At least the ones I have photos of Editing Note- When I started building the Night Heron in 2014, I had no idea that I would do a blog about the experience. These posts are recalling the build from memory with a few photos. To recap, I took pictures while I was building the boat…
Night Heron
Hitting the deck
Another change in stapling I would use is to make sure the staples are lined up. Many times, the staple would be slightly angled. This had the effect of making the staple line look a little wider. It’s a small detail but it’s all part of learning. If I had it do over again, I’d…
Setting up the frame…while building a boat
A hybrid-type kayak (two types of construction techniques) still use forms for the deck, they’re just set up a little differently. The Great Auk used a strong back with forms that shaped the complete boat. The Night Heron uses the hull to hold the forms. That’s why it was so critical to set the workspace…
Finishing the Hull
Once the hull forms were fastened firmly to the work surface and the hull was trued up, it was time to re-enforce the plywood joints. Using the recommended technique, I mixed a couple of ounces of marine epoxy then added wood flour to the epoxy. Wood flour is finely ground sawdust that is used to…
Starting the hull
The Night Heron hull is assembled using the stitch and glue technique. You literally stitch the pieces of the boat together using wire. The hull panels came pre-cut and also were pre-drilled for the wire to be thread through. I failed to get good pictures here, posting about building the boat had not even crossed…
Setting up the workspace and getting started with the hull
The Night Heron is formed a little different than most other kayak builds. Instead of using forms on a strongback, the Heron is started with forms sitting flat. This is kind of hard to explain but here goes. This is an example of the use of a strongback. It’s how the Great Auk is formed….
Why I chose the Night Heron
I started the kit selection process by digging through Chesapeake Light Craft’s website. I knew I wanted something longer than a recreation-length boat (13-14′). And something pretty fast. After narrowing down the choices, I emailed CLC and got a quick response from John Harris, the owner. He recommended the 18′ Night Heron. He also suggested…
Night Heron
When I first decided to upgrade my kayak I had no idea it would lead me through some wonderful yet challenging projects. I built the Night Heron in 2014, taking some photos along the way. But certainly no other documenting of the build. When I started the African Queen 18, “blogging” about the process as…
Night Heron
This is our 18′ Night Heron built in 2014 from a kit sold by Chesapeake Light Craft and designed by Nick Schade. It took about 125 hours to build and weighs 52lbs. It is a hybrid design; the hull is okume plywood and the deck is cedar strip. It also has an extended deck height….