hi toni again, haven't seen or paddled a tern, but if I wanted a med-hi volume hard chine boat that would be the one....the issue of relating hard-chine (a specific shape) to stability and maneuverability (dynamic characteristics filtered through a live human being) can get confusing. think of getting lots of latex gloves and a fun workspace instead. rolling is a skill...some folks tend to describe some boats as easier to roll than others.. deciding on a boat according to others perceptions of variations in rolling characteristics is a cause for confusion. A med/small person in a big cockpit will have to outfit good thigh and hip pads in order to roll well or at all. have fun p.s. if you do get a pygmy, you can make the coaming less of a triangular peak and the front and back by building a layer of epoxy/wood flour putty on the ring underneath so that the coaming meets at a shallower angle...and the filler isn't noticable.

I hope I'm not belaboring the issue of relating paddler weight to kayak size...there are lots of 130-150# people day paddling in big boats. It makes it hard to maneuver in wind when the boat is too big. When one is learning that may inhibit the desire to paddle in rougher conditions, also a smaller paddler will simply have a harder time pushing all that wetted area.