"The Coho has been on the market for 14 years and hasn't lost any of its appeal. For our reviewers the Coho was 'beautifully responsive' and 'tracked quite well.' One put it 'on the top of my list for an expedition-style kayak,' and another rated it 'my hands-down favorite of all the boats I have reviewed. I would recommend it to anyone.'" To Read More of the Review Click Here
The Coho Hi:
The Coho High Volume: We designed the higher deck version of the popular Coho for taller paddler's with a larger shoe size (larger than men's 12) for improved comfort. This boat has identical handling characteristics to the Coho, sharing all the same dimensions plus an added 1.5" of height inside the hull. With this extra foot room, if your dogs are large, the Coho High will keep 'em from barkin'!
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. With a 13.5" depth at the cockpit, she has comfortable foot room for long hours of paddling. Josh Thomas and J.J. Kelley have especially tested the Coho's touring abilities in the popular documentary, Paddle to Seattle, where the two paddled the Coho for 97 days through the 1,300 mile Inside Passage from Alaska to Seattle (see video below). Although the Coho will migrate with you on long adventures, she's so light at 43 pounds that many folks buy her primarily for day use.
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.
Coho Hi Specs: Length…… 17’6" Beam……. 23” Height…… 13.5” Weight….. 42lbs Cockpit…. 17”x33” *Initial stability……11 Carrying capacity (vol.cu.ft)……16 **Standard cruising speed……18.9 Loaded waterline length……15.9' ***Top cruising speed……5.53 mph Available as kit……yes Available as plans……no
*The transverse Metacenter, in inches, is a measure of a kayak's initial stability. A higher number is more stable. All single kayaks computed with same weight person.
**Kayak cruising speed is proportional to the boat's wetted surface, which is the area of frictional drag of the water on the hull, here expressed in sq. ft. ***90% of theoretical hull speed (THS) in mph. A boat's theoretical hull speed is a function of square root of its loaded waterline length (LWL). at approximately 80% to 90% of its hull speed a kayak will start to produce a bow wake longer than its LWL and the effort required to continue acceleration rapidly increases
Coho Hi Features: Hull type… Multi-chine Deck type… Pygmy multi-chine cut away deck with patented rear cockpit recess Best used for… Kayak touring, Expedition kayaking, Day paddling, Paddlers who need extra foot and leg room Paddler experience level… Beginner to Advanced Shoe size….Up to men’s 15 (depending on shoe and personal comfort) Cockpit size…17”x33"
* We usually ship "Medium" hardener with our kits (good for temperatures ranging from 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit). You may order "Slow" for hot climates (75-95 degrees Fahrenheit) or "Fast" for cold climates (35-55 degrees Fahrenheit) upon request. Read the System Three Epoxy Book to help select the appropriate epoxy and hardener for you. If you would like a copy of the Epoxy Book, click here to download. We also stock System Three’s Silver Tip Epoxy and offer this as an option in our boat kits for an additional charge. For Silvertip epoxy the slow hardener is good for temperatures warmer than 65 and the fast is best for temperatures cooler than 65. Note: Silver Tip Resin can only ship via Ground Service and is not eligible for shipments to Alaska.