Steve W

Member

Registered: 31 Jul 2012

Posts: 3

Shearwater 17 hybrid

Launched first time in June

Robpeek79

Member

From: Bushey Heath, UK

Registered: 13 Jul 2012

Posts: 31

Re: Shearwater 17 hybrid

Hi,

Looks like a beautiful boat!! I like the painted hull with the clear deck.  Finally the towing trolly is pure genius.

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Great wife quote......   "You can't possibly need a paddle board!"

Richard

Member

From: East Sussex

Registered: 7 Jun 2011

Posts: 75

Re: Shearwater 17 hybrid

i also like the trolley!

How well does the kayak go?

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Canoe & Kayak Owner

Paul

Employee

From: Gatebeck Cumbria

Registered: 4 Aug 2011

Posts: 131

Re: Shearwater 17 hybrid

I assume that the launch was at Bridlington, as mentioned elsewhere, and you are right it does look like a great place for launching.

The trolley looks excellent did you make it from scratch?  I like the way that it shows off the lines of your very attractive boat.

Phil

Employee

Registered: 8 Jun 2011

Posts: 68

Re: Shearwater 17 hybrid

Steve,

Thank you for sharing the pictures with us.  It's a stunning boat, well done.

Phil

beaker

Member

Registered: 9 Oct 2011

Posts: 81

Re: Shearwater 17 hybrid

Very nice indeed. A lovely job of planking on the deck. A nice beach to paddle off too.

Steve W

Member

Registered: 31 Jul 2012

Posts: 3

Re: Shearwater 17 hybrid

Thanks Guys for the interest.

The trolley is a commercially available item I have had about 3 years, I also use it for taking windsurfing kit to Brid seafront, think it was about 70/80 quid.

Although I am practical I found working with glue and fibreglass quite a challenge and not enough joinery for my liking.  The curing times being so long in the cold weather were frustrating.  The boat took me about 5 months in total. 
I found the website and the CLC version very usefull and got loads of good tips. I varied from the manual with the hatch fastners and the footrest mounting and also fitted the shockcord to the rear deck only.  The boat really needs more varnish which i will do before winter, its had 4 coats of varnish and 3 coats of paint.

The boat is stiff, fast and seaworthy, I paddled it this week to Barmston and back about 9nm in 2hrs 40 min.  The tide was against me going but the wind and waves picked up and helped on the way back. It seems to want to turn into the wind and waves and corrective strokes become a bit tiring. I would be interested in anyone elses experiences on this.

I am 10 stone 5'10" with size 11 feet and the boat is a snug fit for me, the footrests are on the limit, but I have found it comfortable with the addition of a small amount of extra foam under the front of the seat.

Altogether the boat is a great sucess the kit and manual were high quality.