Shearwater 17: builds and build times

Shearwater 17

A 17 ft stitch-and-glue sea kayak drawn by Eric Schade for Chesapeake Light Craft, the largest single in the West Greenland-style Shearwater family. It is 22 1/4 in wide, about 44 lb, and sized for paddlers of 150 to 220 lb with a 270 lb payload. A cutaway bow and skeg-like stern hold it on course in rough water, and Sea Kayaker reviewed it favourably in 2006. Sapele deck and flush hatches are standard. Kits and plans are sold.

CLC rates it a beginner build and estimates 80 hours, the time its own shop logged on a second boat while working fast. Budget 80 to 120 for a first kayak. Real hours from logged builds are below.

What building a Shearwater 17 actually takes

Medians from the build logs kept on this site, not the designer’s estimate. Nobody has logged this boat here yet, so they are empty until the first builder does.

Build logs

Launched

n/a

Median hours

n/a

Median months

Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.

Builds of this boat

Nobody has logged a Shearwater 17 here yet.

If you are building one, yours becomes the reference: the page the next person building this boat finds when they search for it. One photo and one line is a valid first entry.

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Boats like this one

Same type, closest in length.

Design	Plans from	LOA
17' Disko Bay	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Fire Star	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Lapstrake Canoe	Duck Trap Woodworking	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Sea Wolf	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Spirit	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)
17' Traveler	Newfound Woodworks	17′ 0″ (5.18 m)