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Pyranha Everest 12'-9"?

S

SZihn

Paddler
Joined
Jul 1, 2021
Messages
207
Location
Shoshoni Wyoming
My wife just bought a Parana 12 foot 9 inch kayak called an Everest for $150. I can't see how that could be a bad move, but I know nothign at all about that brand.
Anyone out there know anything about them? The good the bad and the ugly?
 
It's a late 1970s WW kayak based upon the kayaks used by some famous Brits who paddled down the Dud Kosi river in India in the mid 70's.
A classic real old school torpedo shaped ww kayak - so has a good basic shape to learn all kinds of stuff on - basic paddling, direction control, bracing, rolling etc. You probably paid 2x what it's worth, but if in good shape it'll be a good beater and great to learn on.

3a.png
 
Dang....I was hoping she was getting a real bargain. I have never seen any kayak for as little as $75, and even $150 seemed good to her. Me too actually,------------but I truly don't know. But knot living in 'kayak country" we see few kayaks for sale used, ever. Small row boats used for fishing on the other hand are around, and usually a LOT more expensive than what I would have expected.
Too late! She found it and bought it on the spot.

Still, it will likely be good to have here as a loaner and to take out if someone wants to give a kayak a try. It has a lot of rocker, but I don't know how much chine yet. I have not seen it. It's going to be here in about 1 week or 10 days. She bought it and had her sister pick it up for her, and now she is going to pick it up from her sister in about a week.

I looked up Pyranha Everest, but all I found is what they make now, and that's a short white water boat and not like the one in the picture at all. The one she bought is 12 foot 8 inches long and sleek, just like the blue on in the picture above. No where could I find a review on the older one. So I truly appreciate your info Mick Allan. Have you ever paddled one?

From the pic it looks like one that would be good to learn rolling in. I don't know how well it will handle for longer legs in more open water.


I guess we'll find out soon enough. We'll use it and see how it feels and if it's not a super hard boat to deal with, I can use it as a loaner to friends or loan them my Old Town Loon and paddle the pyranha myself
 
As a side note: I found Pyranha's web-site and e-mailed them to ask about it. When and if they get back to me about the boat I'll post the info here.
 
My guess is that it will be a challenge to paddle in a straight line (little or no keel) but that’s a feature because the paddler can learn how body position, weight shifts, and edging can control the boat direction just like paddle strokes. One of Body, Boat, and Blade’s exercises was to have students paddle from point A to B while moving from side to side of a centerline without uses the usual paddle strokes (for example, like just rocking one side up or using a bow rudder).

I think it will be a great training boat and eventual loaner. I wouldn’t lament the price you paid. Had I the option and the storage space, I would have picked it up in a heartbeat (assuming a decent hull condition).

You probably don’t have much surf in Wyoming, but if you get someplace where she can take a surf class (after getting comfortable with being tipped over), it would probably be lots of fun for that too.
 
Nope. No real surf.

But we do get some good waves and swells which can be good practice water for a later trip to the ocean. Wind makes waves from the top of the water and surf can make them from both the top and bottom, so I know it's not really the same, but it's something to start with.

Here in the Wind River Country (guess why it's named that!) we have wind nearly every day Sometimes on the lake I have 1"-2" tall ripples and I have been blown off it by 3 +foot chop 2 times now. Thankfully I drive around the lake until I have to paddle into the wind. If I get into a situation where I can't gain any headway I just let it push me back to shore. I think that's a good set-up for a newbie like myself.

I got a reply back from Pyranha and the man told me he thinks it's made in the mid to late 80s. It's not fiberglass, but roto-molded. I am going to e-mail him the hull number and see what he can tell me about it. He did tell me that it was outdated and many advances have been made since the mid 80s, but that if it was undamaged it was still a good boat and very worthy of use today. So for a learner, or a loaner, I think the $150 was worth the price. It may come with a vest and a paddle too, and maybe even a spray skirt. I have to wait and see what my Sister-in-law got with it.
 
You did fine - a usable 2nd kayak for minimal outlay. You can't do too much better than to make a reasonable decision. And the bonus is that the rotomould appears to have an even better shape for you than the original - more volume/bouyancy toward the ends so it's not such a wavestabber!

everest-2aa.jpg


[ hey, if you don't mind - take a straight on top, side, and hull view so we can see what it really looks like: these shots are random from the web]
 
I'll show pictures when Anna gets back with it. She gets it tomorrow, but won't be back from her family reunion for a week, so I'll have to wait until then to photograph it and get it on the water.
 
I always thought these could be fun rockgarden boats!

I don't think they have bulkheads though, so if your wife plans to take it further from shore then she's willing to swim, and you want to keep her, then get her some float-bags!
 
That's a good point Jasper. I'll check when she brings it home. If it has no float bags I can make them. the peanut shaped yoga-balls work very well for that application and cost very little. One other way I have thought to do it is simply to blow the bow and stern full of expanding foam and let it set.

I don't know if that's a good idea or not, but maybe someone here has experience with expanding foam is this kind of application?
 
SZihn said:
One other way I have thought to do it is simply to blow the bow and stern full of expanding foam and let it set.

I don't know if that's a good idea or not, but maybe someone here has experience with expanding foam is this kind of application?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't do that.
Many years ago I put 2-part expanding foam in the ends of a canoe and I recall that the foam did get waterlogged over time. Also, expanding foam isn't very controllable in my hands, so it's difficult to keep it where I intend it to go.
'Proper' air-filled flotation bags would be my recommendation. If you want to DIY something, heat-sealable fabric used to be available from Seattle Fabrics, you'll need to find valves and fittings for the fill hoses. There are instructions online, as I recall.
Large dry bags filled with bubble wrap or styrofoam peanuts will work as a temporary measure but they are nothing like a proper tapered flotation bag.
That older/longer boat may need flotation bags that are bigger than the ones for today's stubby boats. George Gronseth (Kayak Academy) used to stock flotation bags to fit the Mariner Coaster and other Mariner boats.
 
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John is on the money, don't do it . . . but dedicated [for the basic shape] blowup bags are perfect, light solution. One can also get/make them to be resealable to double as gear containers if going out for a day or 2.

[oh yeah, 2 part foam gives off heat - and the kayak is thermo-set. . . . could be one way to make the 'mountain' into a mole-hill, heh!]
 
Well the kayak is here. No hull number at all. There is a sticker on it that shows the Pyranha brand took championships in various years up to 85, so it was made after 85, but how long after I have no clue.
I have to make up a back band and make hip pads to keep my butt in the middle but when that's done I'll take it on the water and see how I can do with it. Round hull and no chine that I can see, so I assume it's going to be very tippy, but that how WW kayaks are made from what I am told. I will not be taking it on any class 3 or higher waters, but it may be afun to teach and learn roilling in. If I can find a spray skirt for it.
 
Yes but the one they call the Everest now is totally different from the one of the same name made in the late 80s. I think I need to call them and give them circumference, length and width. The old one doesn't even look the same and it's 12 foot 9" long, shaped like a missile.
 
I was told today that my cockpit dimensions will use the same skirt as the Dagger Cortez (a 1.4 Seals sizing ) So I am going to try one and see. Oak Orchard in NY is sending me one. If it doesn't fit they say I can return it no problem.
 
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