Actually…
…the Pungo 140 does indeed have a bow bulkhead. The smaller Pungo 120 does not and when my wife and I had ours we always used float bags in them.
my mistake
forgot he was getting the 140. But he should still get one for the Jackson.
Thanks All
Thanks for the recommendations,I will surely look into a float bag for the wifes boat.
Would you recommend gloves? Im also going to look for some water shoes,any suggestions? Right now im just going to use my crocs 
Any other accessories that will make life easier on the water that I havent thought of?
I need some Ohio regulation small safety gear,then on to the license place to register the boats,and with any luck we will probably try them out today!
gloves and shoes
In summer I use a cheap pair of fingerless cycling gloves. I found a brand without too much padding on the callouses.
Shoes seem to be a very personal choice. I like water socks with sandals handy for walking onshore, but sandals can be problematic in gravel. Another option is a watersock or shoe with a sole, which I’ve added, but still like the watersock/sandal combo. NRS carries a good variety of watersocks/shoes:
http://www.nrs.com/
gloves etc
I prefer gloves, but no longer use paddling gloves in warm weather. I use rigging gloves from a marine store like west marine or hamilton marine. Longer fingers and last longer than the half finger gloves from nrs or Chita in my experience.
Get a couple of midsized dry bags, big enough for a lightweight fleece top and a crushable rain jacket. You will want fancier as time goes on, but that will keep you from chattering teeth in a surprise summer rain. Been there done it, not fun.
My favorite shoes for paddling are anything l can swim in without the shoes adding issues. I like the kickers from nrs, protect your feet and don’t feel like they are in the way. You can easily spend more money with stuff from 5-10 or merrill, but l haven’t seen the need. Crocs would not be my favorite but l live in tighter cockpits. My pungo friends do fine with crock or tevas.
Unless you like a wet lap from splash, you will want a skirt for the Jackson and something for the pungo. The latter has hardshell half decks for toys like an extra cup holder, which seem way pricey to this small cockpit type but my pungo friends love them. And even a basic nylon skirt for those boats is ginormous and expensive. So at least with the deck you get a tray to hold things.
That said, do not go on the water with anything you care about not tethered or on a float. It is astonishin how quickly a camera or cell phone or you favorite sunglasses can make it to the bottom where you wiLL never see them again.
And don’t believe any of the waterproof lights. Keep the receipt and be ready to make them give you a new one.
My wife wears gloves.
Her Aquabound paddle has a somewhat rougher carbon fiber shaft than my Werner. I prefer to paddle without them.
Crocs will do just fine. I have a pair of Keen water shoes, but sometimes I wear Crocs too. My wife wears a pair of Skechers.
I have a couple of NRS float bags left over from our Pungo days. There’re in perfect condition. Shoot me an email and I’ll send you one for your wife’s boat for free. Kfbrady at verizon dot net.
tip on float bags
When you use the float bag, be sure to tie it to something within the boat, like part of the foot peg structure (the floats usually have a grommet or something to do that with) both so it doesn’t pop out and float away if you capsize and so it doesn’t blow out of the kayak during rack transport. Also release the valve cap when you load the boat or store it because if it sits in the sun the air can expand and rupture a seam. I had that happen with an inflatable sponson tube on one of my folding kayaks. You can patch it but it’s easier just to get in the habit of letting it at least partially deflate between uses. As long as you are paddling the float won’t overheat.
Gloves yes
When I started I used the brown jersey gloves with the fingers cut off. Now I have $45 NRS paddling gloves. If it’s warm, the jersey gloves work fine. My wife likes her cycling gloves from wal mart.
TIP- you don’t need a death grip on the paddle, open up your upper hand (the one not pulling) to remind you to ease your grip and give your forearms a little break.
Skirts may be nice for keeping you dry but make no mistake you will not be doing “Eskimo” rolls and paddling through crashing waves. A skirt on a big cockpit just collapses under water but it will keep water from dripping on you and block a chilly wind. I wouldn’t rush out to buy one. They also sell half skirts or splash decks which protect the legs without turning your sink into a half sauna. If you see one on sale maybe grap it. Plus the half decks are more of a universal fit thing.
Deck bags are nice. A little backpack type thingy that clips to the rigging in front of the cockpit.
