I have posted this review under BUILDING rather than DESIGN as it is really intended for builders pondering what to build next.

THE NORTH STAR - Cedar Strip Baidarka
Designer Rob Macks - http://laughingloon.com
I posted a full photographic record of the North Star build on my website. http://etiennemuller.com

Background: I have built 15 boats of various kinds over the years. None of us are getting any younger. I hit fifty this year. I have lived in Sneem , South Kerry, Ireland, for thirty years now.

Yes I built the boat myself, and no, I didn't run into any problems, although I did take some liberties with Rob Macks's instructions, which by the way were very good. The North Star is a little more complex to build in the details than other strip kayaks though.

Regarding appearance: This boat makes all the others look mundane. Photos just do not do it justice. At any gathering there is always a crowd gathered around it gawking.

Overall: I have used The North Star for an entire summer now and covered a lot of miles and have had it out in some fairly rough conditions. The boat is rock solid and will move sideways when hit by a side wave rather than rock and roll. Very good for confidence.

Not the fastest boat I have, but certainly fast enough. I have had no trouble keeping up with carbon fiber speed machines while out at touring speeds in groups. On one day I was paddling along chatting away to someone beside me in a NordCap and realized I was getting no response. He was CONCENTRATING HARD. I had been unaware that the conditions had become a little gnarly and that some paddlers in other boats were having to keep their wits about them. A measure of the NS’s forgiving nature. When it gets rough I believe a forgiving boat is actually faster and less stressful (tiring) for the average paddler.

Upwind: the boat rides over waves rather than punching through them. In short choppy seas this causes a bit of slap on the descent, slowing the boat momentarily and causing splash in windy conditions. A little more depth with some V in the forefoot might eliminate this altogether, (but then would it be a baidarka?) I have found that paddling the North Star a few degrees off the wind transforms the ride into a very pleasing rolling motion, and dry, with a marked increase in the sensation of speed. Tracking is not a problem at any angle when paddling into the wind. In slightly longer seas she is a pleasure, riding high and feeling very buoyant.

Downwind: The boat catches even small waves really easily and if you then lean back will track very nicely down the wave. A quarter of the paddle-blade in the water alongside braced against the gunwale as a makeshift rudder will stop the boat from rounding up in larger waves. Try not to catch a crab! I have not tried it in a surf break yet. The NS also turns easily enough and tracks very well on auto-pilot. I have never used a rudder or a skeg so I am not an authority. A small skeg may be a useful addition if one is used to using one. As it is I find the boat goes more or less where I point it without having to be consciously corrected for weather-cocking all the time. Considering the amount of rocker in the keel the North Star is surprisingly well behaved in regard to tracking. The level of V in the keel as well as the buoyant ends probably contribute to this. This boat is really great downwind.

Speed: I kayaked back from Waterville to Sneem in the spring (very calm conditions) with a friend. I was in the North Star. He was in my Nimrod Two. A leisurely paddle got us home in one minute under 5 hours on the water. a distance of 35 km. (7 km per hour). The Nimrod is slightly slower than the NS. I would think that a steady 7.5 km/p/h would be possible hour after hour without busting a gut. I have a faster boat but it is more tippy. I should add that In following seas she moves very quickly.

Fun element: I have to say that I am getting out a lot and really enjoying the boat. I have six other boats at the moment and haven't used any of them since I built the NS a year ago. It is a lovely boat which feels great on the water, giving a lovely motion and alive ride, especially if it gets rough. The boat also attracts a LOT of attention, which is always nice. Worth the bit of extra work in the details. So far my funnest kayak. To date I have never duplicated a build. I am considering building a second Northy Star.

Optimum paddler size: The North Star is a buoyant boat. I am 220 pounds and it rides about perfectly in the water with me and a day-pack in it. An extra 100 pounds of luggage would probably improve its performance for touring, improving tracking even more. The boat has a fair amount of rocker and a smaller person may find that the built-in-skeg-effect is lost if the boat floats too high in the water.

For a smaller person the smaller Rob Macs Fire Star may be a better bet.
I'd love to see a Fire Star in the flesh, and be able to compare it to the North Star.

The Shooting Star, apparently, it is a totally different concept and intended for a different function.

I posted a full photographic record of the North Star build on my website. http://etiennemuller.com