I have only paddled the medium Shiva twice, but I really like it a lot. It reminded me of the Dagger Nomad 8.5 but with smoother and sleeker lines. The Shiva feels fast in whitewater and is super stable, possibly the most forgiving and stable boat I have ever paddled. The Shiva boofs well and punches holes with ease. I never came close to flipping over in it, but in flatwater it rolls effortlessly. I would think that anyone with a half way decent roll would come up on the first try at least 99% of the time in this boat. The Shiva doesn't surf as good or have the crispness or sportiness of something like the Pyranha Burn or the Wavesport Diesel, but it's not supposed to. This boat is for the paddler who wants a super stable, forgiving, and confidence inspiring ride; whether they are cruising down their favorite local river or pushing their limits on the hardest river they've ever run.
The 82 gallons easily float my 180 lbs and then some. I wouldn't think twice about loading this thing down for an overnight trip. There's tons of space in the stern and the bulkhead is easy to take in and out for access to the storage space in the bow. The long cockpit means that you can move your seat forward if necessary to help trim the boat, but will still have plenty of room to exit even if you have really long legs.
The other great thing about this boat is the redesigned cockpit rim compared to the other Pyranha creek boats. It has a fairly straight, slanted profile from the side and the cockpit rim itself seems to have a deeper recess than most boats which makes for a super tenacious seal for your sprayskirt. The inside of the cockpit rim has a nice wide, flat area where it rests on your shoulder which makes it comfortable to carry. That bolt on the outside of the cockpit is still there, but it really does give a strong, stable mount for the thigh braces and with my Immersion Research Klingon sprayskirt I literally didn't get a single drop of water in the boat.
Name: Earl Review Date: 11/9/2011 10:46 am Rating:
I got a chnace to paddle the final prototype this summer on some fun class 4 water in Colorado. Super easy to paddle, very stable, boofs real well, track good too. I think the rounder edge is great for someone of my ability that wants to have a more forgiving hull. I am super excited about getting a new 2012 Shiva Medium this holiday season.
Shiva Kayak - Pyranha
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The Pyranha Shiva creek boat has a rounded out hull with a whole lot of speed and maneuverability. Built to run the steeps and inspire confidence on all types of water. The rounded hull, soft stern chines, a high bow rocker and loads of volume in the bow and stern give you softer landings on big drops, rear driving force when you want it, awesome boof-ability and resurfacing capability.
Pyranha Shiva Features:
Slight V on hull splits the water on entry to reduce impact on those big drops.
Progressive Rocker for great boofability.
Soft edges on stern for directional stability and to help you steer into eddies.
Volume in bow for punching through big water and keeping loose on the move. It also resurfaces quickly.
Forgiving side walls release water when on edge, inspiring confidence in your moves.
