[Paddlewise] Pygmy Arctic Tern report

 A little while back, some Paddlewise folks were interested in the Pygmy
Arctic Tern. I recently returned from a sea kayak trip in the Canadian
Gulf Islands, where I paddled my newly constructed Tern for several days.
I have to say that I am really impressed with the boat's performance.  It
tracks very well in heavy seas and high winds, and exhibits no
weathercocking when unloaded (I never got it loaded down to any
significant degree, although at one point in our trip I was paddling with
a four inch thick layer of snow on the deck :). Also, some boats are
difficult to turn in high winds, but not the Tern, which did not exhibit
any difference in handling between high or low wind.
  It has very light initial stability, which might be disconcerting to
some, but it has excellent secondary stability, and I think this
combination enhances the playfullness and makes the boat easy to hold on
edge even during turns.  In fact, I had a lot of fun edging and carving
the boat because it is so responsive.  However, it does not really
initiate a carved turn just by leaning, but requires the littlest bit of a
sweep to get it started. Once started, it turns very fast, and the strong
secondary stability makes it easy to hold on edge throughout the turn.  In
all, I was very impressed by the combination of tracking, rough water
maneuverability, and turning for this rudderless, skegless boat.  I think
it has the most desirable characteristic of strong tracking when held
flat, and strong turning when edged.
 I was surprised by the surfing ability of the Tern, although I did not
encounter any wind waves larger than two feet (sigh). The flattish,
hard-chined hull adds a lot of performance, and the boat wants to plane up
on the surface of the wave, making it very maneuverable on the wave face
for a touring kayak.  At surfing speeds, small leans result in fast
direction changes, and I thought this made it easy to make quick moves to
the steep sections of the wave and thus get extended surfs. I had no
trouble with broaching, but I am not sure if this was due to the boat
design or the small waves. I would preliminarily guess the latter, and I
am looking forward to putting it to the broach test on larger waves where
I expect to perform well. In summary, I think very few long sea kayaks
will surf as well as the Tern.
  I think that John Lockwood of Pygmy has produced a high performance boat
with outstanding handling characteristics. It ought to be on the short
list of anyone looking for a new touring kayak, especially those who like
a responsive boat. The lack of initial stability might be disconcerting to
beginners, but this is something that most paddlers would quickly get used
to, and the overall handling in rough water is very forgiving to all.
  Oh yes... I didn't roll the boat because of the sub-freezing air
temperatures, but I have rolled Pygmy's demo Tern, and I thought that it
rolled quite easily. I think the light weight (38 lbs) and narrow beam
(23") certainly helps out in this respect.
  I would be happy to answer any more specific questions about this boa,
of which I ama very happy owner.
 -kevin whilden
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