"The Coho has been on the market for 14 years and hasn't lost any of its appeal. When we reviewed the Coho in 1998, it drew high praise from a 5'2" woman and a 6'2" man alike... 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. I would recommend it to anyone.'" To Read More of the Review Click Here
"Of all of the boats I have reviewed, the Coho is my hands-down favorite. The combination of light weight and superb handling make this a wonderful boat. It is a good-tracking cruising boat I would recommend to anyone, whether novice or an experienced paddler.”(VS).
Voted Best Wood Kayak by Sea Kayaker Magazine’s 2011 Reader’s Choice Award! 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 to 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 12" 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 39 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 looking for an ocean touring kayak, 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).Taller paddlers or those who wear a shoe size larger than a men's twelve might prefer the fit of the Coho Hi.
Coho Specs: Length…… 17’6" Beam……. 23” Height…… 12” Weight….. 39lbs Cockpit….. 17”x33” *Initial stability……11 Carrying capacity (vol.cu.ft)……13.60 **Efficient Cruising Wetted Surface in sq. ft.……18.90 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.
**Efficient cruising is a function of low frictional drag and low wetted surface. Lower WS means faster (less effort) cruising speeds, 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
Best used for… Kayak touring, Expedition kayaking, Day paddling Paddler experience level… Beginner to Advanced Shoe size….Up to men’s 12 (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.
