“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)
"Stowage space aboard the Murrelet is 'excellent for a week outing or longer. The extra depth of the four-panel aft deck allows for bulky items like my large bear canister...With 45 pounds of cargo aboard the kayak tracked and turned nicely, and secondary felt bomber secure.” (GL)
Sleek and Thin: The Murrelet is a 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.
First Kayak with 4 Decks:
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.The Murrelet 4PD (four panel deck) has an 10.1" knee height and 7.9" rear cockpit height. The four panel rear deck gives you more storage for touring and long distance adventure. She and the Murrelet SDC will carry the most gear with a higher rear deck.All of the Murrelets come with an adjustable tab and wood backing plate for those that want to use knee braces with this boat (foam sold seperately).
Two Cockpit Options:
The Murrelet 1PD, Murrelet 2PD, and Murrelet 4PDall radically lower the rear cockpit to facilitate your favorite Greenland style roll, while the cockpit sweeps up in a stylish arch to allow a closer paddle stroke with more knee height and foot room. There are two cockpit options on these three boats: the standard 15.8"x33" cockpit has a snugger fit, while the 17"x33" cockpit handles wider hips and larger mid sections. 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 SDC is a tighter fitting deck than the other three Murrelet designs, with a lower knee, thigh, and foot height. Her cockpit is similar to our Coho and Arctic Tern cockpits and has a higher rear cockpit height than the other three Murrelet models.
Two Hulls to Choose From: Hull version one tracks strongly while hull version two is our most maneuverable touring kayak. It's upright turn radius is shorter than the Osprey Std, Arctic Tern 17, Coho or Borealis. If you are looking for a play-boat to use in currents, rock gardens or surf, or want a short boat feel in a 17 foot sea kayak, hull version two is for you (see video below). If you are looking for an exercise boat or a touring boat and want a stiffer feel, you may want hull version one. Both versions roll beautifully, track well and are sleek and fast. The hull options allow you to choose what degree of maneuverability you want.
Renowned northwest paddler, Warren Williamson, went to Skookumchuck rapids (a phenomenal standing tidal rapid) with John Lockwood, designer and owner of Pygmy Boats, to test out the Murrelet 4PD version 2 hull and the Pinguino 145 4PD at Skookumchuck narrows in BC. He had this to say about the Murrelet 4PD: "I found it quite different than any other kayak I've paddled. When you are about to get kicked off the wave and you're trying to power on, the Murrelet just takes off like a rocket and catches the wave. I loved it... The Murrelet is a very good all around kayak: a rolling kayak, you could race in it, you could camp in it, you can surf in it. It's an incredible kayak." Watch the video of Warren surfing:
Murrelet 4PD Specs: Length…… 17’ Beam……. 22” Height at Front of Cockpit…… 12”
Knee Height... 10.1"
Rear Cockpit Height... 7.9" Weight….. 36lbs Cockpit..…15.8”x33” or 17"x33" *Initial stability……10.5 Carrying capacity (vol.cu.ft)……12.00 **Efficient Cruising Wetted Surface in sq. ft……18.40 Loaded waterline length……14.9' ***Top cruising speed……5.36 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.
**Efficient cruising is a function of low frictional drag and low wetted surface. Lower WS means faster (less effort) cruising speeds, 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 4PD Features: Hull type… Multi-chine
Deck type…Our new 4 panel deck gives you the most room for gear storage of our Murrelet series. Featuring Pygmy’s new curved cockpit providing more knee height for added comfort and low rear cockpit for ease of rolling and re-entry. Best used for… Day touring, Expedition kayaking, Greenland style rolling Paddler experience level… Intermediate/Advanced Shoe size….Up to men’s 12 (depending on shoe and personal comfort) Cockpit size…15.8”x33 (also available with a standard touring cockpit opening of 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
