"Night Heron" Kayak

Nick Schade is an American artist and designer working primarily in kayak and boat construction, employing advanced composite materials and parametric design principles. His practice bridges functional engineering with sculptural form, creating vessels that operate simultaneously as precision watercraft and aesthetic objects. Based in the northeastern United States, Schade has developed proprietary techniques in carbon fiber and epoxy lamination that have influenced contemporary small-craft design. His work explores the intersection of hydrodynamic performance, material innovation, and hand-fabrication in an era of industrial production.