now, and it’s been so much fun! After years in a medium Scorch (you can read that review here), I was curious how Pyranha’s most recent creek boat would compare. A lot of my reflections come from having kayaked both the ReactR and the Scorch and this article reflects that.

Before I get started on the review, I want to be transparent. Pyranha loaned me this ReactR so I could try it and share my thoughts, but this isn’t a paid review. Everything here is genuinely my experience.

Comparing the ReactR and Scorch: What stood out

Everyone asks me ‘do you prefer the ReactR or the Scorch?’ Although I am not ready to give up my Scorch just yet, my honest answer would be the ReactR!

The Scorch has been a brilliant, reliable creek boat for me. It tracks beautifully, feels stable, and has earned its reputation as a modern successor to the Burn. I’ve had years of great paddling in it. My only real criticism is that it can feel a little slow to respond when you want to change direction quickly.

The Scorch relies on speed to help you get through things. I sometimes found that when I was unsure of a line, I would naturally slow down to read the river in front of me. Changing direction also led to a loss in speed. That reduction in speed would make it much harder to get through any upcoming holes or commit to things with much momentum when paddling the Scorch.

The ReactR, by contrast, reacts instantly. Its responsiveness is the biggest reason I’d now choose it over the Scorch. I’ve found the ReactR to be a slower kayak generally but it is quicker to change direction and boofs more easily. This means you can afford to take a little extra decision time whilst paddling. It allows you to be deliberate about where it is you want to go because it is so responsive. The ReactR just feels good to paddle.

Despite paddling a small ReactR and a medium Scorch, the two feel surprisingly similar in overall fit. The ReactR is generally a bigger kayak compared to the Scorch and so the small was a much better fit for me. I’ve talked a lot about this in the next section on sizing.

I am going to share more details below, but I wanted to put this comparison up front because it’s the thing paddlers ask me about most. If you’ve got more ReactR vs Scorch questions, please add them in the comments.

ReactR sizing

The ReactR sizing runs bigger compared to the Scorch sizing. I have included Pyranha’s size guide for the ReactR and then the Scorch below.

For reference, I’m 5’6 and 70kg. I chose the medium Scorch (310L) because the small felt just a touch too small for creek boating.

When I first tried the medium ReactR, it felt enormous. I knew immediately that it wasn’t the right size for me. The small ReactR, at 306L, instead felt like a much better fit. Even though I’m technically near the top of its recommended weight range, on the water, it doesn’t feel that way at all.

As always with kayak sizing, the technical specs should be used as guidance only and you should always try before you buy. Trying both sizes made the decision obvious for me – the medium ReactR was too big, whereas the small felt perfect.

The rocker: A kayak that loves to boof!

The first thing you notice in the ReactR is the sheer amount of rocker. The bow sits high out of the water, and it took me a little time to adjust, but once I did, I started to understand why people describe it as a kayak that “just wants to boof.”

Point it forward with a bit of speed and the ReactR punches through features effortlessly. Drops feel smoother and holes feel less intimidating. This kayak seems determined to keep its nose up with very little encouragement from the paddler. Although if you ‘try’ hard enough, I promise you can still plug it when you want to!

On a recent kayaking trip to Scotland, the ReactR made waterfall lines feel great. Add a well timed boof stroke and you absolutely fly.

The ReactR really is the kayak that just wants to boof!

The slicier tail: Responsive and playful

The contrast between the high volume bow and the lower volume tail is immediately noticeable. The ReactR isn’t a half‑slice and the tail sits above the water but it can slice if you direct it to. My husband, who paddles a medium, can quite easily tailee his ReactR, which I find quite impressive.

What this means on the river is a high level of responsiveness. Using the tail to pivot the kayak makes quick direction changes achievable and moving across the flow is super easy. Eddy grabbing is especially satisfying – you get that crisp, snappy feeling that we all know and love! Paddling bigger volume rivers where you have to move around a lot in the ReactR has felt much easier compared to in the Scorch.

I do find the ReactR a touch slower than the Scorch, but in a good way as it gives you time to be deliberate with your line.

A small word of caution: the tail will call you out if you stop paddling or drift into indecision. If your weight shifts back and you’re not active, the water will grab the tail and you might find yourself more vertical than intended! Thankfully, the generous rocker has saved me when this has happened and it never happens when I am actively paddling – just when I get complacent!

Personally, I like this aspect about it because being indecisive is something I am trying to improve with my paddling. Having a kayak that gives you feedback on your paddling is always a positive thing. The ReactR is so responsive and that can be a two way conversation sometimes!

Thoughts on the Elite outfitting

I’ve been really impressed with the Elite outfitting on the ReactR. It feels so comfortable and supportive. Compared to my Scorch (which has the old outfitting), everything feels a bit more refined. Things of note are the backband system, the thigh braces, the extra comfy seat and the general adjustability of the outfitting. You feel more connected to the kayak and this shows up in a positive way when you are on the water.

Of course you still need to make outfitting changes to make it fitted to you as you would for any new kayak. For me this always includes adding some extra seat pads to the seat so I am sitting higher, tweaking the hip pads position to better support my body and making a foam foot plate fitted to my feet so my heels have a block to push off against. The ReactR was a pretty good fit for me to start with but the personal changes make it even better.

I’ve paddled kayaks with cord instead of ratchets before but have always been a little nervous as the cord can sometimes slip which means the backband can become loose when you are paddling. Pyranha seems to have got around this by using a pulley system which is a pretty neat. I have had zero issues with the cord slipping so far and I am really quite impressed with the whole redesign!

One thing I would note though is that the outfitting, especially the extra padding has made it slightly more slippy for want of a better word. I find it harder to carry the ReactR on one shoulder in the same way which I did with the Scorch. The kayak just seems to want to slip off my shoulder! However, a huge positive it that it is way more comfortable resting on your shoulder and doesn’t dig in anywhere near as much as the Scorch did. It just took me a little while to find a position of carrying it which would keep the ReactR in place!

Final thoughts

Overall, I find the ReactR to be a fun kayak that makes river running exciting! It’s ability to turn and move across the river, as well as it’s ability to boof better than every other kayak I’ve ever paddled means it is a kayak I am loving paddling right now.

If you want a kayak that rewards active paddling, snaps into eddies, and boofs like it has a mind of its own, the ReactR is a joy. As always, don’t just take my word for it – get in one and see how it feels for you.

Happy ReactR paddling!

P.S. You might need to check your weather forecast to guess which kayak I am reviewing next…. Comment if you think you know!