I'm your size and weight, and paddled the Night Heron at the Newfound Rendezvous. I liked the boat, since it does have a playful nature as Nick suggests. However, I found it's handling to be a bit unusual. It's by far the most maneuverable 18' boat I've ever been in. In fact, it's THE most maneuverable wood kayak I've paddled (though I hear that the Guillemots are similar). I found that I could easily spin the NH 120 or more degrees with a single sweep stroke, as the bow and stern lift and plane on the surface of the water as the boat rotates. It's an odd, but interesting feeling. The downside to this is that I found the tracking to be somewhat vague. It didn't weathercock, but the bow hunts around as you paddle and the entire boat tends to slide sideways over the water when pushed by a beam wind. With a 170 pound paddler, the NH seems to ride very high in the water, which probably accounts for the handling characteristics.

I'll be the first one to admit that a different paddling technique (higher angle, shorter strokes) would probably eliminate the hunting. A heavier paddler may not experience the same planing effects that I did. To its credit the NH does posses a surprising degree of stability for a 20" wide boat. It picked up and surfed on 6" wind swell, much to my delight. The cockpit is very roomy. And let's not forget, the lines of the NH are really sweet.

I've decided to build an Outer Island instead, as it suits my current needs better, but I can't get the Night Heron out of my mind. Who knows, there may be one in my future...