Pungo 120 or Dirigo 120, which is the better choice? Feel free to send opinions,and why you think so. It may help determine my purchase… Thanks in advance !
Which Yak Do Y O U Prefer?
Assuming that you have already paddled both boats:
- Which boat is more comfortable to you?
- Which boat has the best features for your personal use?
- (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT) Which dealer has done the best job to make make you feel like a “customer” and will be there with you for value added service and advice?
Both boats are good products and you will most likely be very happy with either brand. I am personally very biased (in a positive way) about one of the brands mentioned but Y O U must make an informed choice based on your research and trials. The pricing should be reasonably comparable so go with your “gut feeling” and enjoy!
Either, both are good kayaks. I own a
Loon and like it, therefore am predisposed toward Old Town products, but I would have bought a Pungo if a used one had come up with a price as good as I paid for my Loon. But, before you plunk down money for a Dirigo, look at the Loons. Similar kayaks, except for a few bells and whistles and the flat back deck some Dirigos have. If you plan to use it primarily for fishing, I wouldn’t pay for those things Old Town does to make it a fishing kayak, better to get the bare bones model and decide for yourself which accessories you need for fishing.
Pungo
I have a Pungo 120 and a Pungo 140 and really like their stability, comfort, and performance, The Pungo 120 weighs five pounds less than the Dirigo and has the Phase3 seat. Go with the Pungo
go with the Pungo 140
I have both the 12 foot and the 14 foot.
The 140 goes faster.
At 53 pounds I can load and unload it myself if I have to.
Get it outfitted with bulkheads so it will be easier to manage if it does get swamped.
Questions back at ya
What type of paddling and where? What are those waters like? What places are you most likely to take her out… locally, not the dream trip to the Apostle Islands 
Are you in it mainly for fun in the warm months or as a way to develop skills? Fitness level?
How often realistically might you take her out? Do (would) you like to go paddling alone? Do you want to add overnight camping? Trips 3-4 days?
Or are day excursions mostly your thing?
I asked myself all the same questions… and the answer for me was neither kayak. Not that either would be a bad pick for you. It depends on your answers.
I understand
The Pungo 140 is my “for now” pal.
It fits me and I can handle it in lakes and on and off my car.
I go out paddling an average once a week from Mid-May through Mid-September with some weeks more and some weeks none at all.
My tent and sleeping bag would fit in the hatch but I’ve no time for anything but day trips.
I’m planning on something else someday, when I’ve more time and money. An Eddyline Nighthawk perhaps and some trips on Lake Michigan but right now is not the time.
You weigh your options of affordability, probable use, your skill level, and then make a decision with the help of all of the information you can find on line and through paddle groups.
they’re either
both great, or both suck
depending on how you look at it
of all the Pungo family
if I had to choose one, it would be the 14. That one, IIRC, has the two sealed bulkheads & at 14 feet would track so much better.
The 10, for me, was 20 minutes of demo utterly wasted… an expensive raft… and the 12 gave me the feeling that I’d be over it in three weeks.
There was not a 14 to demo but rationally it would have to have been better.
P.S. I also have a rec kayak “pal” - we all need a faithful pony