Hi Jim

I built one for my wife Linda last year. It was my first strip built boat and apart from a two different epoxy related problems, one of my own making, was quite easy to build. See the build link below.

The Petrel is well suited to waves and surfing, which is already well documented. But it's also extremely stable, which was a significant factor for us when Linda chose this design. She has been out in some very bumpy wind generated short pitch waves beam on, with no concerns at all. I have added a temporary external skeg for her as the boat is now used for everything. The cockpit a very good fit and the thigh braces needed no additional padding. (I'm 78kg, 170lb). It is rated for 200lb and would probably perform even better if you were in that range. About the only thing different from the plans is the coaming which I made using the One Ocean carbon fibre coaming design.

Regards
Steve
New Zealand