Really nice Howard! Looking forward to seeing it at BLBF next year.
Dan
Ok,
i took all the feedback on rigging and just decided to do something and call it done.....becuase that's what you just need to do some days.
i have my local paddling guys getting lined up for a first trip.....but here is what done looks like.
while i am pleased as punch with the result so far...i did miss my weight target by about 15 percent as she now weighs 29 lbs.
in my preliminary analysis the major misses can be tied back to three main sources: i did not account for over 1 lb of varnish. the high performance clear varnish i used has over 50% solids and weighs over two lbs per quart....and i used a full quart. i also under-estimated the weight of all the fitting by about .5 lb. high quality line and bungee is heavier than what i had in the orignal bill of materials. i also added about 2.5 lbs of unplanned glass reinforcement into the build after consulting with some knowledgeable builders after the construction process started. a challenge with the petrel play is that it has some large flat areas in the middle 1/3 of the boat and i had spec'd out 3/16 thick strips ....and i was concerned about oil canning....so i doubled the layup on the bottom of the hull and doubled up the inside glass inside and immediately around the cockpit. the boat now is very stiff...i was just concerned about the big time investment and having a boat that was going to be too fragile.
fwiw....25 lbs is still very achievable given what i know now.... i can get the same result and take the 4 lbs out through a bit of re-engineering given i know where the challenges are by planning in advance, there are more effective, less weighty ways to address them (e.g. use 1/4 inch thick strips and less glass in the bottom/middle of the hull)
anyway.....next report will be a paddling report.
h
29 pounds is pretty impressive! I do worry that making them too light makes them frah-gee-lay.
Have fun on the water!
Dan
happy upcoming thanksgiving everybody.
the other day was warm and i was able to get out for an inaugural paddle of the petrel light weight build project with my daughter.
here are two pictures she snapped - a side view:
and a rear quarter view:
as an inaugural paddle, it went well. we did not sink, i did not drop the boat and there was no capsize (my standards for a first paddle are deliberately low). we also had quite a few nice comments from folks taking in the foilage from the park we launch at.
the easiest part was getting the boat to the water....just easy to handle a sub 30 lb boat. i was also surprised by the petrel play's handling quality and how responsive it was to leaned turns and carving. it was also very easily paddled in cruising mode (65% power) but clearly you can feel the limits of speed on the shorter boat if you are racing (so usually in my longer boats in a drag race with my daughter (90%+) i quickly pull ahead and in this case, we stayed pretty much even. but, like i said, when we were just paddling at a normal touring pace, it was easy and we were moving smartly and that's a trade i new i was making as it was a late launch, we were only out for a bit over an hour....but a nice first paddle.
so what's next? i still have some work to do on fitting out as i like a fit that is pretty conforming....so after this first paddle i know now where i can tighten things up. this boat has more space than my petrel and felt pretty loose but i know how to address that. from a capability perspective, i would say the cockpit is as roomy as my night heron high deck. i think i will deal with fit out to be more comforming next season and in the meantime start to plan my next project.
anyway....thats the initial impressions i thought i would share.
h
It's a really lovely boat and 30 lb is a nice weight -- light enough to carry easily, strong enough to last. I particularly like the light finish on the deck. It makes your kayak more visible on the water -- which is a good thing in a low-rider.
Looks real good, Howard. Congratulations! I'm glad you got out, it seems to have been the last warm day for a while (possibly March). I was land-bound, not being allowed to lift more than 14 lbs, so even your boat, wonderfully light as it is, would not have helped.
Never havind owned a boat less than 38 lbs, I'll be interested to hear how it works out for you when you get a chance to take it through some chop heading into a strong wind. I'm wondering if in those conditions a light boat will help or hurt.
Well done, maybe I'll see you out on the water in the Spring,
Laszlo
Congratulations on another great build Howard! I look forward to seeing it at BLBF 2022. I am not surprised to hear that you like how the PP handles. I live my S&G version, especially in waves.