: I paddle mostly in bays & tidal waters. I like a strong
: tracking boat, because I also like to do "distance"
: paddling on rivers & lakes. I figure that any strip-built
: hull would probably be a little "looser" than my
: Hybrid's? I'm looking at the Outer Island.

Try to 'grab a ride' in an Outer Island before you commit to building one .
There is a commercial version of the OI on the market; I don't know if it differs from the strip version.

I've got an OI - it is 'strong tracking' IMO, but I'm not sure it would meet some of your other criteria - for me, it doesn't have a very strong secondary stability characteristic compared to other boats I've paddled like the NDK Romany or any of the Mariners. With the latter boats, I can feel a definite area where the boat 'wants to edge' and can hang there easily. With the OI, it's a pretty smooth transition 'all the way over', so I have to pay attention a lot more.
A look at the lines of a boat like the Romany (flat, 90 deg side chines) or the Siskiwit (flat chines with flare) vs the OI (curvy) seems to explain some of the paddling feel.
(BTW, the SeaKayaker magazine lines tend to 'round over' chine transitions, so keep that in mind if you are looking there...).
The OI is a beautiful looking boat, fast as well. Rolls easily.
All boats are compromises- if you want a fast, strong tracking boat, it's unlikely to be a lot of fun when you are navigating a twisty area or practicing maneuvering strokes.
(That's why we need a 'fleet' of boats, I guess.... ;-) )