I have paddled the Artic Tern, Coho and Ches 17LT and all were wonderful. Since you have mentioned them, I assume you have already determined that each one will suit your needs. The only step left is to choose the one that "looks best" to you. Any of the boats you mentioned will turn out fine provided you follow the directions and take your time.

I built the Ches 17LT and a friend of mine built the Coho and like a previous poster mentioned, the Ches fore deck required some persuation (i.e.: straps) to get it into place. My friend didn't have that problem with the Coho, but he ran across other issue I did not (like the extra time to do the Coho deck).

Unfortunately the Tern came out after I made my boat because I would have picked the Tern due to its upswept bow and lines. Now I am building a Panache which is longer that both of those boats, but has more of an upswept bow than the Ches, but a little less than the Tern. Once you wet your appetite with a S&G, maybe you will venture into the trip-built realm.

Good luck!

: I am a total woodworking rookie trying to choose between a Pygmy (Coho or
: Arctic Tern) and CLC (Patuxent or Chesapeake 17). Most concerned about
: ease of building. Is either kit better? Also concerned about finished
: product - is either company designing a better product?

: THANKS FOR THE HELP.