I have now had my Peregrine on a couple of extended trips. One was on large lakes in the Temagami region of Ontario (eight days) and another in Everglades National Park (eight days)
My Peregrine is a 2008 model in the expedition layup. I bought it for extended trips that might involve dropping the canoe by accident on sharp rock and lining for portage-less areas. I needed something tougher than a Kevlar only layup.
It is pleasant to be able to cruise at 4 mph effortlessly. Leaned to the rail, it turns almost in its own length. I used it on the Noble Hammock water trail in Florida which has a couple of hundred turns on itself in two miles.
A couple of complaints. The stern is sticky. When the boat started to swing off downwind on the Gulf of Mexico, it took some sharp stern draws to kick it back in line... Weighting forward helped but the paddle reach is therefore father. Peregrine could probably use some more stern rocker.
Mine is a two tone boat. The tape that delineates the white from the green came off with the first rub against a rock. Frankly I would rather dispense with the tape. However the delineation of white and green is far from straight and has a uncomfortable wave in it. I would not reorder a two tone color combo, but the white bottom does hide scratches.
Flipping the hull over reveals there is a small hog in the keelline. In theory that should affect performance but all it does is make me not worry about scratches in the boat. Its not a perfect boat so I will wilderness trip without worrying about ruining it.
I have the Ed's bucket seat. Its well worth the price.
The Peregrine that I own is a fiberglass/kevlar version which according to the paperwork from Hemlock Canoe, weighs 35 lbs. The canoe is a pleasure to paddle and so pleasing to the eye with the beautifully crafted wooden gunwales, thwarts and decks. It is deceptively fast and carves a nice turn.
I've paddled this canoe on small rivers, canals, ponds and large lakes. It handles all these conditions without any problems. I've had it loaded with gear and a dog and it still paddles fine. I haven't had it out on a large lake with sizeable waves yet. It is a good dog boat especially if the dog can sit just in front of the paddler.
I paddled a Merlin II previously and the Peregrine seems to have better initial stability and tracks better. If I get tired of kneeling I can sit and still feel stable. I use a Zaveral paddle and am able to use the hit and switch method for speed or just paddle on one side with a modified J stroke. This is a very versatile boat that paddles well with or without a load. It is heavier than the Merlin but much more durable so I really can't complain.
I have spent 30 years paddling a 15ft. Grumman believing that I was pretty good at it. My leap to a solo canoe was rooted in a strong desire to do some Adirondack tripping and needing a boat light enough for those 2 and 3 mile portages I envisioned. I did not do extensive research on solos but I was aware of this guy in Hemlock, NY that built canoes. Meeting Dave Curtis I found a man who possessed strong opinions on design, construction methods, and materials. Being a woodworker myself this pleased me, (one should have conviction to their craft). After a 4 hour test paddle on Canadice Lake I told Dave to build my premium hull peregrine.
That was one year and hundreds of paddled miles ago. In that time I have learned that I really am good at this and lament not having jumped to a dedicated solo years ago. Mine is about 34lbs. and performs as advertised, (a great lake tripper). I am 5'-8" 162lbs. and prefer kneeling with a single blade straight shaft paddle. On a recent lake trip carrying 65lbs. of gear I was surprised to have covered 13 miles in 4 hours of casual paddling. This included a portage around a dam and several stops because fellow paddlers wanted to admire my canoe. The same trip had miles of wilderness river with hairpin turns, log jams, and beaver dams all negotiated without difficulty. This canoe has performed beyond my expectations, secretively fast, maneuverable enough, and light. I would give it a 10 if I believed perfection by humans was possible.