John's Night Heron

Varnishing
Four coats of varnish was all I could stand.  There are a few areas that could have used a fifth or sixth coat, but it will get that in a year or two.  The Yakima footbraces are installed and the bulkhead seal is curing as I varnish.  

Impatient to complete the project, I hung the boat so both the hull and deck could be varnished in the same sessions.    Every spare light was used to help me see what I was missing!
On the final coat, an inspector followed me around the boat to point out the holidays and runs as I varnished so I could quickly correct the problems.

Deck Rigging
I've been quite pleased with the deck rigging in my other boats.  So again I went with rigging behind the cockpit that can hold paddle blades for rescue and for deck storage.  The hatch covers each have a tab of nylon webbing that make opening the hatch an easy task.

The stern has shock cords that can hold a spare Euro paddle shaft or Greenland paddle.  I used Greenley style webbing loop padeyes to hold the shock cord rigging.

The webbing padeyes fit through slots in the deck.  The webbing loops are anchored under the deck to a small wood base that is sealed with silicon to the underside of the deck to form a water-tight seal.

On the front deck, two pairs of 1/4" shock cords can hold navigation gear. 

A paddle park along side the cockpit allows convenient paddle storage.  The paddle is placed along the shear between the shock cord and hook, and the shock cord is pulled over the paddle and hooked.

Rope handles are on each end for carrying and attaching lines during rooftop transport.

Inside the Cockpit
The backrest is approximately 4" tall and 11" wide, held in place with webbing and shock cord.  It allows good back movement during paddling or rolling.

A minicel foam seat and thigh braces were installed.  The shock cord (3/16") loop inside each side of the cockpit is for storing a sponge or water bottle. 

Under the front deck, two pairs of shock cord are attached to store a hand pump and inflatable paddle float.  

Once again, my car still fits into the garage.  That's a Night Heron, Spring Run, Guillemot, Chesapeake 17LT and Old Town Camper.  Hey, there's room for one more!