JRR Tolkien had a thing about older works of man being better than more recent. then again, his life's work, other some fine literature we all enjoy, was teaching Beowulf to Oxford students.

In the real world, we no longer fly in planes with Sitka spars, and the mantra "stronger, lighter, faster and better" is usually served.

The Swift Heron was the seventh in Davis Yost's Solo Tripper series, the fifth "full sized" one. It was 15 ft long, 12.5 deep at center, and had bubble sided tumblehome, rails 26", max beam 29, waterline 27" with symmetrical rocker of 1.5".

I never noticed it being light/tippy/whatever. It didn't sell well in Canada, being considered too small for those preferring poutine to yoga. The smaller 14.5'
Loon went nowhere at all in the early 90s.

Times change more than hulls. The new Keewaydin 15 is 15 ft long, 12.5" deep amidships, with bubble sided tumblehome, rails 25.5", max beam 29.5", waterline 26.5 with asymmetrical, stepped rocker, 2" bow, 1" stern. Roughly the same boat, with less arch in the quarters and more and differential and stepped rocker. Kee is more stable, faster and more maneuverable than Heron, but they are basically the same boat, tweaked a little as the designer has experimented and learned. The even newer Kee 14 is, similarly, not very far removed from the older Loon, but selling like hotcakes in December to smaller solo paddlers who have felt ignored by the marketplace. ?

Swift has recently moved their sliding seat into the options list, which is a good thing. It optimizes function, allowing easy trim adjustment, for sitting paddlers, but is flat and a little low for those of us who kneel.

So why the current success of hulls that didn't flourish two decades ago? I think we're taking shorter trips than we used to with better, lighter and more compact gear. Stick skills have improved a little, and yoga studios are proliferating. ?? Swifts adjustable solo portage yoke will probably fit that Heron pretty well. I prefer Chosen Valley Pads because they are lighter, dry faster and offer width adjustment. Best install wheel nuts for instant adjustment.