Paul- I adapted the drawings from the Great Auk to make a skin on frame boat. It is a very roomy boat (I'm also ~210, 6') and tracks well. I haven't had it in anything too rough, but it seems to handle waves well. I find the initial stability a little low, but the secondary stability is fine. It isn't a particularly fast boat. Its not difficult to paddle and I can keep up with the group, but it just seems a little tubby, which isn't surprising considering the beam. I don't know how much of the original design may have changed in my adaptation to the skin boat, or how much the skin construction would change its handling, but I'm looking at a narrower boat for my next project.
: As a newbie, have been trying to find out as much as possible about the Great Auk design before committing the garage to building one.