Thanks to everyone for your comments. Lots of good thoughts here. I'd never looked at the Auk family, thinking they were the opposite direction of what I was wanting to go. The RBA does look like a great middle ground between what I have now and what I was thinking of, and a couple of you make good arguments for taking more incremental steps in the go-fast direction. I'm still torn however. A good part of looking to build another boat was the desire for something really different. I'm a woodworker by trade, so I'm not looking to build another boat just so I'll have something to build--to justify the effort it has to be a very different creature than what I currently have. I usually drive 20 miles to Lake Ontario to paddle and the NH does well there. A boring jaunt on the flat, confined Erie Canal, just 2 miles from my house, got me thinking about a racing boat. I've also got a friend who races canoes that's been bugging me to bring my kayak along to some of the races he goes to. I've got a few good rolls and a drysuit, so the lack of stability is actually part of the attraction .... new skills to learn? mid-life crisis?

Still, that RBA does sure look like a good all-around boat...I guess I'm still undecided.

What I really want to know are the nuances of the racing stripe theory (law?) of Etteine. Can I just put decal pin stripes on my Night Heron and get out of building another boat or do they have to be wood strips?

Mark