Pygmy Boats Inc.
Ultra-Light Boats

The Osprey - HP
17'6" LOA * 22" BEAM * 12" DEPTH * 39 LBS.

High Performance
The "HP" tag on our Osprey-HP single stands for "high performance". John Lockwood designed the Osprey-HP with athletic kayakers in mind. Her waterline length (16'7") is only 1" shorter than the QC-19' but she has 12 % less wetted surface. This boat also contains enough volume for 3 weeks of camping gear. So have your cake and eat it too! She is a great boat for recreational racing or high performance touring. Plus, the HP exhibits good stability for her width, and can be handled with ease by intermediate paddlers.

Multi-Chine Hull and Deck
The multi-chine deck allows a low paddle angle for relaxed cruising speeds as well as close high strokes for fast paddling. Plus, that beveled deck marks an elegant curve above the shear.
The deck ridge gives excellent depth to the front of the cockpit.  Folks with up to size 12 (men's) shoes fit comfortably. The cockpit measures 16 3/4" x 33" so that even long-legged people can enter and exit with ease.

Rugged and Seaworthy
A tough layer of 6 oz. fiberglass cloth covers the inside of the hull and entire outside of the Osprey-HP. We built her to take impact and abrasion. This construction process creates a composite material of wood, sandwiched between epoxy impregnated glass. You see only mahogany...but you get a hull that will take hard use.
Land the Osprey-HP on rock beaches, in heavy surf. Take her out on the dark of the moon into swirls of bioluminescence, glowing with each stroke of your blade. Ride the open ocean in 12 foot seas. Take the risks and challenges that experienced, athletic kayakers choose. Her seaworthiness will serve you well.

Tracking Par Excellence
The HP is a STRONG tracker, unassisted by rudders or skegs. This kayak tracks like an English style kayak, straight as an arrow. If you prefer more maneuverable kayaks, take a look at the Osprey-Standard. Coho, and our Arctic Tern.

Knowing how to brace enables you to do nice leaned turns in the Osprey--HP. If you want this long, slim craft and don't yet have the skill for leaned turns, you can add a rudder to assist your turns until you learn the bracing techniques. A rudder bolts on after you've finished the hull. Simple. Either way, we're proud that Pygmy designs paddle well without tracking aids.

Full Kit Includes:
Full kit includes pre-cut panels of highest grade BS-1088 marine mahogany plywood, 2 1/2 gallons of System Three epoxy, measuring pumps, fully illustrated manual, the Epoxy Book, 38 feet of 38" wide fiberglass cloth (6 oz.), 34 yds. fiberglass tape plus small building supplies as listed under Prices. The HP is also available as a "Basic Kit" with which you use your own building supplies.   Bulkhead and hatches, rudders, and all other kayak Pygmy accessories fit the HP.

Create this rugged woodcore-glass-epoxy kayak in about 70 hours. Due to curing times, that effort is spread out over 3 to 8 weeks or so. She's laminated inside and out with fiberglass and epoxy for rugged use. See Stitch-n-Glue for a detailed description of the Pygmy construction process.