Hi,

I am 6'4" at 185-190lb with 36" inseam and size 15 feet. I managed to sqeeze barefooted in Nick's Petrel last summer and had a chance to paddle it for about 20 minutes in calm conditions. It felt surprisingly stable and was very easy to roll. Foot room was very tight for me, size 11 on a 2" shorter legs will probably feel just right barefoot.

The kayak seemed to have loose bow (good, IMO) and was very maneuverable (almost to a point some may consider it does not track well). I also thought it was relatively fast but the top speed was a little lower than the Night Heron. Surfed the small boat wakes very well. The Heron HV that I tried back to back with the Petrel felt much larger with unnecessary volume in the cockpit, a bit harder to roll too. The Petrel was a little too low in the knee brace area to my liking. Cockpit dimensions can be modified during build though.

Compared to the other CLC boats on tap, the Petrel was by far the most fun. I will very likely paddle it again during Okume Fest in a couple of weeks and can report back here for you. I am seriously considering that boat so this time I will paddle it more carefully.

http://www.clcboats.com/shop/new/okoumefest2010/

: Looking for my nexted project, my current kayak project ( Merganser
: with stripe deck) is almost complete.
: I have been looking at building a Petrel. I am 6'4" with a
: 34" inseam, , size 11 foot, 200 lbs.
: Has anybody close to my size had a chance to paddle one. I was
: woundering if Iwould have enough leg and foot room.
: I live in Michigan and going to the Okoumefest is out.
: Any feed back would be appreciated.
: Thanks