: The background....

: A couple of years ago I built a Storm LT and have had a lot of fun
: with it, but like most things new, you don't really know what
: you want until you've had it for a while. I originally had
: visions of paddling the coastal fringes with occasional trips
: away for a weekend (never happened). I still enjoy the coastal
: areas but find myself continually being drawn to the swells and
: surf zones at the mouth of our local rivers, so much fun! I seem
: to spend a lot of time sideways but I'm getting better at braced
: leaned turns and and I'm still learning “the roll”.

: I am in the process of building a drop down skeg to hold the back
: end a bit better.
: I think the Storm LT is a good kayak for general use, it came out
: at 20kg (too much), it's fast, reasonably manouvreable when
: leaned, handles rough water easily although you can't relax and
: let your guard down with a 19 1/2” waterline beam and seas
: from the rear quarter are a problem.

: After building the Storm, I reckoned I'd never build another
: stripper, but here I am again (it must be a bit like a woman
: having a baby)
: To cut a long story short, I have forgotten most of the pain and I
: am now ready to build another one.

: Now....

: I am looking for a little more stability, both primary and
: secondary, a bit more rocker for better manouvreablility, good
: at catching swells with good control but I still want to be able
: to go for a decent paddle around the coastline with reasonable
: speed and tracking, I have no real desire to be packed to the
: gunwales for extended camping although that could change. The
: idea of a drop down skeg in a kayak appeals to me because it
: means I can have the rocker for manouvreability and the skeg for
: good tracking, seems like a win win situation.

: I had my eye on the Petrel, but the Redfish King or Golden also
: look appealing, I'd appreciate any advice and guidance from
: experienced users and also other options I may need to consider.
: I am 168cm (5'6”) 65kg (143lb) and on the less intense side of
: 60, so I will be concentrating on a light build for ease of
: loading on the ute after a paddling workout.

: My head says the Petrel, my heart says the King or Golden, my
: wallet says neither as I really can't afford it.....nah, forget
: the wallet.

: Thanks for your advice
: Glen G

I just paddled the petrel this past weekend along with the night heron and shearwater. The night heron was the most stable, easy to turn, and fit like a glove. The petrel was really fun, very fast and steered very well when leaning. While it had a skeg, i didn't find i needed it. I'm not a terribly experienced paddler, but i can see how it would be fun if you were good with leaning through turns. I'll probably build this one next, at the moment i'm building the night heron. The shearwater was nice, but just doesn't have the flair of the other two in the looks category.