Black Pearl is based on the east Greenland kayaks from the late 20th century – narrower, lower, with more overhangs and a straighter sheer, less deadrise and more flare than the western types. These were overall faster (particularly against the wind) and maneuvered better. With less initial stability it was a demanding craft. In eastern Greenland seals were hunted from kayaks until a couple of decades ago and the tradition is unbroken.

My take on this is a kayak lacking most characteristic qualities – meaning a kayak that is not stable nor unstable, not directionally stable nor maneuverable, not fast nor slow – but a kayak subtly following the paddlers intentions. No “kayak feel” between the paddler and the sea, no built in safety margin that saves the erring paddler and little mass to compromise fast maneuvering – a very reliable kayak.

Black Pearl is long, following Greenlandic tradition with length three times the height of the paddler. The waterline length is relatively short with sloping stems – resulting in good maneuverability at low speeds and good directional stability at higher speeds, when bow and stern waves climb the stems. Top speed is good for a Greenland kayak but does not match the full-ended archipelago kayaks like Nomad or Najad.

The narrow waterline means a tippy kayak. Total beam is hip width plus four fingers for a rolling kayak or eight fingers for a touring kayak: approximatively 46-52 cm. My own Black Pearl is 559 cm x 48 cm and 21,5 cm high in front of the cockpit (I am 185 cm tall, weigh 80 kg and wear size 43/US9.5 shoes). Because of the narrow beam, initial stability is low and a novice or someone used to wide commercial kayaks will have a nervous first trip. But with a good secondary it is easy to get used to the movements – and in waves there is a pleasant surprise: waves do not affect a ‘tippy’ kayak as much as a ‘stable’ one. When surfing, Black Pearl settles in its own wave system and becomes stable and easily handled.

Black Pearl maneuvers superbly. The almost flat bottom (5° deadrise), the hard chines and the short waterline length means that the kayak is easy to turn and reacts instantly to leans and weight shifts. The low deck takes some getting used to, but after a while there are some benefits – the comfort of needing no tight padding against the knees, hips, back etc and working with the knees as a additional power source for the strokes.

The deck aft is very low and flat to facilitate layback rolls.

When choosing Black Pearl you should be a reasonably experienced paddler and interested in developing skills in rolling, kayak acrobatics, exploring rock gardens, day touring etc. An ambitious novice with patience and perseverance might use Black Pearl as a crash course to advanced paddling.