: The Merganser 17W is a very satisfying build and very attractive kayak. I
: trimed away 3/16" of the bow panels where they meet for about
: 16" in the bow to soften the entry and make it more maneuverable. I
: don't think what I did would have given the 17W the anomalous pivot point,
: if anything it should have decreased the weathercocking. A friend paddles
: it a lot and isn't bothered by the characteristic but in my mind it's a
: very different kayak than the 16,17,18 and needs some fine tuning.

: The Penquino feels like a slightly bigger Necky Manitou 13. I'm going to fit
: it with a seat that puts me about 1" off the bottom.

: I test paddled the Penquino on a moderately breezy day at all points to the
: wind and even though it's easily turned it was surprising neutral, very
: light weathercocking. I still overbuild kayaks for rough use but the neat
: thing about a 13' kayak is that overbuilt it's still pretty light compared
: to a 17'+ kayak that's overbuilt.

Lee, When you say you trimmed away 3/16" of the bow panels where they meet for about 16" are you saying that you blunted or made the bottom "V" area more round (like a "U") or did you take the material off the edges of the two panels to make it sharper? I'm assuming you're talking about the bottom center line of the bow?

Since I have no experience in a kayak of this type I'm thinking I won't notice the differences you have described, everything I've paddled has always been the canoe liver plastic. Do you think that the differences between the 17W and the AT17 would be so pronounced that a paddler like myself would be sorely disappointed if I went from the 17W to the AT17?