Bought a Pungo 100 recently and took it for a weekend outing to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. We also took a Riot Stealth. First day out the wind was calm and the water flat. The Pungo clearly was a bit plodding compared to the longer (12.5 ft) Stealth, but the primary stability was great and it was very easy for adults or kids to hop into the big cockpit and paddle away. The Pungo seemed to want to track to the right, however, requiring frequent correction. That may have just been poor technique by novice paddlers, but two adults noticed the same tendency in the Pungo and neither had any problem in the Stealth. On the second day out the wind was up and the water was choppy. On that day the Pungo clearly was not much fun, really being pushed around by wind and waves. With the short length and large cockpit we also were getting quite a bit of bow splash into the Pungo. Perhaps not surprisingly, given its length, width and hull design, the Pungo just did not seem to be the boat for the more challenging conditions. Bottom line, there is a lot to like about the Pungo as a first kayak, particularly if you don't mind working a bit harder, going a bit slower, and limiting your paddling to calm water. After paddling it in a bit of wind and swell, however, we decided to exchange the Pungo for another Stealth.
