: Bill,

: Pygmy's butt joints work very nicely, they are plenty strong and very easy to
: align. The biggest disadvantage to the butt joints, is the
: [u]potential[/u] for discoloration at the taped seams. There are methods
: for avoiding this, but I didn't know about them on my first kayak, an
: Arctic Tern.

: I think the WR 180 is a little faster, but the Coho is more maneuverable. I
: think the Coho is an excellent all around kayak, and I believe the WR 180
: is more of a fast cruiser. You probably won't notice the difference in
: speed unless you are a strong paddler. The Coho is wider, so it should be
: able to handle bigger gear easier, but I would think overall volume is
: about the same between them. The Coho had extremely good reviews from Sea
: Kayaker, and I don't know if they have reviewed the WR 180. I would think
: that Pygmy's Osprey HP is more of a competitor to the WR 180 than the
: Coho.

: All of this is taken from paddling the Coho a few times, and reading about
: both kayaks and studying their lines, so I may be totally off base.

: Mike

Hey Mike/Bill, You are not at all totally off-base, as a matter of fact you are right on! I got to be the first person to paddle a WR180 as a customer and have also built and paddled a Coho having used it for teaching a few times. Types of joints are non-issues, making and doing is the issue. "Speed" for the most part is a matter of technique and conditioning for the average person. But if you paddle with Dave Murray a couple times you might think a faster boat would be a good idea.