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Matunuck Surf Kayak built by Kevin L, surfing Cowell Beach, CA
Sale
Matunuck Surf Kayak
Sale
Matunuck Surf Kayak
Sale
Matunuck Surf Kayak
Sale
Matunuck Surf Kayak
Matunuck Surf Kayak built by Kevin L, surfing Cowell Beach, CA Thumbnail
Matunuck Surf Kayak Thumbnail
Matunuck Surf Kayak Thumbnail
Matunuck Surf Kayak Thumbnail
Matunuck Surf Kayak Thumbnail

Matunuck Surf Kayak

Builder Testimonials

The Matunuck has the speed to catch the big waves, and the low moment of inertia means terrific responsiveness for spinning and cutting.

  • Skill Level Intermediate
  • Estimated Build Time 80 Hours

Builders will benefit from some woodworking, epoxy, and fiberglass experience. Compared to CLC's "Beginner" projects, there will be more cutting and fitting of parts, and documentation is less comprehensive.

It takes about 40 or 50 hours to assemble the hull. The boat wires together in a single day, so the bulk of this time is for epoxy and fiberglass work. Depending on your degree of fussiness, add another 30 hours for sanding, painting, and varnishing.

Build this boat if...

  • You want a kayak that is intended to work in the surfing zone
  • You weigh 200 lbs or less and have a shoe size of 12 or less
  • You want an ultralight surfing kayak
  • You are a skilled paddler

  • Sophisticated Design

    Nothing else like it to buy or build

  • Need for Speed

    For racers seeking escape velocity

  • Quality Materials

    Only the best professional-grade materials

This is a design with qualities and features that are unique in the marketplace, both among DIY projects and production boats. Refined, tested, uncompromised, outstanding, and unique!

It's hard to find designs like this in the production world. Combining the strength and light weight of wood-epoxy composites with simplified construction, this one's designed to be fast and fun.

Quality Materials

Our kits ship with the same first-class marine plywood, timber, epoxy, and fiberglass that we use in our own boatbuilding shop. It's not cheap, but these boats are meant to last forever!

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Shipping & Returns

Builders also looked at...

Take One of our Boatbuilding Classes

We offer classes for many of the boats we sell. Teaching sites stretch from Maryland to Washington State and from Maine to California. Click here to find out more.
Matunuck Surf Kayak built by Kevin L, surfing Cowell Beach, CA

Matunuck Surf Kayak built by Kevin L, surfing Cowell Beach, CA

Matunuck Surf Kayak
Matunuck Surf Kayak
Matunuck Surf Kayak
Matunuck Surf Kayak
Matunuck Surf Kayak built by Kevin L, surfing Cowell Beach, CA Thumbnail
Matunuck Surf Kayak Thumbnail
Matunuck Surf Kayak Thumbnail
Matunuck Surf Kayak Thumbnail
Matunuck Surf Kayak Thumbnail

Specifications

Length
8'6"
Beam
24"
Cockpit Size
31" x 19"
Hull Weight
21 lbs.
Paddler Weight
80 - 200 lbs.
Max Payload
200 lbs.
Knee Height
9-1/2"
Max. Men's Shoe Size
11

Performance

Stability

2 out of 5
Very Tippy
Very Stable

Speed

5 out of 5
Cruiser
Racer

Cockpit Room

1 out of 5
Close Fit
Huge Cockpit

Payload

1 out of 5
Day Tripper
Freight Hauler

Ease of Construction

3 out of 5
Requires Patience
Very Easy
Matunuck built by Kevin L, surfing Cowell Beach, CA.
Matunuck built by Kevin L, surfing Cowell Beach, CA.

Overview

Yet another boat that's hard to find: a kayak designed expressly for surfing. Nick Schade has applied his formidable skills in flat-plate-geometry design to the Matunuck Surf Kayak, and we are pleased to be the first to offer this beautiful kit to the public.

Even sturdily built - for survival in violent conditions - the Matunuck weighs only 20 pounds. The Matunuck has the speed to catch the big waves, and the low moment of inertia means terrific responsiveness for spinning and cutting. Fins are optional: you'll only need them in the truly gnarly stuff, but ordinary fin boxes may be 'glassed into the hull.

Construction is straightforward, with our CNC cutter taking care of puzzle joints and holes for the copper stitches. It's suggested that you carve your own seat for a tight fit. Hulls are BS 1088 Okoume. You may finish the boat in whatever livery suits your fancy! Although it bears a passing resemblance to a whitewater kayak, the Matunuck is for surfing only. 

This is a pretty small kayak.  The paddler should weigh 200 pounds or less and have a shoe size of 12 or smaller.

Do you fit in this kayak?  Study our kayak fit chart.


Buying Options

Choose Your Boatbuilding Experience

Start your boatbuilding experience by selecting the option that best fits your goals. Don’t have the confidence to build on your own? No worries! Join a boatbuilding class or hire us to build a custom boat for you.

  1. Select Your Configuration

    Build From a Kit:
    Most builders start with the Base Kit. It’s all there.
    Build From Scratch:
    Build from scratch using full-sized plans.
    Build From a Wood Parts Only Kit:
    For those who have their own supply of epoxy, fiberglass, and hardware.
    Order Study Plans or Manuals:
    Like to study up a bit first? Download study plans or a copy of the assembly manual. 

