I am on the Heron River here in Ann Arbor, MI and am looking to build either the Night Heron or the Petrel so that I can paddle against a 3 to 4 mph current up river and generally do some rec kayaking. I will probably use it in Lake St. Clair also and some lakes that will be several miles across. I think the characteristics of the Petrel are more what I want, but being 190 lbs, 5 ft, 9 in. with size 10 shoe, I want to make sure I will have a comfortable cockpit.

I am using a Perception Corsica S river runner and the cockpit is comfortable, but probably slightly small for a long trip. I felt the same was about the P&H Scorpio LV. I have used the Tsunami 140 and felt that it was "too roomy".

With that description, can anyone give me a feeling about the Night Heron and the Petrel? How about a comparison of cockpit room between the Night Heron and the Petrel?