Shearwater Sport

Product Description

The Shearwater Sport fills the gap between the high-performance Shearwater series and the beamy, comfortable Wood Duck series. It has the handling and the great looks of the West Greenland-style kayaks, but its shorter length makes it more manoeuvrable and easier to use than the long, fast Shearwater 17. Unlike the scaled-down Shearwater 14, which is intended only for smaller-statured paddlers, the Shearwater Sport has just enough additional beam to support experienced larger paddlers looking for a sport-oriented short kayak with advanced handling in waves.

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 manoeuvrability and compactness, a short kayak is desirable. Artful compromise is the mark of good design and we feel that the Shearwater Sport is a great combination of kayak virtues.

Designer Eric Schade has brought his practiced eye and decades of paddling experience to bear on the Shearwater Sport. Refinement of the hull shape allowed him to retain the crisp handling that has sold almost 650 Shearwater kayaks.

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 keeping longer kayaks for travelling greater distances.

The Shearwater Sport has all 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. It has a 34″ long cockpit for easy entry and exit.

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.

The payload is ideal for a paddler up to 220 lb plus gear. Watertight bulkheads and flush-mounted deck hatches are standard, so many builders will carry camping gear in the boat. 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. A dark sapele deck is standard.

A Sectional Shearwater Sport is also available, which unbolts to make three short lengths for easy storage or to fit inside a hatchback car. We also have the Shearwater Sport Hybrid, which substitutes a wood-stripped deck for the standard Sapele plywood deck. Somewhat more challenging to build, the Shearwater Sport Hybrid rewards the kit builder with a unique and beautiful design.

The kit includes:

• Pre-cut wooden panels with pre-cut joints and pre-drilled tie holes
• Epoxy resin and activator
• Epoxy fillers
• Copper ties
• Woven glass fabric
• Woven glass tape
• Fabric covered foam seat and backband
• Adjustable footbraces
• Deck hold-down lines (bolt-on)
• Comprehensive building manual
• Free technical support from a competent builder

What else do I need?

Plans and manual (not required by kit purchasers)

These plans and manual contain sufficient information on the cutting of the panels to make it possible to build the boat from scratch rather than a kit. The plans include full size templates for every part.

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 plans

These study plans are intended to give you an overview of the construction of the boat. They are in PDF format that can be viewed using Adobe Reader. There are two pages and they measure 279 × 216 mm (11″ × 8½″). They can be printed for carrying around.

After credit card authorisation the plans will be sent to the email address put on the order form.

When you have studied the plans, your next step might be to order the printed instruction manual, which will walk you through the project step-by-step.

Wood only

This option contains the solid wood and plywood components pre-cut to the correct size with pre-cut joints, plus the construction manual. It does not contain the plans (these are not required because the wood is pre-cut), any of the epoxy to glue and coat the boat, the fabric or tape nor any of the hardware or rigging.

Compare this kayak with others.