I knew that building this sea kayak would cut into my paddling time. What I didn't count on was the paddling time lost after construction answering questions from envious paddlers in plastic boats.
I hadn't seen a strip built kayak in Australia before and it seems few of the paddlers I have met here in Canberra or on the coast have seen one either. In fact my only contact with other strippers has been through this bulletin board.
I am most impressed with how well the Night Heron tracks, how easily it turns and how well it handles choppy conditions. On a very windy day with white topped waves on Tuross Lake, paddling with, against or across the waves felt much safer than I would have expected from a 20" wide kayak. The waves were big enough to surf on with about 1/4 normal paddling effort, yet even sitting sideways with the occasional wave breaking onto the spraydeck felt safe enough.