Model: Length: Hull Weight: Beam: Max Payload: Cockpit Size: Paddler Weight: Knee Height: Max. Men's Shoe Size:
Shearwater 16 16' 2" 42 lbs. 23 in. 240 lbs. 31" x 16-1/2" 120 - 190 lbs. 13" 10
see other Shearwaters 14 14 Hybrid 16 16 Hybrid 17 17 Hybrid Double
Shearwater 16 Configurations:
» (click here to learn about kit options)
Standard Configurations:
Complete Kit
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$1498
Alternative Configurations:

Wood Parts Only Kit
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$935

Plans & Manual Only
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$119

Manual Only
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$25

Study Plans - Emailed PDF
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$2.99
Additional Components:

Guillemot Retractable Skeg Kit
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$195
Materials List for Plans Builders:
» view the Shearwater 16 materials list and order a la carte!
Popular Accessories:
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Supplies List for Kit Builders:
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Build this boat in a week!

2024:

  • May 6-11: Annapolis, MD
  • July 15-21: Seattle, WA
  • Sept 8-14: Brooklin, ME

The Shearwater design abounds in interesting and innovative features. To emphasize the clean lines, the decks are computer cut from sapele plywood, a beautiful mahogany with a reddish-brown swirling grain, to contrast with the honey-colored okoume sides and bottoms. Flush hatches are standard. Veteran stitch-and-glue builders will find notable tweaks in the Shearwater kits, including CNC-cut "finger joints" instead of the more typical scarf joints. The finger joints eliminate the alignment step required of scarf joints, so parts are quicker to assemble and impossible to misalign. Another luxury in the Shearwater kits is that 99% of the holes for the wire stitches have been drilled for you by our CNC machine. This means faster assembly and no measuring for bulkhead locations, as those holes are drilled, too.

Build this boat if:

  • You weigh less than 165lbs and your shoe size is 10 or less
  • You want a sporty, West Greenland-style kayak
  • You prefer advanced handling qualities in all conditions, including waves
  • You want a closer-fitting cockpit (like a bucket seat in a sports car)

Builders also looked at:

Shearwater 17 | Chesapeake 16LT