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Sectional Shearwater Sport stored in pieces.
Sale
Sectional Sharwater Sport beached
Sale
Sectional Shearwater Sport built by Eric J, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Potomac River, Washington, DC
Sale
When the Sectional Shearwater Sport is taken apart, in can fit inside your car.
Sale
Sectional Shearwater Sport built by David M, Langkawi, Malaysia
Sectional Shearwater Sport stored in pieces. Thumbnail
Sectional Sharwater Sport beached Thumbnail
Sectional Shearwater Sport built by Eric J, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Potomac River, Washington, DC Thumbnail
When the Sectional Shearwater Sport is taken apart, in can fit inside your car. Thumbnail
Sectional Shearwater Sport built by David M, Langkawi, Malaysia Thumbnail

Sectional Shearwater Sport

Builder Testimonials

Our most versatile and popular sea kayak, in a sectional configuration for easy storage and transport.

  • Skill Level Beginner
  • Estimated Build Time 90 Hours

This project was designed with the beginner in mind. Assembly manuals and documentation are calibrated for builders who are using epoxy and fiberglass for the first time. In kits, little or no trimming and fitting of parts is required.

This kit features computer-cut parts, puzzle joints, pre-drilled wire holes, and computer-indicated bulkhead locations, speeding and simplifying the construction process. The illustrated assembly manual makes the construction process accessible to first-time builders.

Build this boat if...

  • You need a sea kayak that stores and travels in small spaces, but sacrifices nothing in performance and comfort.
  • You're looking for a versatile and comfortable kayak that isn't a beamy tub.
  • You're looking for a sport-oriented kayak for surfing
  • You want a sleek, West Greenland-style kayak without the awkward 17- or 18-foot length
  • You prefer advanced handling qualities in all conditions, including waves

  • Versatile

    A design that does everything well

  • Sophisticated Design

    Nothing else like it to buy or build

  • Superior Support

    Tech support is free and unlimited

Fast but comfortable, comfortable but sleek, sophisticated but easy to build, elegant but straightforward. If you're going to have just one boat...

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!

Superior Support

Have a question about your project, large or small? You can speak to a boatbuilder at CLC, on the phone or by email. Send questions to info@clcboats.com!

 Build Your Kit
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.
Sectional Shearwater Sport stored in pieces.

Sectional Shearwater Sport stored in pieces.

Sectional Sharwater Sport beached

Sectional Sharwater Sport beached

Sectional Shearwater Sport built by Eric J, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Potomac River, Washington, DC

Sectional Shearwater Sport built by Eric J, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Potomac River, Washington, DC

When the Sectional Shearwater Sport is taken apart, in can fit inside your car.

When the Sectional Shearwater Sport is taken apart, in can fit inside your car.

Sectional Shearwater Sport built by David M, Langkawi, Malaysia

Sectional Shearwater Sport built by David M, Langkawi, Malaysia

Sectional Shearwater Sport stored in pieces. Thumbnail
Sectional Sharwater Sport beached Thumbnail
Sectional Shearwater Sport built by Eric J, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Potomac River, Washington, DC Thumbnail
When the Sectional Shearwater Sport is taken apart, in can fit inside your car. Thumbnail
Sectional Shearwater Sport built by David M, Langkawi, Malaysia Thumbnail

Specifications

Length
14'6"
Beam
25"
Cockpit Size
34" x 17"
Hull Weight
48 lbs.
Paddler Weight
100 - 240 lbs.
Max Payload
300 lbs.
Knee Height
13"
Max. Men's Shoe Size
12

Performance

Stability

4 out of 5
Very Tippy
Very Stable

Speed

3 out of 5
Cruiser
Racer

Cockpit Room

4 out of 5
Close Fit
Huge Cockpit

Payload

4 out of 5
Day Tripper
Freight Hauler

Ease of Construction

4 out of 5
Requires Patience
Very Easy
Sectional Shearwater Sport built by David M, Langkawi, Malaysia
Sectional Shearwater Sport built by David M, Langkawi, Malaysia

Overview

A kayak divided into three, but a sum greater than the parts.  Spin loose five sturdy stainless bolts at the watertight bulkheads and the Shearwater Sectional packs down to fit in a hatchback car.  Or in your garage.  Or in your apartment.  Or in the hold of an Alaska-bound de Havilland DHC-3.  It weighs a few more pounds than the stock Shearwater Sport but retains every quality that has made the Shearwater Sport a huge hit with paddlers.

