Night Hawk 16

The Nighthawk has handled well in all conditions along the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine as far north as the Schoodic Peninsula, portaging among rivers and lakes in the Adirondacks in strong currents and windy, wavy conditions in the ocean and on lakes. It cuts and glides through the water, paddles with ease and has proven to be stable and reliable.

Pros: fast, super aggressive handling, low volume, massive hatches, triple-thickness bulkheads, easy to roll, smooth skegbox. Very dry ride on Lake Michigan with no weathercocking or slap.

Cons: Had issues with the coaming but that was repaired by the dealer. Purchased at Canoecopia 2016 as a discontinued model The seat is uncomfortable- the backband, that is. Adding an aftermarket one seemed to make it much more pleasant. Small keyhole cockpit may not accommodate all size paddlers, especially over 5'10" or who have big feet. Fine with me lol- nobody can borrow this boat.

Other boats owned- Necky Zoar, Point65 Whisky, Hurricane Santee, Valley Nordkapp (stolen), an assortment of Tupperware boats for rivers and WW. Paddled with an Epic large blade touring paddle and a Greenland paddle my dad made me :)

I love this kayak. It is sleek, easy to paddle, fast and has great secondary stability. It is a perfect boat for short women because you can have the seat padded to fit your body. I am one with this boat and will paddle it anywhere. It is also lightweight and has lots of hatch space for long trips.

I have had this boat out for several trips to area lakes. Most of these lakes only allow <20hp. When paddling before I had PWC's run in rings around me trying to swamp my wife and I. In the NH16 this would never be a problem, the boat seems to bob over waves, cutting through and adjusting as it goes over. The tracking is excellent, and I have been paddling for 4hr sessions even racing a sailboat one day. I have become more accustomed to leaning on the turn, and find getting in and out with the straddle mount easier. Soon plan to start learning to roll with it. Great boat!

I love this boat. Feels more comfortable than any other boat I have paddled. Tracks great. Rolls beautifully. Plenty of room for a trip of 6 days easy. One of the best looking boats out there too. It takes plenty of abuse and does not show it. Great kayak!

I never thought I'd give a 10 in a review, but this boat demands it. Unlike many sea kayaks, this is not a Greenland or British design, so it has a different feel. It's an all-American, Pacific NW design.

The first time this becomes apparent is when you hoist it to your shoulder and feel the bow tip. The seat is set back from the center of gravity. The bow is plumb, giving you more waterline and speed than the average 16' boat will deliver. The decks are low, minimizing wind resistence and weathercocking. Attention to detail is quite evident. There are recesses for carry handles. They fit under deck lines into these recesses, so they don't flop around.

The outfitting goes beyond comfortable. While the seat back is a bit high for laying back, I'm relectant to replace it because it feels quite good underway. The boat readily leans to the edge for sharp carving. The low deck and generous thigh pads make j-leans, rolls, etc. a breeze.

Storage isn't ample, but that's not the intent of the boat. You don't buy a Ferrari to haul luggage.

Fit and finish are exquisite. Eddyline builds a strong boat. May be the best boat I've ever paddled.

I test paddled a white 2005 Carbonlite 2000 with drop down skeg, non-flush rubber covered hatches and clear plastic bulkheads that let a lot more light into the hatches. It is supposed to weigh about 50 lbs and it felt like that was about right.

I paddled it in two sessions for a total of about 45 minutes to an hour (I also test paddled a Dagger Sojourn solo canoe and a Wenonah Sandpiper solo canoe).

I'm 5'6" and about 150 lbs with size 8.5 shoes and the cockpit on the Nighthawk 16 fit me GREAT! I didn't make any adjustments. The keyhole shape allows for easy entry and exit. The boat can also be shoulder carried on both shoulders by sticking your head through the narrow part of the keyhole (facing the stern) and resting the sides of the keyhole on your shoulders. The thigh braces and footpegs were especially pleasing. The thigh braces make a lot of contact and seemed to be placed perfect for me. The foot pegs are nice and big and positioned well for me and didn't feel any pressure points and they felt solid. The seat and back band felt great too. I was amazed how well this boat fit me and how comfortable it felt. I wasn't in it very long today, but it felt like I would be comfortable in it for several hours.

