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.

The first few posts are the most recent. The older posts start from the beginning.

Most Recent Posts

The final documented steps
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 …
Hitting the deck
Looking at the stern forward. Since this was my first build, I used the suggested staple technique to hold the plank in place. This allowed …
  • Night Heron
    by David
    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…
  • Why I chose the Night Heron
    by David
    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…
  • Setting up the workspace and getting started with the hull
    by David
    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…
  • Starting the hull
    by David
    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…
  • Finishing the Hull
    by David
    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….

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