We named the COHO in honor of the famous Coho salmon of the Northwest. Like her namesake, she flows FAST, LIGHT, and LEAN through the water.

John Lockwood created the Coho with the skilled paddler in mind, yet she is stable enough to delight beginners. Kayakers who enjoy high maneuverability and seek top cruising speed love this craft.

John worked intensely at his computer and then produced 3 prototypes until he reached a perfect equation for the Coho: a quick turning, responsive hull carefully designed to track without requiring a rudder. She possesses more rocker than our other solo kayaks for those paddlers who enjoy that "flexible" feel. Her elegant four-panel deck and multi-chine hull look similar to our Osprey line--extremely pleasing to the eye. Yet the hull form underwater carries nuances that result in real performance differences. We invited hot shot paddlers in the Northwest to sneak preview her and join in her sea trials. They rated her A+. John spirited her off for a 4-week solo paddle in Canada's Northwest Territories the summer of 1997. Her performance in high winds and seas pleased him no end.

Performance Touring
John created the 17'6" Coho with plenty of volume for the gear needed on big trips. Her 23" beam provides good stability when loaded for a long paddle. Excellent buoyancy in bow and stern make her seaworthy for open ocean swell and surf, as well as quiet water. Although the Coho will migrate with you on long adventures, she's so light at 39 pounds that many folks buy her primarily for day use. With a 12" depth at the cockpit, she has comfortable foot room for long hours of paddling.

Coho Candidates
The Coho's high maneuverability appeals to intermediate and advanced paddlers. Do a leaned turn and feel her easy response to your stroke. Her elegant lines and good stability appeal to beginners. Among the fleet of Pygmy kayaks, the majority of test paddlers who come to our shop choose the Coho, the Osprey-Standard, a great general purpose touring boat which tracks a bit stronger than the Coho, or the Arctic Tern, a hard-chine touring boat with good tracking and excellent maneuverability.

Full Kit Includes:
Full kit includes pre-cut panels of highest grade BS-1088 marine
Okoume plywood, 2 1/2 gallons of System Three epoxy, measuring pumps, fully illustrated manual, the Epoxy Book, 38 feet of 38" wide fiberglass cloth (6 oz.), 34 yds. fiberglass tape plus small building supplies as listed under Prices. The Coho is also available as a "Basic Kit" in which you use your own source of epoxy and fiberglass. Bulkhead and hatches, rudders, and all other Pygmy kayak accessories fit the Coho.

Create this rugged woodcore-glass-epoxy kayak in about 70 hours. Due to curing times, that effort is spread out over 3 to 8 weeks or so. She's laminated inside and out with fiberglass and epoxy for rugged use. See Stitch-n-Glue for a detailed description of the Pygmy construction process.

We usually ship "Medium" hardener with our kits.  You may order "Slow" (for hot climates) or "Fast" (for cold climates) upon request.  Read the System Three Epoxy Book to help select a hardener. If you would like a copy of the Epoxy Book click here to download.
We also stock Silver Tip epoxy.  SilverTip Laminating Resin is a medium-low viscosity epoxy system that has been optimized for coating and reinforcing fabric saturation in wood-composite boatbuilding.  It has superior wet-out characteristics with little tendency to foam or trap air.  Both the resin and hardener are nearly colorless and are used in an easy 2:1 ratio.  The working time is longer than most boat building epoxies without sacrificing cure time.  We offer this an an option in our boat kits. NOTE:  This item can only ship UPS ground. Please plan accordingly.