Petrel Play

£2040

£106

£437

+£15

+£55

Offer Details

Prices include VAT

Product Description

The strip-planked version of Nick Schade's Petrel Play is a responsive and manoeuvrable kayak for playing in surf or rock gardens, but it is also a stable and easy-to-paddle recreational boat for a novice paddler. It has the same advanced handling qualities of the stitch-and-glue version, but with the smooth, sleek appearance of the original strip-planked Petrel.

When I built the Petrel Play SG several years ago, I really wanted to build the strip-built version. I just couldn't fit the build into my schedule. […] Now I have the plans and I still want to build one for myself.

Nick Schade, Petrel Play designer

The Petrel Play fits in a cross-over space between recreational kayaks and sea kayaks. It is stable and roomy enough for novice paddlers and those who enjoy relaxing paddles in sheltered water. It is also responsive and sea worthy enough to go out in rough open water to surf or play in tide races.

The hull of the Petrel Play has a moderate ‘V’ to flattish bottom with a rounded chine forward transitioning to a hard chine aft, giving it very solid stability while allowing easy leaning for carved turns. The kayak is full in the bow with plenty of buoyancy to rise over waves. With a lot of rocker the Petrel Play is easier to turn when exploring tight spots, but has nice balanced tracking for venturing off shore.

This is an all-round fun boat to paddle. Beginners and novices will feel comfortable with the stability. It has a nice roomy cockpit but experienced paddlers will find solid surfaces for their knees and thighs to grip while playing out in rough stuff. The transitioning chine allows a skilled paddler instinctive turning with just a slight lean.

Nick Schade has made an in-depth video series of the build of the first cedar-strip Petrel Play, beginning with an introduction to the design of the boat:

The Petrel Play strip-planked kit includes:

We supply roughly one-third red cedar strips and two-thirds Paulownia strips as standard but if you have a particular pattern in mind, we can provide a different ratio if you contact us before ordering. We can also supply yellow cedar strips.

What else do I need?

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. We recommend Nick Schade's book, The Strip-Built Sea Kayak, which covers the techniques that are used to build strip-planked kayaks.

Forms and strongback

For those wanting to obtain the other materials needed to build the boat from other sources, this option contains the pre-cut forms and strongback and the necessary plans to build the boat. The wooden strips are not included (see below).

Wooden strips

As well as the plans, forms and strongback, 290 m of bead-and-cove cedar strips and/or paulownia strips will be needed to build the strip-planked Petrel Play.

Compare this kayak with others.