The Night Heron line is an evolutionary branch of the Guillemots, but Nick took a look back at Greenland Inuit boats for some of the hull shaping inspiration. This boat brings the volume of the hull out towards the ends more for a higher prismatic coefficient. This gives it good efficiency at faster speeds. It has fairly hard chines with no concave sections. A slight lean will allow the boat to turn easily. The low back deck permits the paddler to lean back so their head touches the back deck. The foredeck is high enough that most paddlers will be able to get their legs in and out while sitting down. If you need more room for your legs you should look at the High Deck Night Heron.
This boat has been widely admired for its beauty, with an example accepted in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art, 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 it is not scary to paddle. Even novice paddlers quickly get comfortable. The boat tracks well with good balance and is quite fast. It is very easy to roll and perform various braces.
You can easily compare our boat kits for stability, rowing and sailing performance, payload, and ease of construction. Additional comparisons may include cockpit room or transport options if applicable.
Select a category and then click on Narrow Selection.
Check boxes next to the boats you wish to compare.
Select to Hide Profile Photos and Hide Line Drawings.
Click on the Compare Boats button.
A page will appear that shows a set of gauges for each boat you have selected showing their ratings. You can compare these gauges to help determine which boat is best suited for your needs.
Please note that not all boats have performance gauges.
Window Size Requirements:
If you are building the Night Heron indoors, make sure you've got this much room to get it out when you're done (measurements in inches):