Profile

Name: wwleslie

Most Recent Reviews

I've had this kayak a couple of years and really like it. If you want a kayak that's reasonably speedy, stable, tracks well, has a very roomy cockpit and comfy seat, this is your boat. For comparison purposes, I also own a Necky Manitou 13 and an Epic GPX (about the same size as the Manitou). Advantages of the Manitou: fast, tracks well, comfy seat (the cockpit is on the small side, however). Advantages of the GPX: light and very fast (but it does not track well and it has a marginal seat). Even though the Pungo 120 is a little slower than either of the other kayaks, it has become the family favorite due to it's huge cockpit, rock solid stability and "good enough" performance. If you want one boat that will appeal to everyone in the family (small to big, skilled to unskilled), it would be difficult to improve on the Pungo 120. -

I own a 2011 Epic GPX (37 lbs.). I find the boat to be nicely made, reasonably stable, and quite fast; it's also a really nice looking boat. However, I agree with a previous comment that the GPX does have tracking issues. Maybe this is not a problem to some? Those who paddle on rivers might appreciate the boat's nimbleness and easy turning. On lakes, though, it's annoying that the boat goes into an immediate turn whenever you stop paddling. A skeg option on the GPX would have been nice (I plan to add an aftermarket one). One other thing - I'm also not a fan of the GPX seat. The back band is not adequate support, in my opinion, and I've also had problems with chipping away of the black plastic finish of the seat bottom.

I bought this canoe for a specific purpose - to paddle around local lakes and do water clarity testing for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. I like the boat a lot - it's stable, it tracks well and moves along nicely, and despite its size, it feels roomy (especially when compared to similar size kayaks) . . . and did I say that it's extremely light? Fit and finish are also good, but I would change a couple of things about the boat. The seat, while getting high marks for simplicity and elegance, is not very comfortable - the wood slats need a pad of some kind. Also, the foot rest/bar slips a little while paddling when you put pressure on it over time - adjustable kayak style foot pegs would have been better.

P & H is the (British) parent company of Venture Kayaks which produces the Easky 13, 15 and 17. The kayak has a skeg and British lines. I took one out recently for for a 15 minute demo in calm water. It seemed like a quick, comfortable boat that was not difficult to turn; it also seemed to have acceptable initial stability and rock solid secondary stability. I plan to take one out again in windier conditions later this summer.