Pyranha Ripper 2 Review Time (with Uber Sweet Vids!)

Want an inside peak at Pyranha’s Ripper 2 kayak? For that, we went straight to the source: North American Operations head Mike Patterson, to see what makes it, er, rip. Also included: two killer vids by Seth West/Dave Fusilli and Bren Orton! It’s Ripper time!

Watch Ripper 2 comparison by Dave Fusilli and Seth West here:

In His Own Words: Mike Patterson on the Ripper 2

When the original Ripper came out six years ago, we were psyched on what we’d created. The design originated as a concept to make a 9R more playful. The basic concept was then executed in pure old school fashion: by cutting the stern sidewalls out of a 9R, squishing it flat with a torch and weights, then welding the deck and hull back together (and lots of duct tape).

The original proof of concept wasn’t quite right, but after the first paddle, we knew we were onto something — bow of a creeker, stern of an old school slice boat. For several years following its release, the Ripper set the bar for half slice kayaks. However, there was still room for improvement, and as our boat designs progressed, so did our ideas for what we wanted to change in the new Ripper.

The massive rocker profile of the Scorch was number one on our list of improvements for the Ripper. It’s hard to deny what bow rocker does, providing lift and giving confidence to ride over rocks and holes. Once we added Scorch-style rocker in the bow, we carefully tailored the stern rocker to work with the new lift up front.

To complement the boost in rocker, we took all unnecessary volume out of the stern to make it more playful and easy to sink. The new Ripper is ultra slicey; it’s playful enough that most paddlers can spin to vertical on the slightest of eddylines, and skilled paddlers can go vertical in flatwater. The crisp edges, planing hull, and wave deflectors were mostly unchanged, so it retains much of its legendary hull speed. But the new rocker profile itself created a looser feel, and eliminated any locked-in sensation while surfing or ferrying.

Once the hull features were updated, the focus turned to fit and comfort. We added width throughout the entire boat to provide more stability and make edge transfer a bit smoother. Along with the width, we lifted the deck around the cockpit and added room at the knees, which makes for a much more comfortable seating position. There is no more straight-leg feel, instead its full-on creek boat comfort for all-day play.

One other aspect that we changed is length. The original Ripper was the same 9-foot length across all sizes. The Ripper 2 medium remains at the 9-foot mark also, but the small and large are shorter and longer, respectively. This allows smaller paddlers a more playful boat, and larger paddlers a more stable platform while keeping the stern razor sharp.

Our team worked tirelessly based off paddler feedback from all over the world to make the Ripper 2 the best half slice on the market, and we think we nailed it.

Watch Bren Orton Ripper 2 Vid Here:

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