Tristan,

My personal preference is for the Tern, It is a little more maneuverable, and responds a little better to edging. The Coho will be a little bit faster, but not much. I like the control that you get from hard-chined kayaks, and am willing to lose a little speed efficiency for tuning efficiency.

Stability-wise both kayaks are quite similar. I think the Coho has a smoother stability curve, but I like the solid secondary stability point that the Tern has.

As far as looks, I like the bow and stern on the Tern, but the Coho looks sleeker (rounder) on top of the roof rack.

Both are great kayaks, that will give you room to improve your paddling skills. Pick the one that looks the bast to you, or pick the Tern if you want maneuverability, or the Coho if you want more speed.

Mike

: Dear Fellow Kayakers,

: I have finally decided to build a kayak. I'm debating between two Pygmy
: boats: the Arctic Tern and the Coho. Their specifications look very
: similar except that I see the Coho has more chines. What is the practical
: difference? (i.e. differences in initial & secondary stabilities,
: tracking, maneuverability, etc.)?

: I've paddled the Eddyline Raven and loved the feel of that boat. Any idea
: which of the Pygmy's would be closest to the Raven? I anticipate mostly
: day paddling trips and occasional weekend overnight trips, although I'd
: like the capability of doing extended trips of two weeks or even longer. I
: would plan to do most of my paddling around Maine and around the Puget
: Sound. A dream is to paddle up the Inside Passage to Alaska. So, if one
: kayak can do all that, I'm all oars! Also, I enjoy playfulness in a kayak,
: surfing ability, and would like to learn to roll. Any recommendations or
: comments would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much.

: Tristan