Shearwater Singles

Shearwater Singles
Shearwater Singles Shearwater Singles Shearwater Singles Shearwater Singles Shearwater Singles Shearwater Singles Shearwater Singles Shearwater Singles Shearwater Singles Shearwater Singles
Product Code: CLCSHWS
Availability: Made to Order (approx. 5 weeks)
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Stitch-and-glue sea kayak design has grown up a lot in the last fifteen years, driven by enthusiastic paddlers who prefer ultralight, beautiful boats that handle like extensions of themselves. For a new line of high-performance sea kayaks, Chesapeake Light Craft commissioned veteran paddler and kayak designer Eric Schade. Eric created the Shearwater range, a state-of-the-art wood-composite kayak design.
 
Please note, Denman Marine provides the Shearwater kayak range with a gaboon deck. A sapele deck can be supplied at additional cost, please contact us.
 
Model:  Length:  Hull Weight:  Beam:  Max Payload:  Cockpit Size:  Paddler Weight:  Knee Height:  Max. Men's Shoe Size(US):
Shearwater Sport 14' 6" (4.42m) 18.5 kg 63.5 cm 135 kg 83 x 43 cm 45 - 100 lkg 33 cm 12
Shearwater 14 14' 6" (4.42m) 17.5 kg 58.5 cm 90 kg 78.5 x 42 cm 45 - 70 kg 25.5 cm 10
Shearwater 16 16' 2" (4.93m ) 19 kg 58.5 cm 110 kg 78.5 x 42 cm 55 - 85 kg 25.5 cm 10
Shearwater 17 17' 0" (5.18m) 20 kg 57 cm 120 kg 78.5 x 41.5 cm 70 - 100 kg 26.5 cm 12.5

Shearwater 14-17

Elegant lines result in real performance. The sweeping sheerline complements the nicely balanced ends; there isn't an awkward hump or bump anywhere. The sheer panels are "tumbled home" to reduce windage and improve paddle clearance. Like all Chesapeake Light Craft kayak kits, the decks are smoothly cambered, not cut up into a faceted, homebuilt appearance.

West Greenland-style hulls provide telepathic handling to the skilled paddler, while initial and secondary stability are ample for the newly initiated. On the water, the Shearwater demonstrates excellent poise and responsiveness in a broad range of conditions, edging turns easily when leaned but tracking straight when pushed hard in surf. A cutaway bow and skeg-like stern ensures tracking even in extremely rough water. The relatively low profile means you'll spend less time on corrective strokes and more time covering ground.

You can't have everything in one boat.  For speed, you want long-and-narrow.  For comfort, you want beam and a big cockpit.  For maneuverability and compactness, a short kayak is desirable.  Artful compromise is the mark of good design, and we feel that Eric Schade's Shearwater Sport is a great combination of kayak virtues.

For years kayak builders have been asking us for a kayak that slots in between the high-performance Shearwater Series and the beamy, comfortable Wood Duck series.  At our in-water demos, the experienced paddlers often made a beeline for the Shearwater 14, because it has the handling and the great looks of the West Greenland-style kayaks, but its shorter length makes it more maneuverable and easier to use than the long, fast Shearwater 17.  The Shearwater 14, however, is a scaled-down 17, intended only for smaller-statured paddlers weighing less than 150 pounds. That left a lot of paddlers on the shore.

Eric has brought his practiced eye and decades of paddling experience to bear on the problem.  Settling on a length of 14'6", he added just enough beam (25") to support paddlers over 200lbs.  Refinement of the underbody, the bow, and the stern allowed him to retain the crisp handling that has sold almost 650 Shearwater kayaks.

For paddlers with longer legs who want an easy entry and egress, Eric specified a 34-inch long cockpit.  Standard spray skirts still fit, and the Shearwater Sport is outfitted with all of the features expected in a high-performance kayak:  knee braces, hip braces, and a low aft deck for those who want to roll the boat.

The compact Shearwater Sport gives up nothing in cruising speeds to its longer, narrower Shearwater sisters, though it won't be quite as fast in a sprint.  It's still more than fast enough to accelerate onto waves for surfing.  Indeed, many paddlers will build the Shearwater Sport just for surfing, while maintaining longer kayaks for distance work.

For less adventurous paddlers, the Shearwater Sport offers the perfect compromise of light weight, sharp West Greenland handling, effortless cruising speed, and an extra-large cockpit for comfort.  The shorter length means easier construction, storage, and cartopping.  It might just be the One Kayak that does almost everything well.  Watertight bulkheads and flush-mounted deck hatches are standard, so many builders will camp out of the boat.

The payload is ideal for up to a 220-pound paddler plus gear.  The reduced windage of the Shearwater family means  that small people can paddle the Shearwater Sport, too, so more than just one person in the family can enjoy this beautiful kayak.

The Shearwater Sport's construction follows the proven stitch-and-glue process of the rest of the Shearwater family.

 

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Denman Marine Pty Ltd ATF | ABN: 54779786053 | 2888 Channel Highway Kettering, Tasmania 7155