The long-awaited Petrel is finally a reality. After four years of development of the process and materials, the wait is finally over. 

The longer and slimmer version of its sister the Petrel Play, The Petrel has all of the same performance attributes as the Play, in more traditional Sea Kayak dimensions. While the specs are listed below, it is what most have come to expect from a touring kayak, what the numbers don’t say is how it performs. 

Designed as a responsive, lightweight boat suitable for day trips in rough water it is equally at home poking into sheltered estuaries or exploring the shore of isolated coves. This design will carry the mid-sized paddler through rough conditions yet it is small enough to be easily handled by petite kayakers. With a form inspired by the Inuit inventors of kayaking, the Petrel will appeal to devoted Greenland-style paddlers without being intimidating to novice sea kayakers.

The "transitioning" chine varies from a quite rounded, soft chine forward to a hard chine aft of the cockpit. The forward section provides smooth performance and lift into waves which reduces the tendency to broach while surfing. The hard chine aft provides the shape that facilitates carving and leaned turns.

The deck shape takes its cue from Greenlandic Inuit skin-on-frame designs with a sharp chine-like feature line on either side. This provides height where you need it for knee room while keeping the deck low overall. The side of the deck slopes in quickly so it is out of the way for close-to-the-hull strokes.

The process of developing the overall design in composite form was no small undertaking. Every component was placed in order to keep the “swing weight” low by keeping the mass central to the paddler and cockpit. Hatch placement, compass recess, and cored composite sections were all placed with swing weight in mind. What does this do on the water? Keeping the mass closer to the paddler reduces the effort required to perform maneuvers. This is a design that rewards finesse from the experienced paddler and encourages the beginner and intermediate paddler to elevate their skillset.