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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    WYO
    Posts
    9,709

    Thinkin' of buying a cruiser boat

    I have never owned any sort of kayak before, but I have used friends and rentals. Anyway, I am looking into buying a lake/cruiser boat that I may take on slow rivers (i.e. the N. Platte & the Big Laramie) and use it primarily in the Laramie Plains lakes (Hattie, Meebor, etc.) and the alpine lakes in the Snowy Range. I am going to use it for just paddling around and for getting to place to place to flyfish. My friend's shop sells Wilderness Systems and I am looking at buying a Pungo. I can't decide between a Pungo 100 and a Pungo 120. I'm a bigger guy ~215lbs and will be hauling a moderate amount of gear, or atleast want the capacity to do so. Anyone have any more experience with these models or more info on what size I may choose? Right now I'm leaning a little more towards the Pungo 100 because it will probably be more manuverable, lighter and obviously cheaper. Plus the one he has is red and I like red.

    Thanks!

    BTW: I did a search for Pungo and got nada. I'm assuming most of the discussion here is about whitewater and play boats...
    "Have fun, get a flyrod, and give the worm dunkers the finger when you start double hauling." ~Lumpy

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    WYO
    Posts
    9,709

    Changed my mind...

    After some research and pondering... I think a Sit-On-Top is more what I want. I'm a-thinking about the Tarpon 100 now (from Wilderness Systems).

    Any SOT paddlers here? If so, do you like them?
    "Have fun, get a flyrod, and give the worm dunkers the finger when you start double hauling." ~Lumpy

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Aguas de Magdalena
    Posts
    488

    Did you say fly fishing?

    A boat with winter interest

    Just in case that wasn't meant to be an April 1st post that came too soon, ask yourself: Why a SOT? A used canoe will float better, glide faster, and carry more drekh for le$$. With a styrofoam amah you can have all the primary stability you want.

    Are you secretly looking to tan your ankles?
    Last edited by cantunamunch; 04-04-2005 at 10:42 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    8,715
    Sit on top's pretty much suck. You are always wet, they are heavy and their performance is lackluster. For the cruising around deal, a cheap canoe should work fine. Class two whitewater is easily manageable in a flat water canoe. Class II and up, you'll want a real whitewater craft. Bottom line -- there really is no one man machine that works well for flatwater and whitewater.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    BZN
    Posts
    511
    I've demoed a couple of Wilderness System Boats and they track really well. The Pungo is a GREAT boat for the $$$ and if I were you I would go for the 120. Necky makes some pretty sweet rec/cruise boats as well. The only time you would need a sit on top is in the ocean...even then, you can by a sprayskirt for your pungo...

    I live in NC and I have seen them for less than $500....
    Last edited by Gaffney10; 04-08-2005 at 01:20 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    BZN
    Posts
    511


    The most popular Pungo in the family strikes the perfect balance of size and manageability. Quick, stable, ample storage fore and aft, and not too big for one person to handle, portage and car-top.
    Standard Features: Phase3 Outfitting Sidelock Footbrace System Stern hatch Bulkhead Deck rigging Comfort carry handles

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Posts
    8,887
    Quote Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles
    For the cruising around deal, a cheap canoe should work fine. Class two whitewater is easily manageable in a flat water canoe.
    Second that. Canoes are also easier to get gear in and out of, and more flexible for passengers. All the little flatwater kayaks I´ve paddled have way to many compromises for them to be useful to me.
    Elvis has left the building

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Warm, Flat and Dry
    Posts
    3,307
    Recreational kayaks suck if you want to travel any significant distance.

    I'd suggest a touring kayak if you want to cover distances on lakes and deal with class2 ww. I've used my 16.5 foot touring boat on several rivers with short WW streches without any difficulty.

    However, they aren't particularly portable to the alpine lakes you mention....

    If you have good canoe handling skills, I'd suggest a one person canoe as mentioned earlier. It's the most univeral boat you'll find for what you've described.
    "if the city is visibly one of humankind's greatest achievements, its uncontrolled evolution also can lead to desecration of both nature and the human spirit."
    -- Melvin G. Marcus 1979

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Boulder, CO
    Posts
    2,260
    I suggest you take some leassons and pickup white water kayaking. You will soon forget about fishing, touring lakes or anyhting else that goes on when the water is up

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    salty town
    Posts
    268
    Quote Originally Posted by Lurch
    I suggest you take some leassons and pickup white water kayaking. You will soon forget about fishing, touring lakes or anyhting else that goes on when the water is up
    be careful white water kayaking is very addicting
    "For in the end life and liberty can be as much endangered from illegal methods used to convict those thought to be criminals as from the actual criminals themselves".

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    A LSD Steakhouse somewhere in the Wasatch
    Posts
    13,234
    Not sure if you want to spend the bling or go as big as a driftboat but here's a link. Pretty much the same material as kayak's. Repairs from hitting rocks are a snap, like basewelding a coreshot.http://hogislandboatworks.com
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
    "I find I have already had my reward, in the doing of the thing" - Buzz Holmstrom
    "THIS IS WHAT WE DO"-AML -ski on in eternal peace
    "I have posted in here but haven't read it carefully with my trusty PoliAsshat antenna on."-DipshitDanno

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