Here's how it works: You build the boat full-length in the usual fashion, but add carefully-designed structural bulkheads at the joints. When nearly done with construction, out comes the saw. Steady now! Cut between the bulkheads to create three watertight pieces. (The cut lines are marked for you in the kits.)

We're still experimenting with different cars, but so far the Shearwater Sectional will fit in most compact hatchbacks, though of course you can transport it fully assembled on conventional roof racks.  The obvious application is the paddler with a storage challenge---either an apartment or just limited space.  The possibilities are endless, and yes, we expect a few of them to double as bookshelves during the off-season.

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

Buying Options

Choose Your Boatbuilding Experience

Start your kit-building experience by choosing the option that best suits your experience and itinerary. 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 to ease assembly, including pre-drilled holes for stitching-and-gluing, puzzle joints, and precision in the fitting of parts.

Standard Configuration

Sale
$1,689.00 $1,351.20

The Shearwater Sport Sectional kit ships with computer-cut an...

The Shearwater Sport Sectional kit ships with computer-cut and -drilled okoume and sapele marine plywood hull and deck parts, hatches and bulkheads, full deck rigging, adjustable footbraces, epoxy kit, fiberglass for hull and deck, tractor seat, and backband, plus extensively illustrated 100-page step-by-step instruction manual. 

 

Sectional Shearwater Sport Kayak Kit Materials

Alternative Configurations

$1,010.00

The Shearwater Sport Sectional Wood Parts Only kit is intend...

The Shearwater Sport Sectional Wood Parts Only kit is intended for builders who already have a ready supply of epoxy, fiberglass, hardware and so on.  This option ships with computer-cut and -drilled okoume and sapele marine plywood hull and deck parts, hatches and bulkheads, and the illustrated 100-page step-by-step instruction manual. 

 
$25.00

Just the manual, so you can study the process in advance of ...

Just the manual, so you can study the process in advance of a kit purchase.  You may rebate the price of the manual from a subsequent kit purchase. 

 

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.
$2.99

You can get printable study plans for most of your favorite ...

You can get printable study plans for most of your favorite kits and plans by return email --- for just a few dollars! 

When you order a set, you'll receive the study plans emailed in the form of PDFs at 8.5" x 11" (216x280mm).  

These printable drawings (most are two pages) help give a sense of the construction process and a feel for what the full-size plans or kit contain. Please note that a boat can not be built from Study Plans; they are to preview a project in print media; the Study Plans are an excellent broad-strokes look at the process. The subsequent escalation for more information is to order the boat's print instruction manual (where available), which will walk you through the project step-by-step.   

Upon placing the order, you'll receive an email with a link to the PDF.  Be sure to use the correct email address! If you have filters in place, ensure emails from "admin@clcboats.com" are not blocked.

Additional Options

$38.95

Get one now, keeps out rain and sun while cartopping. In our...

Get one now, keeps out rain and sun while cartopping. In our "long term fleet," some of which have been on the road for over ten years, the interior cockpit fittings degrade substantially due to UV light while being cartopped, so we use cockpit covers. Also good for camping, to keep crawling and slithering things out of your cockpit overnight.

These nylon skirts fit Shearwater Sport and Shearwater Sport Sectional models. Currently only available in black with the CLC logo.
$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
$13.99

These 1/8" neoprene rubber gaskets are CNC-cut to fit our two...

These 1/8" neoprene rubber gaskets are CNC-cut to fit our two take-apart dinghy models and our sectional kayak: the Passagemaker Take-Apart Dinghy, the Eastport Nesting Pram and the Sectional Shearwater Sport.

Building a take-apart design of your own? No worries, we also offer this material by the foot. It comes to us on a 36" wide roll.

This material cuts easily with a new razor knife.

 
When the Sectional Shearwater Sport is taken apart, in can fit inside your car.
When the Sectional Shearwater Sport is taken apart, in can fit inside your car.

What builders are saying

I built this Sectional Shearwater Sport in Englewood, New Jersey and used it at Harriman State Park in New York and at Overpeck Creek in Leonia New Jersey. In 2018, I cut it into the three parts, which was not an easy decision and took it to Austria at the Lake Neusiedl, where I grew up. Now I live in Munich and explore the beautiful lakes in Bavaria in southern Germany. The Kayak is very stable and easy to paddle for me as a heavy person. Transport is convenient even in a European station wagon. During winter time it makes a beautiful decoration in my office. This picture was taken at Rockland Lake in New York. 

Christian C. | DEU
Verified Builder

Videos

Sawing a Shearwater Sport Sectional kayak

Building a Wooden Kayak in Time-Lapse: CLC Sectional Shearwater Sport

CLC Shearwater Sport Build Time Lapse

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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