A good hat with a full brim or neck flap to protect ears from the sun. Dip it in water and slap back on head for immediate cooling.
Wicking clothing- generally do not wear cotton. Wet cotton doesn’t dry and gets uncomfortable.
While you are accessorizing you may feel the need to buy a paddle float. Don’t. That’s for a rescue technique you can’t do in a pungo anyway.
Don’t get carried away with tieing everything off. Think about all those ropes hanging up on the buckles of your PFD during a capsize. I almost had a serious problem over a $10 water jug one time. The jug would have floated anyway.
A bottle of water, left to it’s own devices, will immediately roll to some point where you can’t reach it while seated on the water. Plenty of options for solving that problem.
A bilge pump sometimes comes in handy. Get a sponge from the grout and mortar aisle at the hardware store for getting water out of the boat.
KAYAK stickers from P-net for your rear window.
Write your phone # in your boat with a sharpie.
Buff Water Sport Gloves
– Last Updated: Jul-10-15 11:12 PM EST –
are excellent for warm weather paddling Lightweight, nonslip palm, half fingers, and they dry pretty quickly. Also come in some great colors your wife might like.
The Maiden went well!
I was very pleased with my Pungo,Im sure there are faster boats out there but it did way better than what I thought with all my weight in there,I felt like I was gliding really well with little effort.
The wife seemed to have a harder time,I think she should have gotten the paddle like mine,we got the same brand “Aqua-Bound” but I got the manta ray hybrid and she got the sting ray hybrid. Im not sure if there are and more differences other than the width of the blades,but I think my blades are about 2" wider and I can really feel the difference between the two. I can feel myself move with every stroke with my paddle hers just felt like mush to me. But we traded boats and paddles,she think it might be the paddle or her,but overall she liked her boat and we had a very nice time,I found it extremely relaxing!
We just stopped in the middle of the lake and pulled out our snacks and just sat out there for a bit,thats when I wished I had a paddle holder! I tried shoving it under the bow bungees and it worked ok,but I much rather have a decent holder on the side like my wife Already has on her boat and she showed me like 10x lol. Hers has the piece of bungee that you just stretch over the paddle and hook it,its not rock solid but it seems to serve the purpose. I seen one called a taco holder,one piece holder seems like it would work very well but im afraid of it getting in the way as it will always stick up a bit. Anyone have and advice one what would be the best all around mount,then whats the best way to mount,simple screws,nut and bolts or rivets?
Also there was a dock near by and we hung out for a few minutes and I also noticed I didnt have anywhere to tie off if I wanted too,Is there like a cleat I can add or something similar?
Thanks for all your help and suggestions,Im keeping track of them all!
tying off etc
Most rec boaters use the carry handles for tying off. You will see folks in touring boats using a clip to the nonstretchy line along the perimeter, but you don’t have that on most rec boats.
The whole thing of parking your paddle out of your hands produces a variety of responses. Bottom line is that it is more of a rec boat than a sea kayak thing, and never in a whitewater boat, so look at stuff for recreational kayaks.
Your wife having trouble with the paddle may be a bunch of things, bUT a bigger blade is not the answer. It’ll beat up her shoulders and joints to be pulling the same amount of water as you with with very stroke. No way to tell without being there, but if l had to bet l would say that her cadence is slower than yours. I have seen this often, the spouse literally paddles slower. You got the advice for thus already above. Your first move should be to slow down yourself.
One othe possibility is that her paddle is too long so it is harder for her to wield efficiently. But right now neither of you can tell that for sure.
I suggest you find a class in the basics, pay money to a neutral third party, so you have a clear eye on where each of your strengths and weaknesses are. You are in the window now where it is very common for a paddling couple to no longer be a couple on the water, just starting out. It is worth to spend a little more money to keep it that way.
Don’t give up…
…on the Stingray. My (5’0" 120lb) wife and I both used them with our Pungos and she still uses hers with somewhat narrower CD Vision… I now use a Werner Cyprus but mostly because I wanted something shorter than my Stingray. My advice would be for her to keep at it and improve her strokes.
For a paddle holder, look at a Harmony or NRS paddle leash. It will clip on under your seat and pretty much stay out of the way until you need it. As well as securing a paddle, you can use it to tie up to your wife’s boat, and possibly a dock if there’s something you can wrap the Velcro around.