Mark,
I see we paddle some of the same waters. If you want a closer look at an RBA and NA, I doubt we are far apart.

Larry C.

: 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