Dear Pygmy boats
staff,
I just wanted to tell you all what a wonderful product you manufacture.
I ordered (2) Osprey standards to build. I've
completed my first one and just about done with the second one. After completion
of the first one, my wife and I set out for a sea trial at Naples next to Long
Beach, Ca. Its a trip we won't soon forget. If we had a dollar for every look we
got, we could probably retire. What really surprised us though, was, on the way
back we stopped at a local kayak shop to check out some wood paddles. People
actually climbed into the back of the truck to check out the Pygmy kayak ! The
owner of the shop actually became a little perturbed because it was getting so
much attention! What a conversation piece! No offense to the other kayak kit
manufactures...but, in construction methods and design, Pygmy boats are hands
down the best. Wanting to build kayaks for several years now, I did extensive
research on kits and plans. Now after building these two Pygmy kayaks, I'm very
happy with my decision. Not to mention all the time, research and development I
didn't have to do. John Lockwood's designs are top notch and there are no rivals
on the market that compares in cost. Also I would like to mention Dave, who
helped me with my initial order with absolute professional knowledge of Pygmy's
product line and accessories...thanks for you help Dave. Thanks Pygmyboats!
Enclose are a few pictures of my first Kayak that I built.
Sincerely,
Tim O'Donnell, Riverside, CA
Dear Jim,
I've been out of touch for
awhile. We have been working like crazy to get a couple of the boats done so
that we could try them out. I leave this morning for a couple of weeks in the
U.S. then I head back here on Dec. 26 for a climb on Mt. Kenya.
Last week we took the double
and a Coho to the Coast [Indian Ocean] to try them
out. Not only were we trying them out, but we were getting three of our key
leaders into boats for the first time ever. What fun! They loved it [except
for the normal water up the sinuses part]. We have not put the polyurethane on
yet, but they sure did look good in the water. As I hoped, we began to get more
ideas about how we could use them in our program and in other ways as we were
there.
I'll be in touch with you soon about another order. I think
that we will want 2 more doubles and a QC XL.
I've attached a couple of pictures of Pygmys in the Indian
Ocean. I'll send some others if I get some good prints.
Have a good holiday season. I hope that you guys don't close
down for a break too soon.
Tim Fairman
Kenya
Dear Kelly and David
Enclosed is a little something my wonderful wife put together
to celebrate what, for me, was the closest experience I’ll ever have to
birthing...I cried like a baby when it hit the water for the first time. Words
cannot convey how much I appreciate all the help that both of you gave me
throughout this labor of love. Comments from family, friends and strangers have
included "furniture quality", "wow, I’ve never seen anything
quite so beautiful," "it looks like it belongs on the water," and
"wow, would you like to build one for me?"
Throughout the process of building my
Coho, I
kept thinking about John Lockwood. When I decided to build my own kayak, I did a
lot of research...And now after many wonderful hours of extraordinary
performance and paddling pleasure on lakes, bays, and the open ocean, I can say
without hesitation that this is a boat designed by a kayaker who happens to be
an artist.
So like the reviewer in Sea Kayaker said, "it’s a real headturner." But what no one can know until they become a customer is how wonderful you people are — and what a wonderful culture you folks have created within this company. Bright, highly competent, nurturing and always available. All of you deserve the best.
Thanks for making me feel like family and for being so supportive. I hope to meet you soon. Until then...my compliments to the chef!
Sincerely,
Robert De Leo, Santa Rosa, CA
Dear John,
I recently finished the two Arctic Terns I bought from you last October and they both came out great. As you can see from the pictures, I couldn't leave a good design alone. Even though these are my first boats, I felt compelled to personalize them some with inlayed wood designs.
After completing the first boat for my wife's Christmas present, she could not wait to get on the water. I rented a high performance kayak on a windy day to go along with her and we found out real fast the Arctic Tern was the better of the two.
It clearly is a great design.
Ted Henry, Issaquah, WA
"Dear
Pygmy,
Before I order my second kit I would like to thank you. First, I had no previous
woodworking skills and I was very apprehensive about building my first kit. I found the
kit easy to build and your staff very friendly and helpful during my phone calls. Second,
the completed boat passed all expectations for beauty and performance. I never thought I
would be able to complete the kit and have such a deep feeling of satisfaction."
--Larry Finder, Deerfield, IL
"Pygmy Boats,
Wow! I finished my Osprey-Std. late this summer; what a great boat! It's everything I
hoped it would be; light, fast, and easily paddled in a straight line. I'll use the money
intended for a rudder for something else now (maybe a wetsuit...). I've used it out on
Long Island sound and Narragansett Bay several times and I love it (especially in some
nice ocean swells). last but not least, it's a beautiful craft. I'm actually a danger on
the highway because everyone honks and waves! Keep up the good work!
