Petrel Sport SG

Product Description

The Petrel Sport SG is a comfortable and responsive 16 ft expedition kayak for active water, with a good turn of speed in a manageable size. This version of the Petrel Sport is built from marine plywood, using the stitch-and-glue method.

It retains the transitional chine that is a defining feature of the original 17 ft Petrel. The hull goes from soft-chined forward to hard-chined aft, enabling precise edging control for carving turns. Also like the 17 ft Petrel, the Petrel Sport has lots of rocker, for agile manoeuvrability in rough water. The boat has a reassuring stability in turbulent conditions.

The bow and stern are almost plumb (vertical), giving the Petrel Sport a long waterline for a relatively compact boat. Despite being a foot shorter overall, the Petrel Sport actually has a slightly longer waterline length than the Petrel and has a larger cockpit with more foot room for larger paddlers. This frees up your lower body for efficient, powerful forward strokes. It also has an efficient fin-shaped retractable skeg, which is easy to adjust and is offset from the centre line to virtually eliminate jamming.

The Petrel Sport has ample capacity to carry gear for multi-day kayaking trips, but is still a fun boat for day paddling. For stowing your gear, the boat can be built with flush wooden hatches or the watertight rubber hatches typical of production sea kayak designs. Drawings for both options are included in the plans.

There is also a strip-planked Petrel Sport available.

Kit contents

The kit includes:

• Pre-cut wooden panels with pre-cut joints and pre-drilled tie holes
• Retractable skeg
• Epoxy resin and activator
• Epoxy fillers
• Woven glass fabric
• Three Rubber hatches, including a day hatch
• Fabric covered foam seat and backband
• Adjustable footbraces
• Foam knee pads
• Deck hold-down lines (bolt-on)
• Comprehensive building manual
• Free technical support from a competent builder

What else do I need?

To install the rubber hatches, a marine-grade adhesive sealant will also be needed.

Study manual

This is intended for pre-build study or to help with the decision to purchase. This is the comprehensive manual that accompanies the kit; reading it will help you decide whether or not you can build the boat. It describes all of the techniques that will be used during the build and also a step by step guide to construction. It contains a photograph or diagram of every step.

If, later, you decide to purchase the kit the cost of this will be deducted from the kit price.

The manual does not contain the cutting instructions so it is not possible to build the boat from scratch using only this.

PDF study manual

The construction manual for the boat is also available as a PDF download. After credit card authorisation a download link will be sent to the email address put on the order form.

Plans (not required by kit purchasers)

The plans contain sufficient information to build the boat from scratch rather than a kit. They include full size drawings for all the forms, bulkheads and panels. They include templates for both recessed rubber hatches and flush wooden hatches.

Wood

This option contains only the building manual and pre-cut wooden parts for the boat. This option is for those wanting to obtain the other materials from other sources.

Compare this kayak with others.