QC Std Specs

"The boat tracks straight, responds very well to the paddle and is very fast. I am pleased with the quality of your kit and with the way things went together. Keep up the good work!"
-- John Worthington, Pineland, FL
Wilderness Tested
Designer John Lockwood created the prototype for the Queen Charlotte kayak while living in the remote Queen Charlotte Islands, 100 miles off the B.C. Canada mainland, in 1972.
In that first Queen Charlotte, John paddled for 5 months each year, living off the sea and land. Eating crab, octopus, limpets, snails, salmon, halibut and deer--all hunted and gathered from his kayak. John was on crutches for 8 years. The Queen Charlotte gave him mobility in the wilderness. Through 15 foot open ocean swell, foul-weather landings on boulder beaches, quiet estuaries, and glass calm inlets, the Queen Charlotte carried him safely.

Fits Average Size Adults
The Queen Charlotte-Standard fits adults 5'5" to 6'2" who weigh up to 220 lbs. With a 24" beam and 17' length, she has average initial stability, with excellent secondary stability. Depth at cockpit, 12". Weighing only 40 lbs. makes her LIGHT to cartop and carry to water's edge. Due to lots of buoyancy in the upswept bow and stern, she's a very dry kayak in heavy weather.

Gear Capacity
A high volume touring boat, the QC-std will easily carry 120 lbs. of gear--enough for a 2 or 3 week trip. She also makes a great, light day-use boat as well. Folks with a men's shoe size 10 1/2 and under find the foot room spacious enough to change sitting positions and remain comfortable paddling for hours. With size 12 feet, we recommend wearing wetsuit booties. Men with shoe size larger than 12 and up will want to consider the Arctic Tern HI, Queen Charlotte-XL, or our GoldenEye-HI. All our QC's perform well in the surf, carving great edge turns!

Read an Objective Review
In the Summer 1994 issue of Sea Kayaker magazine, the editorial staff organized a technical review of the Queen Charlotte. Three anonymous, expert paddlers test paddled her. Look at our Magazine Articles page for an excerpt of the review. Check your library, get a back copy from Sea Kayaker, or contact us at Pygmy for a full copy.

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 a hardener. If you would like a copy of the Epoxy Book click here to download.

We also stock Silver Tip epoxy. SilverTip Laminating Resin is a medium-low viscosity epoxy system that has been optimized for coating and reinforcing fabric saturation in wood-composite boatbuilding. It has superior wet-out characteristics with little tendency to foam or trap air. Both the resin and hardener are nearly colorless and are used in an easy 2:1 ratio. The working time is longer than most boat building epoxies without sacrificing cure time. We offer this an an option in our boat kits. Note: this item can only ship via Ground Service and is not eligible for shipments to Alaska. Please plan accordingly.