Hi, Rod --
: Any problems with Osprey
: std's foot room or general room at 6'1", 180, size 13?

My 13's feel a bit cramped in the Osprey std, but not *too* bad. Note that I'm always wearing wetsuit booties, not shoes, so if you'll be wearing anything more bulky than booties, I would definitely recommend actually paddling the Osprey in them to see. Even with booties, though, I'm more comfortable in the GE-HI. Otherwise, the cockpit is fine, and I'm bigger (6'4", 220 lbs). All of Pygmy's cockpits in their full-size boats are large, enough so that they need lots of customizing for a good fit, if you like them snug.

Is it the multi-panel deck that makes you like the Osprey better than the Goldeneye? 'Cause the hull is identical (everyone probably knows this -- just checking).

: Is the "responsiveness" advantage talked about for Coho (or Arctic
: Tern for that matter) something I should even worry about as a novice
: (intermediate to be)- I'm looking mostly at day trips, lakes, possibly
: some coastal, or 1-2 night trips at some point

disclaimer: I'm pretty much an early intermediate paddler also, so I'll just stick to the sizing questions, and hope some of the more experienced paddlers will address the responsiveness issue.

: By way of calibration in size, I found the Ches17 LT v. tight, also tight for
: me (if there is any comparison in plastic) the Wilderness Systems Alto and
: Perception Corona, both about 22" in width.

The Alto's cockpit is tiny compared to a Coho, Osprey, or fullsize Tern. I don't know the CLC 17 lt or the Corona. Note that CLC will cut any of their boats with 1" higher deck (i.e., more footroom) for a very small fee.

FYI, and I hope I'm not blowing any surprise parties Pygmy has planned, but a friend who works there tells me they're bringing out an Arctic Tern HI this fall, with a higher deck ala the Goldeneye-HI for more footroom. If I hadn't wanted to start my boat in July, I would have waited for this, as I did like the Tern's handling.

: I'd like to get going for a winter project, don't expect to be able to test
: paddle anything more this season.

What area do you live in? I would really want to try the boats first, especially given the footsize concern (which I obviously shared). Maybe Pygmy can hook you up with people who live near you who might let you test paddle their boats?

: Thanks for any feedback

Good luck!!

Bill G.