Test Paddle on a small lake with flat water and light breeze: Speed: I was pleased with it's accelleration and cruising speed even though I didn't have any other kayaks there to compare it to. I was using a 220cm Bending Branches Spirt carbon paddle with Day blade and it seemed to be a nice match for the Nighthawk 16. My expectation is that it would be fast enough to allow me to keep up well enough with my paddling partners who paddle 16 and 17' kayaks. Surprisingly, when I got out of the Nighthawk and into my Lotus BJX 16'6" solo canoe, I was able to move it along almost as fast as the Nighthawk, but the Nighthawk is much more maneuverable and secure feeling. Handling: The initial stability may seem a little twitchy to some paddlers, but it felt fine to me (about the same as my Phoenix Isere) and the secondary stability seemed very solid and I was able to carve turns quite nicely with it on edge. I found it to have a very nice combination of tracking and stability. In the conditions that I was paddling, the boat didn't need the skeg and I liked paddling it better without it deployed. The skeg deployed smoothly and the slider was easy to reach and operate.

I really like the fit and handling of this boat.

Outfitting: I didn't have much time to pay attention to the fit and finish and outfitting other than the cockpit and footbraces. The hatch covers on this model aren't flush, so you'll probably get spray in the face when waves come over the bow. The footpegs adjust very easily while in the boat and feel very solid and comfortable. The backband felt great. The hard molded seat seemed contoured nicely seemed like it would be just fine as is or with a thin foam pad. The clear plastic bulkheads are a nice touch and let a lot more light into the storage area. I didn't think there was a kayak out there that would fit me this well right off the shelf.

The Nighthawk fits me much better than my Phoenix Isere and Old Town Castine and my friend's Prijon Kodiak and Barracuda and I think I prefer it's handling to those boats as well.

I am really tempted to buy one of these now, but I'm going to test paddle some other models first for comparison. Also, I'd have to sell three or four other boats to afford it.

Has anyone out there purchased one of the Nighthawk 16's that have defective (read non-working) skegs? Unwittingly, I bought one. The dealer told me the kayak was used, (practically new) but that the previous owner had decided he wanted something else. I have no recollection the dealer telling me the skeg was defective. Apparently Eddyline sold these particular kayaks to dealers at a reduced price, with understanding (?) dealers would in turn tell their customers. Now I am left without a working skeg, and Eddyline has told me it would be very difficult to get the skeg working right, without returning it to the factory. They do not intend to do that. I'd appreciate hearing from any other Nighthawk owners who had, or have this problem. Sure, I can use the kayak, but I'd really like a working skeg too.

2001 Nighthawk in Carbonlite. 16' x 22" @48lbs. I've owned a fiberglass Falcon 18 for some time now and wanted a training boat that offered excellent performance and was a little more durable than fiberglass. I also wanted a second "buddy" boat that most anyone could paddle. The Nighthawk 16 is the perfect boat. The appearance is beautiful and rugged. The carbonlite is an ideal material, it looks like fiberglass, but is as durable as poly but lighter and stiffer. The boat tracks very well skeg up and excellent with it down. Maneuverability is exceptional. Rolling is easy. At 22" wide, initial stability is very good, most anyone can paddle this craft, although a beginner will consider it tippy. Secondary stability is also very good. It leans quite easily and again, turning ability it great. Personally I prefer hulls of a rudderless design, but I am learning to enjoy the benefits of the retractable skeg. The boat handled rough open seas in an exceptional manner and sill had a pretty good glide for it's size. Cargo capabilities are suitable for trips of several days if needed. I am mostly involved with sprint style races, but for every day use, the Nighthawk carbonlite in my opinion is the best choice for a 16' kayak for the novice to the advanced intermediate paddler. If they made the Falcon 18 in carbonlite, that would be a perfect everyday boat for the advanced int. to the expert.

I bought one of the first modulus boats available, after paddling the carbonlite model. The light weight (about 42 pounds) is great. The kevlar interior is smooth and beautiful, and I love the way the boat tracks in wind and waves. However, I got fairly severe leakage amidships from the seams, and both the forward and aft hatches were noticeably off-center, a cosmetic problem only, but I'm particular. The company did reseal the seams at no cost, and I've seen no leaking since. All-in-all, I like the boat a lot, but it's not a 10.

Took this boat out and ran into high (25 knts +) wind about 1.5 miles out. The boat did not want to turn into the wind (no surprise), but once there, it tracked like a champ. I raised the skeg to see what would happen. The tracking all the way home was wonderful--all that was required was a little kneeing.

Very comfortable, adjustable seat. I was able to keep my hands down and use a lot of body rotation fighting the wind back home. Did not ding my thumbs on the coaming. Pearling into the waves splashed my face some. Boat felt stable. Rear hatch was dry; did not check front hatch. Seas really were not big enough to test their waterproofness (?). Deck line hardware fittings were smooth on the inside of the hatches. Able to carry it comfortably on my shoulder. Concerns: at 10 cubic feet, not very much cargo space.