: Hi, Rod --

: 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).

Yes, the looks and Pygmy's literature about the multi panel deck being out of the way of knuckles/elbows turned me toward the Osprey. If you haven't found the deck to be in the way on the GE-Hi, that extra foot room might make more sense for me. I've also been reluctant to go to the bigger boats, only because I've seen a number of comments/complaints about "too much volume", and it will be only me mostly, not much gear.

: 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.

: 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.

I did have a chance to paddle a West River 164 for a few minutes, and it felt good, but was told I would fit a 162 better ("too much volume" caution noted above)-unfortunately, it was not available. Although I have seen plenty of good things about the CLC on this bb, I am inclined toward the Pygmy construction. Should I reconsider?

: 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.

: 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?

I'm in Worcester (ie, central) Massachussets. Pygmy has given me some names. A couple numbers were no longer good, and I'm a little shy about calling up to ask if I can come sit in s.o.'s boat for a few minutes (as opposed to a volunteer from the bulletin board). I did visit and sit in a Coho in Worcester. It seemed ok on the feet, although it was padded out for s.o.shorter. Mostly, I have a hard time judging what a boat would feel like after a couple of hours (that Alto was fine for the first hour, but was killing my knees for the second!), so I think I may be better off with opinions of someone with time in the cockpit.

Thanks for the help- any other thoughts on these choices?