“Rolling is a real pleasure with this kayak” (MC). It’s “A rolling machine, even hand rolls are not difficult." "Excellent cruising speed, with excellent acceleration, and good sprint speed as well.” (GL)
"The Murrelet is a 'great kayak for Greenland-style rolling, and yet has some stowage advantages for long trips. I loved the light weight for car-topping and enjoyed paddling and showing off this wooden beauty. It’s stable enough for athletic beginners, and a playful, rough-water rolling machine for the experts” (GL).
First Kayak with 4 Decks:
This kayak is designed for Greenland rolls. The rear cockpit height of all four models has been lowered to allow advanced paddlers, who execute Greenland rolls, to lie back flat on the rear deck.
Sleek and Thin: The Murrelet series is our newest 17foot multi-chine hull made for those who like a high-performance kayak. At 22 inches wide she is thin and sleek, but retains very comfortable initial stability. She’s got Pygmy’s trademark tracking and handling. She executes leaned turns beautifully and is very well behaved in wind and waves. Though this kayak is designed with the Greenland roll in mind, this is a great performance touring kayak for intermediate kayakers or novices looking to expand their skillset. Pick this great hull and your choice of four decks.
The Murrelet SDC (swept down chine) has an 8.9" knee height and 8.8" rear cockpit height. She features our traditional deck with a swept down deck chine to lower her rear cockpit. It’s a tighter fitting deck than the other three Murrelet designs, with a lower knee, thigh, and foot height. She and the Murrelet 4PD will carry the most gear with a higher rear deck.
The Murrelet 1PD, 2PD, and 4PDall radically lower the rear cockpit to facilitate your favorite Greenland style roll, while the cockpit sweeps up in a stylish arch to allow for the most knee height and foot room of any of our standard solo kayaks. The Murrelet 4PD’s four panel rear deck gives you more storage for touring and long distance adventure. She and the Murrelet SDC are the most comparable to our Arctic Tern 17 and Coho. The Murrelet 1PD & Murrelet 2PD’s one and two panel rear decks have the most aggressive Greenland style deck making wet re-entry easier.
Now Available in Two Hull Versions: Hull version 1 tracks strongly. Hull version 2 is rockered for high maneuverability.
Murrelet SDC Specs: Length…… 17’ Beam……. 22” Height at Front of Cockpit…… 11”
Knee Height... 8.9"
Rear Cockpit Height... 8.8" Weight…… 36lbs Cockpit……17”x33” *Initial stability……8.42" Carrying capacity (vol.cu.ft)……12.05 **Standard cruising speed……18.90 Loaded waterline length……15.00' ***Top cruising speed……5.37 mph Available as kit……yes Available as plans……no
*The transverse Metacenter, in inches, is a measure of a kayak's initial stability. A higher number is more stable. All single kayaks computed with same weight person.
**Kayak cruising speed is proportional to the boat's wetted surface, which is the area of frictional drag of the water on the hull, here expressed in sq. ft. ***90% of theoretical hull speed (THS) in mph. A boat's theoretical hull speed is a function of square root of its loaded waterline length (LWL). at approximately 80% to 90% of its hull speed a kayak will start to produce a bow wake longer than its LWL and the effort required to continue acceleration rapidly increases
Murrelet SDC Features: Hull type… Multi-chine Deck type…SDC Deck: Our tradition deck design with a lower overall profile. Still enough space for touring, the SDC has the second most volume of our Murrelets, after the 4PD, while still being lower volume than the Coho or Osprey standard. This deck is designed to have medium to low overall volume. Great for a petite paddler who wants a full size boat who usually finds themselves lifting their hands to avoid hitting the deck. Paddler experience level… Intermediate/Advanced Shoe size….Up to men’s 12 (depending on shoe and personal comfort) Cockpit size…17”x33
We usually ship "Medium" hardener with our kits. You may order "Slow" for hot climates or "Fast" for cold climates upon request. Read the System Three Epoxy Book to help select the appropriate epoxy and hardener for you. If you would like a copy of the Epoxy Book, clickhereto download. We also stock System Three’s Silver Tip Epoxy and offer this as an option in our boat kits for an additional charge. Note: Silver Tip Resin can only ship via Ground Service and is not eligible for shipments to Alaska
