Ralph,

I am currently building a 16.5' Merganser designed by Eric Shade. This is my first kayak project (many more to follow). The looks of the Merganser are similar to the North bay, with the exception of the deck. The Marganser deck is constructed of four panels vs. one. So far the tricky spots have been reaching into the bow and stern to join panels because the taper so drastically. I can't comment on ease of building a more vertical bow and stern such as the chesapeake, but while the long tapered ends of the Merganser require some fiddling to adjust and line up, it is by no means prohibitive.

Hope this helps...whichever you choose, I'm sure it will be a fun project.

Angela