  2. Choose Options and Add-ons

    Additional Components:
    Add rudders, skegs, hatch options, spray skirts, and more.

  3. Get Building!

    Computer-cut kits feature all of the latest tweaks for easy assembly, including slot-together frames, pre-drilled holes for stitching-and-gluing, puzzle joints, and precision in the fitting of parts.

Standard Configuration

Sale
$1,159.00 $927.20

The Matunuck kit ships with extensively illustrated step-by-s...

The Matunuck kit ships with extensively illustrated step-by-step instruction manual, computer-cut and drilled okoume marine plywood hull and deck parts, adjustable footbraces, epoxy kit, fiberglass for hull and deck and foam for seat and cockpit.

Matunuck Surf Kayak

Alternative Configurations

$749.00

This option includes the marine plywood parts for the Matunuc...

This option includes the marine plywood parts for the Matunuck, cut and drilled on our CNC machine, and the instruction manual. Typical "wood parts only" kit buyers have an existing or ready supply of their own epoxy, fiberglass, and hardware.
$129.00

Full-sized plans and patterns and a highly detailed assembly ...

Full-sized plans and patterns and a highly detailed assembly manual.  (Assembly manual is included in complete kit and wood parts kit options.)
$25.00

NOTE: CLC instruction manuals walk you through construction s...

NOTE: CLC instruction manuals walk you through construction step by step with photos and drawings, and are a good way to get acquainted with the process in advance of a kit purchase. (Manual purchase refundable with kit purchase.) There is not enough information in the manual to build a boat from scratch---you will need the complete Plans & Manual Only package for that.

Additional Options

$109.00

Combines the water-tightness of neoprene skirts with the brea...

Combines the water-tightness of neoprene skirts with the breathability of nylon skirts for maximum performance in a touring skirt. Built to handle the range of paddling conditions found in big, open water, Extreme Tour's deck is constructed of 4.0 mm neoprene with Seal-Tex fabric topside for extra wear protection.

The 3/8-inch stitched bungee, complete with the underside rim seal coating, holds the skirt securely to the rim. The seam-sealed performance tunnel is made from premium Sympatex™ fabric and boasts an adjustable neoprene upper seal with removable suspenders. Black only.

"Chesapeake Std. / Hawk Lg." fits: All Chesapeakes, Arctic Hawk Large Cockpit, most Shearwaters (except Sport), Pax 18 & 20, West River 18, and the Matunuck surf kayak.


"Petrel / Night Herons" fits: Stitch & glue kayaks in the Petrel, and Night Heron Family.

"Shearwater Sport (Std / Sectional)" fits: The Shearwater Sport (Std. and Hybrid) and the Sectional Shearwater Sport.

Strip Kayak Builder Note: Strip boat cockpit coamings are not standardized as they are with the stitch & glue models. The builder should consider all available skirt sizes prior to making the coaming.

seals skirts that work
Matunuck Surf Kayak built by Leslie H.
Matunuck Surf Kayak built by Leslie H.

What builders are saying

Greetings from beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. My grandson Tyler and I have finished the Matunuck Surf Kayak and the results are most excellent. Tyler took the kayak on sea trials off Folly Beach (The Edge of America) and is quite happy with it. On the way to sea trials, we stopped by Sea Kayak Carolina where there was a large gathering for a winter sales event. The Matunuck drew a lot of attention and praise from the local surf kayakers, not just for its looks, but for its lines for surfing. Tyler says it is now time for me to build my own Matunuck.

Leslie H. | SC
Verified Builder

Videos

Matunuck Surfing

Playing in Rough Water

Building Kayaks with Nick Schade at the CLC Boat Show

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I order this kit?

Click on the Buying Options tab the top left of this page and follow the directions.

If I buy one of your boat kits, what else will I need?

Chesapeake Light Craft kits contain all the parts and materials you need to build the boat. The kit includes pre-cut parts, hardware, epoxy, fiberglass, plans and instructions. Our standard kayak kits also have the seats, hatches, bulkheads, footbraces, and the deck-rigging. About the only thing kits don't include is the final finish: paint or varnish. Your boat's color scheme is entirely up to you.

You'll need a few ordinary tools, like a cordless drill, a decent 5-inch sander, and for most boats a wood plane. You'll need disposables such as sandpaper and paint brushes and mixing cups.

You need a workspace a couple of feet bigger all the way around than the boat you want to build, and you'll need to be able to maintain temperatures between about 55 degrees F and 95 degrees F during steps when epoxy is being applied or curing. Since a lot of boatbuilding gets done during winter, we've written up some tips on how to heat a cold space cheaply, easily, and safely.

How much does this boat weigh and how much can it carry?

The weight and payload of this boat, along with other statistics such length and beam, can be found under Specs in the Specifications section, which is just below the lead image seen at the top of this page.

Can you send me the plans digitally?

Sorry, but until digital rights management technology for marine architectural work catches up to that used for books and music, we are unable to transmit digital plans. Currently, only study plans and manuals can be sent digitally.

Classes

Take One of our Boatbuilding Classes

We offer classes for many of the boats we sell. Teaching sites stretch from Maryland to Washington State and from Maine to California. Click here to find out more.

View Classes

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