Boatbuilding Classes

Build Your Own Stitch & Glue Night Heron

Location: Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking - Manchester, Connecticut
Dates: Jan 16, 2010 - Jan 21, 2010

School Info: Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking
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A development of the original Guillemot line, the Night Heron family of kayaks are the result of Nick Schade's ventures into rougher paddling conditions. The Greenland Inuit influence is more explicitly evident with sharper, more angular end shapes, lower back decks, and more steeply raked cockpit profile.

The stitch-and-glue Night Heron has been widely admired for its beauty, but that does not detract from its on-the-water performance where it is fast and efficient and surfs very easily. It is a secure boat in rough water and responds well playing in the surge of rock gardens.

At 20" wide this is a narrow boat.  However, even novice paddlers get comfortable quickly. The boat tracks well with good balance and is quite fast. It is very easy to roll and perform various braces.

Like the strip version of the Night Heron, this S&G version is at home out on the open water and exploring the shores of distant islands. As drawn, it has the exact same profile shape of the lower deck version of the strip-built Night Heron. As built it tends to track a little more stiffly due to a slight sharper "V" at the stem and stern. Due to the plywood construction this version has the more defined "hard" chine than the strip version. This makes the boat a little more responsive to edged turns. Otherwise the performance of the different version of the Night Herons are all quite similar.

The "chine" on the foredeck provides clearance to keep your paddle stroke entry close to the boat while paddling with a high or low paddle angle. It also provides room where you need it for your knees and feet.

The stitch-and-glue Night Heron has proven extremely popular with builders, thanks to the high performance, aggressive styling and great looks. Many builders adopt Nick's multi-color staining approach, with each of the jigsaw-puzzled parts a different hue. This is a neat stitch-and-glue kit, where Chesapeake Light Craft's CNC technology is taken to its logical conclusion, with intricate parts and fits all perfectly sorted out. Holes for wire stitches are drilled in advance.

Here are some photos from last year's class.