Petrel

I don't even know if VCP still makes this little wonder, but it (to me) was a really slick design to suit my needs. As a shorter boat, ole Stan over at GRO in Waterford, MI recommended me against it for a flat-water boat mostly because he is partial to the big water boats. However, for someone like me that loves to find them out of the way places in rivers not much wider than your average country two-trek fire trail, or that often manages to paddle back into that swampy corner of the local mud pool that they try to call a lake, it is supreme.

Fiberglass construction - it has surprising central stability although a bit shakier than a full length sea kayak, and surprisingly has a sturdy critical stability point. It is also surprisingly high riding on the water - only having an inch or two under when I was in it by myself and about 2"-3" when I was fully loaded for a fishing trip. Up to the test with other larger VCP boats, it has the same style (albeit smaller) waterproof bulkheads and similar options available such as a map net and rudder option. Price range back in the mid nineties was around $1200 u.s. - if you like that small and bendy stretches of water with lots of obstacles but not a lot of splash - I would recommend you snap one of these buggers up if you get the chance to happen upon one...