Tom you looked at the Builders Club page here?

Questions about which design'd be better suited to one's activities may quickly be answered if you find folks nearby who've built - and used - the crafts you're considering.

Hi Tom, 

i have built the 17 LT as well as the shearwater (not the sport) and i don't think you can go wrong with either.  both are great for light touring and are comparable in weight and are true sea kayaks.

i don't think the great lakes vs inland is a particularly relevent distinction.

while its clear that in inland waters its tough to see large swells, the more relevent issues is the sea state and conditions you are going to expose yourself to and distances you are going to try to cover.  for example, i do a significant amount of kayaking on the ocean, but i don't really like being way off shore or being out in a big confused sea.   i think both boats would be challenging in in conditions like that if they were simple builds from the kit (no modifications).   if i was thinking about using them in open water.....in conditions like that, things like skegs and rigging and safety gear and skill become the key factors.   that said, a sport would probably be easier to manage if you got it in sloppy conditions than a 17 becuase its easier to control/turn which is a big factor managing slop.    

the only place a 17 might out-perform a Sport is in  absolute cargo capacityand perhaps a very minor advantage in straight line speed if you were going all out (longer boats typically have higher top speeds....but that's only experienced when you are going as fast as you can which for most of us who are not racing, is not something we are trying to do).

fwiw,  i am planning to add a shorter boat to my quiver this year (a petrel play) as i find more and more convenience/ease of managing the boat, trumping some minor dimension of absolute performance (e.g., speed)

i hope this helps.

h

spclark - thanks I’ll check it out

hspira - yes helpful thank you!!   

Hello Tom,

I shared most of my thoughts on the Kayak Builders FB page, so I only have a couple of thoughts to add.  The first is to choose the boat that will be best for the paddling that you do most.  If most of your paddling is local day trips,, then go with the shorter, more manueverable boat.  If you find that boat inadequate for longer trips, you can always build another.  When I built my first boat, my goals where much like yours so I built the two Chesapeakes (16LT & 17LT) for my wife and I.  The first few years we never did any touring so I built two shorter "play" boats for day trips.  (90% Frej for her and a S&G Petrel Play for me).  These two light, short, manueverable boats get far more usage than the Chesapeakes.  We later added the Double which is our prefered touring boat. 

Secondly, there are a couple of other boats you might consider.  At 15'6", the Ch16LT slots midway between the CH17 and SWS so that might be a good compromise choice.  Another boat worth looking at is the S&G Petrel Play.  It is an awesome play boat that is capable of handling the very roughest of conditions.  If you are a big guy, I would advise against the PP.

Lastly, I agree with the comment from Howard that you can't go wrong choosing any of these boats.

   The two kayaks you are considering happen to be exactly the two I've built.  Both of them work just fine.  I'm note sure how many pounds it takes to be noticeable, but my Sport turned out noticeably lighter, so maybe that's a 3-5 lb difference.  Sport was also probably slightly easier to build, but both were really no big deal.  The biggest build differences were hatches.  I custom built invisible hold down/flush hatches, and the flat hatches on the Sport made that much easier - but in all cases the Sport hatches will be easier to build.  Planing the compound curves on shear strakes on the Chess took a little bit of art, but was a fun art to learn. 

I built the Sport first - my wife is only a "sometimes" kayaker - but when we first went out together after I finished it, I let her use it while I used my old plastic kayak.  Mistake.  Our plastic boats are not top of the line, but still they are sit-in Old Town boats, so they are not dime-store boats or sit-on pigs or anything.  Anyway, the Sport was so much nicer to paddle that after about a quarter mile she said "This is now my boat.  If you want one, build your own."  Thus I built the Chess.

As to performance differences - the added length of the Chess is noticeable, both when loading/trailering, storing and paddling.  I think it is slightly faster than the Sport (for same effort involved) and does take more to turn (no rudders on my boats), and does perhaps track a little better in a straight line.  As noted in the previous post, I have noticed the stern of both boats can get knocked about a bit in following chop - true of any kayak, I presume - if I were in those conditions much I would add the skeg or rudder, but for my use it isn't worth the extra effort, nor care needed to be taken when moving the boat about while out of the water (or launching/grounding).  The Chess might be a bit less stable feeling.  The Sport is a bit more maneuverable and stable.  Chess perhaps just a bit more seaworthy, and feels like it can carry a bit more weight.  Mayber the higher rounded deck in front just makes it feel that way - water over the bow gets off the boat more quickly.  I think thie most noticeable user difference is the cockpit size.  The Sport is larger and easier for in-out.  I'm 6 ft. and 230 lbs with big bicycle rider/skier thighs, so I cut off the keyhole cockpit tabs for both boats during the build - mine cockpits are simple egg-shapes.  I lalso eft off the hip braces (no white water for these boats) and put the thigh brace foam right under the cockpit coaming and that works for me - but the ability to scoot back onto the flat after-deck and have room to put miy feet into our out of the cockpit without too deep of knee bend to clear the front edge of the cockpit does make the Sport's geometery and larger opening nice.

All that said, unless I was to head for some small creeks or something (which isn't a thing in this part of Texas), the Sport now stays in the garage until my wife takes it out be cause the seat and foot pegs are set up for her, and the Chess is my boat set up for me (and it now has a compass to keep me straight down in the intra-coastal marshes- another story).

So, you get to choose, or end up like me and build one of each!

Bubblehead

   Thanks for all info and pictures MarkN and Bubblehead :)

   I built the C-17 about five years ago. It has been a lot of places from Florida to Lake Superior.  The Shearwater sport is on my list to build after the Jimmy Smith II (in work) and the Petrel Play (next).  I know from the CLC boat demos that the Shearwater can hold my weight but seems to sit a little lower in the water than my C-17.... Must be the paddler weight. 

If you travel and don't know what the weather will be in three or four weeks it is nice to have the longer boat.  

   If you can make it to a CLC demo (Okeme fest, Wooden Boat show in Mystic CT... ) you can try all the kayaks out and make a decison based on your personal preference.  

Thanks Grompy and Joel!!

i decided on the Shearwater Sport and ordered today.

Will be picking it up at the shop in a couple of weeks.

Cheers