2 reviews for Prijon BEAST PR-X

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Brent – May 5, 2025

   I’ve had my Beast for close to a month and have gotten a few good days on the water with it. I’m a 3rd year paddler, 6’2, 215lbs, size 12 shoes. My past creekers/river-runners include both the 96 and 86 gallon RMX’s, the Scorch L, Jackson Clutch, Puffy Steeze and Dagger Indra. I’ve also demo’d many others, including M and L Gnars, Codes , Waka OG and Zet Cross.

   The Beast has a lot of the great attributes of some of these designs all rolled up in one bomb-proof package. The bow, which initiates with a similar feel as a Steeze/Puffy bow, is easily controlled if you don’t have too much weight forward, and blasts over lines and holes like an Indra or Scorch. The parting line is pretty high, and the edges, while low like a Waka, are not as aggressive, giving the boat great secondary stability and a looseness in the hull that compares well with the Clutch. It’s not a swivel like the ReactR or RMX’s, but it’s not locked in like the Scorch either. Significantly more nimble and forgiving in the current than the Indra, I feel it hits a perfect sweet-spot of nimbleness and tracking when you want them. This is, however, subject to outfitting – as mentioned earlier, the bow can get lost to the current if you weight too far forward, and when this happens the boat simply wants to scream downstream.

   As a relatively newer paddler, a design that lends itself to reliable rolling is important. Of the boats I’ve listed above, the two designs that challenged my rolling skills the most were the Puffy Steeze and the Indra – the Indra being the more challenging by a significant margin. When you’re well-connected, the Beast rolls comparably to a Clutch. It’s light, stiff, and snappy feeling when you’re hip-snapping, and doesn’t have that vacuum feeling that the Indra had for me.

   At my weight, I run the seat half way between the center and back markers. At that setting, it locks in when I want, but is still looser and more playful feeling than a boat this size has any right to be. It surfs surprisingly well, and the control you have steering with the stern is almost counter-intuitive given how loose and out of the way it feels when you’re paddling with or across currents. Slight counter-leaning with a little stern weight and the bow smoothly shift the opposite direction on a green wave. It also side-surfs extremely well.

   The plastic – INSANE! I can literally stand on the bow of this boat and it doesn’t flex. It also lends to a very slippery feel on the water – I enjoy paddling other boats, but none feel like this. I’ve grinded it across some sharp ledge rocks – the plastic does peel away a bit, but doesn’t gouge or dent.

   Maligned by some, I actually like the outfitting in the Beast quite a lot. The seat is lightweight and extremely comfortable – and the fact that you can get it in different heights is a plus, even if it means ordering across the pond. It has been compared to a “spiritual” company’s outfitting. Having worked on many of those boats for friends, I will simply say that they are similar in concept alone. The Prijon’s outfitting is robust and well thought-out. The back-band and hip-pads work as a unit to give you a connected fit, wrapping around you instead of simply squeezing you between two points.

   My only two gripes – the knee braces and the cockpit rim. The knee braces are a bit flimsy feeling. It’s not the end of the world since your knees lock into the hull (unless you have really short legs). I recall reading online that Prijon is actually making a stiffer upgrade, which would be great, but I use hooks off my Jackson Bees Knees in it – it gives me a little more control over where I want my connection, and the velcro sticks to the material on Prijon’s thigh hooks perfectly. The cockpit rim??? You can paddle a playboat into the Beast! I assume it’s either a requirement with the blow-molding process or an extreme condition safety feature, but my XL skirts scream in agony when I try to stretch them on there. I had a Seals 2.2 that I thought I’d never use it’s now found a place in the rotation.

   Overall, an amazing feeling and paddling, confidence-inspiring creeker / river-runner that can cover a lot of territory. It has its quirks, but they’re a part of its character, and make it a very fun boat to learn.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Rich (verified owner) – November 10, 2025

   I’ve owned the Beast for a year now and have been extremely impressed. For context, I live in Whistler, BC, and have been paddling everything out here for many years.

   It’s held up to everything I’ve thrown at it – low-water boulder gardens, high-water pushy Class V, and steep creeks in BC. I think the design is excellent: it has great speed and acceleration, but is super predictable. The slightly softer edges make it a little less snappy through eddy turns compared to some boats, but the trade-off is a boat that’s incredibly easy to paddle and tracks exactly as you expect.

   The outfitting is honestly great – it looks less solid than what I’m used to, but it’s held up impressively so far. It’s everything you need and nothing you don’t, which I actually think is pretty genius, and the seat is super comfy. But as a boat, it’s just really fun. I’ve got a Machete that I love for my local (the Cheakamus) as its a total play machine, but I’ve found myself going 50/50 with the beast now, as it’s a different kind of fun; it’s fast and means more eddies and new lines in what’s essentially a creekboat.

   And I almost forgot the plastic. I think it’s actually indestructible. You seem to glance off rocks rather than get hung up on them, and it’s a really unique experience. After a full season, it still feels brand new. The value here is huge as it feels like it’s going to last forever and deliver a lot of smiles along the way.