--Vince Sidwell of Wethersfield, Connecticut
"Dear
Freida:
I have been building boats, both wood and glass for thirty years. From a Mirror Dingy and
10' Hydro to 35' diesel powered glass canal barge replicas (4) for Georgia Lake Park. I
have never experienced the accuracy and fit of the computer cut parts to the Osprey. They
are phenomenal. It's truly awesome, the way the bottom planks go from horizontal to
vertical and fit perfectly without any sanding whatsoever. Once the wire staples were
tightened, you could not get a playing card between the planks anywhere... When my friends
come over to inspect the project, they think I do incredible work. I sometimes neglect to
tell them I did no cutting or sanding.... Thanks again,"
--Stephen K. Bennett of New London, OH
(Built an Osprey Double)
John Worthington sent us this great picture of Queen
Charlotte on it's maiden voyage in the swimming pool. Two year later we got the
following letter from John just after he had completed his new GoldenEye sea kayak.
"Dear John,
The boat [GoldenEye Std] is everything I had hoped for: stable, maneuverable, comfortable
and FAST!... with a 10-12 knot quartering wind and 12-18 inch chop, the boat goes like it
was on rails. It will spin in its own length when using an extended paddle and has no
surprises when leaned....."
--John T. Worthington, Pineland, FL
(Built a GoldenEye-std.)
"Dear Y'All,
Immediately after receiving the sprayskirt, my new Queen Charlotte was tied atop the
truck's camper shell and we were off to the Tennessee River!... The boat is better than I
expected, and I expected a lot, especially from such a highly refined design distilled
from a highly-evolved hunting boat! I'm very pleased..... All who see it, praise it.
-- Steve Murphy of Jonesboro, GA
(Built a Queen Charlotte-std)
P.S. You Guys/Gals are a 'class act' and a pleasure to do business with!"
On the
right, Annie Zarn (hailing from Colorado), rides the waves on Lake Michigan in the GE-13'.
The family built it for their son, but Mom can't resist taking her out on the
big water, either.
"Dear John,
I'm really happy with the boat. Building it was all you promised--really easy! If I go on
a far reaching paddle--I'll let you know. May Pygmies conquer the globe! As a friend said
on my boat's 1st launch--'It's good for the Spirit! Good for the Soul!' A Fan,"
--Susan Frankel of Poulsbo, WA
(Built a Queen Charlotte-std.)
"Dear John,
In July I completed the GoldenEye that you sent me early this
summer and by now I have had it in the water many times under varying conditions, and am
happy to say that it performs beyond my expectations. I am thoroughly pleased with my
purchase: it is a comfortable boat, a strong tracker, quite stable.... My wife, who is not
yet the avid kayaker that I am, finds it comfortable and easy to manage."
--Michael Biddle, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
(Built a GoldenEye-std)
"Dear John,
I took the kayak in the pool at Sheldon Jackson College and practiced getting in and out.
Amazingly, I had no problems. I tried to swamp it and I tried to sink it. Couldn't do it.
What a buoyant little craft it is!.... I have absolutely fallen in love with it. So very
stable and goes fast too.... It has also aroused a lot of conversation in this town.
Normally I keep a very low profile, but that seems impossible with this sweet boat on top
of my car. I'd be glad to talk with anyone up here who is contemplating buying a Pygmy.
You can tell them even little old grandmothers can do it."
--Nancy Hunter of Sitka, AK
(Built a Queen Charlotte-std.)
"Dear Freida,
I would like to thank both you and John, but especially you, Freida, for all the courtesy
and prompt assistance you gave me, from the time I first spoke to you in June or July of
last year, right up to the present. Friendly, helpful service like this makes business a
pleasure. The boat was certainly everything you folks said it was, and it gave me a lot of
satisfaction in building her, and even more in paddling her. I would, and have had, no
hesitation in recommending this kit to anyone who wants to build a good-looking,
distinctive boat that has it all over the usual rotomolded plastic jobs for a lot less
money...."
--Gerry Raham of Calgary, Alberta
(Built a Queen Charlotte-std.)
"Dear John and Freida,
Just another fan letter. I finished Holly and Eva's boats Wednesday night at dusk.
Thursday we loaded the van and headed South for Loreto, in Baja, and seven days of sea
kayaking with family and friends.....We picked up three additional Tupperware kayaks in
San Diego. The van was definitely overloaded and ungainly with a two tiered rack on top.
Just a matter of not enough time to think everything through and a great desire to head
South. So it happened. The upper rack broke and one [GoldenEye] kayak, Eva's boat, now
named Priscilla, flew off at 60 mph. She suffered minor scrapes and one crack that I fixed
temporarily with duct tape. Priscilla survived amazingly, I was the one who suffered total
embarrassment and chagrin.
But we made it. Beautiful beaches, sunshine, water and no one else on the islands. It was
extremely interesting to travel with three plastic boats. They were twice the weight and
incredibly difficult to pack with their small hatches and poorly arranged reinforcement.
We loaded and unloaded quickly...
We had a couple of crossings in 20 knot winds and 4 to 5 foot steep breaking swells. The
boats performed wonderfully... My daughter Eva had no trouble keeping pace or passing her
much stronger boyfriend in a Sea Lion. I believe GoldenEyes generally handle breaking seas
better than the plastic boats.... We love our boats. Thank you."
--Bruce Boyd, Holly Tornheim and Eva of Nevada City, CA
(Built 2 GoldenEye-std's and 1 GE-HI)