: I am trying to make a decision between CLC's West River 180 kit and the Pygmy
: Boats Coho. I want a boat that is fairly fast and holds plenty of gear. Is
: anyone familiar with these boats and what are the differences between the
: two. Are the but joins that pygmy uses acceptable. It seems as if scarf
: joins would be better. I do like the multi-chine deck of the Coho. Thanks
: for any thoughts.

I recently built a Pygmy Coho from a kit and a friend built a modified West River 180 from scratch. We tested them out in late October and tried each other's boats over 2 days. The Coho executes leaned turns very nicely, (I use a 7' Greenland style paddle) compared to the 180. In fact the 180 DIDN"T carve turns. I can crank the Coho around quite fast with the Greenland style paddle. It takes a large area of water to turn the 180 as it is a VERY strong tracker. The Coho seems just about as fast, I even won a short race in the Coho, but we have only been paddling a couple of years and are not very experienced. Even though the Coho was fairly easy to turn, it kept tracking straight even in 15-20mph gusts and 8" chop without a rudder. The 180 is much tippier than the Coho, which is very predictable and can be balanced easily on the coaming edge. Comparing price the Coho will cost about $200.00 more for hatches, bulheads, and other options already included in the CLC kits. I am not a seasoned woodworker or boatbuilder but butt joints seem very strong and easy for the novice. We found that Pygmy doesn't exaggerate in its ads for the Coho. The multi paneled deck is a great feature especially when using a Greenland style paddle.
All the best in your decision
Dave Knott