Hi Mike,
I think he was quite right about the pointy bit. If someone is coming at you in the surf with a pointy bow it can get downright hairy. Not only people, but also boats can get harmed. If you take it out in surf put a wooden ball on the end to make it a little more safe.
JohnK

: Hi All-

: I got my NH done except for the finish earlier in the summer, and have
: paddled it a bit. I originally did this out of necessity, but was glad
: afterward because I found I wanted to make a couple of changes. I'm back
: at it, and I'll get everything done except for the finish this weekend, so
: the last minute changes are under way.

: While paddling, I had an instructor say only half off-handedly, "You're
: going to spear somebody with that thing," motioning to the bow. I was
: thinking I was going to round it over more, but I was looking at it again,
: and looking at all of the photos on Nick's site, and it looks like my bow
: is rounded over about the same as other builders' Night Herons.

: I agree- it would really smart to get poked by the bow, but currently the
: stem piece is the leading edge of the bow, and if I rounded it over more
: it would expose the hull/deck seam, which seems to be a design
: characteristic and consequently somewhat unavoidable. So- can you other NH
: builders share your photos and experiences with this?

: Thanks-

: m