Kayak Kits » Performance |
Wood-epoxy construction is a great way to get high performance. Wood-epoxy boats are extremely light and stiff---only brittle carbon fiber can compete, and you KNOW how much that costs, and how easy it is to break. This collection of kayaks is for athletic paddlers looking for flat water speed or crazy fun in the surf.
Check this tool for help choosing the right kayak.
Early sailors thought the Storm Petrel could walk on water. Named after Saint Peter, petrels are small birds that feed at sea by fluttering just above the swell with their feet tip-toeing across the water. Like its bird namesake, the Petrel kayak...
Kits from $2189.00
Plans from $129.00
Nick Schade’s line of strip-planked Greenland-style sea kayaks are renowned for sophisticated performance on the water, beautiful lines, and sculptural hull details. But strip-planked boatbuilding is not for everyone. Novice woodworkers and...
from $1899.00
When Nick Schade built the Petrel "Play" SG several years ago, he really wanted to build the strip built version. Now it's available. The Petrel Play fits in a cross-over space between recreational kayaks and sea kayaks. It is stable and...
Kits from $1989.00
Plans from $129.00
Paddlers are demanding versatility AND performance from their sea kayaks these days. Little by little, designers like Nick Schade are squeezing huge performance out of compact dimensions. Watch the Petrel Play in surfing action...
from $1569.00
It can be hard to find the right boat if you don’t fit in the middle of the bell curve. If your stats run towards the larger end of the spectrum there are not many choices available for performance sea kayaks. The Petrel Play SGL is...
Kits from $1685.00
Plans from $149.00
"The Shearwater is an eye-catching, light and fast cruiser that does many things well. It is a strong contender for the budget-minded paddler looking to answer the 'if I could only have one kayak' question." - from Sea Kayaker's October...
Kits from $1498.00
Plans from $119.00
Cedar-strip kayaks are admired for their beauty and functionality. Kayaks made entirely of cedar strips require a “strongback” and special molds, which translates into a lot of skilled labor and time. Why not combine the...
Kits from $1795.00
Plans from $119.00
The Night Heron line is an evolutionary branch of the Guillemots, but Nick took a look back at Greenland Inuit boats for some of the hull shaping inspiration. This boat brings the volume of the hull out towards the ends more for a higher...
Kits from $2189.00
Plans from $129.00
This design is exactly the same as the regular deck Night Heron below the sheer line. The deck has been bumped up for a little more leg room and more storage volume. This boat will maintain the performance characteristics of the standard deck...
Kits from $2189.00
Plans from $129.00
This boat combines the quick assembly of the stitch-and-glue hull and the beauty of a strip-built deck. The hull is exactly the same as the S&G Night Heron and the deck is exactly the same as the strip-built version. Since stitch and...
Kits from $1798.00
Plans from $149.00
Hybrid Night Heron - High Deck
A hybrid version of the Night Heron, combining a stitch-and-glue hull with the beauty of a strip-built deck. This is a higher-decked version of the hybrid Night Heron, for taller paddlers who need more knee and leg room. Do you fit in...
Kits from $1798.00
Plans from $149.00
Like the strip version of the Night Heron, this S&G version is at home out on the open water and exploring the shores of distant islands. As drawn, it has the exact same profile shape of the lower deck version of the strip-built Night...
Kits from $1699.00
Plans from $149.00
The deck of this design has been lowered behind the cockpit to ease layback rolls and the cockpit is shorter to allow bracing anywhere under the foredeck. The hull is still the same as the standard Night Heron so the performance will be...
Kits from $2179.00
Plans from $129.00
The Pax 18 and Pax 20 designs were developed at CLC for skilled paddlers seeking waterborne sports cars for racing, exercise, or just plain fun. Starting with a clean sheet of paper, we sought out all of the features that make kayaks fast and...
from $89.00
The Razor Billed Auk is a fast boat suitable for long distance touring or recreational racing. It has enough volume to carry gear for an extended tour and has the long waterline and low wetted surface area to move efficiently through the...
Kits from $2225.00
Plans from $129.00
The Pax 18 and Pax 20 designs were developed at CLC for skilled paddlers seeking waterborne sports cars for racing, exercise, or just plain fun. Starting with a clean sheet of paper, we sought out all of the features that make kayaks fast and...
from $89.00
A simple scaling-down of the Guillemot creates a fun and able boat for smaller paddlers. This boat is efficient and easily paddled. Due to its narrow width it may be less stable than other boats you have paddled, but if you have been...
Kits from $2098.00
Plans from $129.00
This kayak has been optimized to be as efficient as possible at race pace, while fitting within the rules for a "Sea Kayak Touring Class" as defined by the United States Canoe Association: 20ft max length, with a 4" water line beam of at...
Kits from $2379.00
Plans from $129.00
This design grew out of intense modification of the baidarka (an Aleut kayak) drawn by David Zimmerly and featured in his book "Qajak: Kayaks of Siberia and Alaska." Baidarkas are legendary for their speed and seaworthiness. However they were...
Kits from $2299.00
Plans from $129.00
Maximum speed and fun in a tandem kayak. The width is the same as the Expedition Single at 21 inches. This is narrow, but it gains great stability from its 25'6" length. This is a boat for a pair of experienced paddlers who want to paddle...
Kits from $2799.00
Plans from $129.00
There was a lot of demand but hardly anything like it in 2002 when we unveiled the Chesapeake Sport Tandem. This very narrow, very fast double is perfect for athletic couples who want to really cover the miles, whether it's for excercise,...