Please compare and contrast. I want a light, fast, high performance touring boat and was just about to get a Coho kit when a used Wilderness Systems Arctic Hawk surfaced. Somebody warned me to watch out for flaws in the Kevlar process in earlier boats (not W.S. boats specifically). Any experience? Comments on the performance of either, or building the Coho are appreciated. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 04:19 PM 6/4/98 +0000, Edward Sullivan 503-778-2429 FAX 778-2491 wrote: > Please compare and contrast. I want a light, fast, high performance > touring boat and was just about to get a Coho kit when a used Wilderness > Systems Arctic Hawk surfaced. Somebody warned me to watch out for flaws > in the Kevlar process in earlier boats (not W.S. boats specifically). > Any experience? > > Comments on the performance of either, or building the Coho are > appreciated. I just returned from a trip to Baiya de Las Angeles on the sea of Cortes side of Baja. The trip was the maiden voyage for my just completed Pygmy Coho. I can't provide you with great perspective because the only boat that I've spent enough time in to compare it to is a rotomolded sea lion. As it happened, the first day out was windy, maybe 15-20 mph from the NE but no swell. The coho handled the wind waves w/no problem and the small difficulty that I had in keeping it pointed on course could be attributed to simply getting used to a new boat. Later in the afternoon, having finished snorkling at a couple of the islands and eaten lunch, the wind shifted and came howling out of the W,NW. We were protected from the brunt of the wind by an adjacent island to the north of us and set out for the opposite shore. When we came around the edge of the island and were met with a 40 mph wind and swells of 4 or 5 ft. it didn't take us long to turn tail and surf back to the north shore of Isle Vendata. We spent the rest of the afternoon hiking around the island where the winds were hitting gail force up on the peaks. We spent the night on the island -- had packed for it, but our night out was made more pleasant by the arrival of some mexican fishermen who gave us beer and let us sleep in their tent. Oops, this boat review is turning into a trip report! There was a lull the next morning and we crossed back to our camp in about 20-25 mph winds. I did experience reverse weather cocking. Or whatever the correct term is when the bow points downwind. Could be that I had my load packed poorly but I didn't have that much weight in the boat. The Coho did nicely in the waves with the bow slicing a little bit and then rising over the crest. Could be that a more skilled paddler would have had better luck keeping it on course. My friend in his Necky was also struggling to keep on course. During the rest of the trip the winds were much more moderate and the boat handled beautifully. Leaned turns were a cinch, primary and secondary stability seemed very good. I did intentionally exit (with mask to look at some dolphins that were following us) and scrambled back in w/no problem). (I am sufficiently uncoordinated that scrambling back into a kayak is a good test of all types of stability!) I am very pleased with the boat. The only thing I would change would be the hatches. I used the Pygmy kit and it works fine, minimal water entered the hatches (couple tablespoons) during a very wet paddle. But the cinch cams that apply the pressure look like trouble if you involved in any rescue that involves someone laying/sliding accross either deck. The construction went fine. Took me a lot longer than the estimated time but maybe that is just me. There are some nice articles on better ways to do the foot peddles and recessed deck lines at: <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/btreecs/HOME.htm> *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Dear Edward, I've paddled the Pygmy Coho only briefly on flatwater, but it was enought to convince me that it is a remarkable boat. I've paddled a lot of boats, and it is the first to earn such praise from me. Carves edged turns very fast with no input from the paddle, but otherwise tracks well in crosswinds. (Weathercocking is more pronounced on smooth water with 6-10 knots wind than rougher water with stronger winds.) Very nice secondary stability and good speed. I sort of consider it a wooden version of the Mariner II -- the Coho is a great full-blown expedition boat. I am convinced that the Pygmy construction is at least as strong as all-glass or kevlar. The other nice things about this boat that really set it apart are the looks, the weight, and the price. Varnished Mahogany is soooo beautiful, 40 lbs weight is really nice for carrying it around, and $700 is a great price for the complete kit. Although, there are some extras, such as $85 for hatches and bulkheads, and $20 for deck rigging. Even so, it is a great deal for a fantastic design. Unfortunately, I have not paddled the Arctic Hawk, but I have seen it in the store. It looks like a fun boat, but it definitely is limited on storage space compared to the Coho. I would guess that the Artic Hawk would be a little twitchier and perhaps a little more exciting in rough water. The Coho will probably be a lot more forgiving to the non-expert paddler. In the hands of the expert, I would guess that performance is fairly similar. Sorry for all the guesswork. I have just taken delivery of my Pygmy Coho kit, and I'll give a more complete breakdown of the Pygmy's handling in really rough water once I have it built. Cheers, Kevin ps. one nice thing about Pygmy is that they advocate using a sea sock with their boats. Very smart in my opinion.... ___________________ / Kevin Whilden \ |Dept. of Geosciences \___ |University of Washington \ |kwhilden_at_u.washington.edu| \________________________/ On Thu, 4 Jun 1998, Edward Sullivan 503-778-2429 FAX 778-2491 wrote: > Please compare and contrast. I want a light, fast, high performance > touring boat and was just about to get a Coho kit when a used Wilderness > Systems Arctic Hawk surfaced. Somebody warned me to watch out for flaws > in the Kevlar process in earlier boats (not W.S. boats specifically). > Any experience? > > Comments on the performance of either, or building the Coho are > appreciated. > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Kevin, I was wondering if you have paddled and compared Pygmy's Osprey HP to the Coho? If so, what did you prefer about the Coho? Norm *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
I have paddled the Coho and Osprey and probably couldn't distinguish them blindfolded. Both handled delightfully. I'm getting the Coho based on Pygmy's specs on wetted surface etc. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:32:50 PDT