Nick, my idea with Black Pearl is a kayak that has no built-in properties, by which I mean the behavior of the kayak is the paddlers responsibility: the kayak itself is not stable nor unstable, not fast nor slow, nor maneuverable nor strong tracking, but follows the paddlers every intention so precisely and quickly that it becomes an extension of the paddler. This means that there is no excess volume or weight to compromise control in wind and waves. It is extremely maneuverable when needed on wave fronts or in slow speed in rock gardens but it gains some tracking when needed in speed. The initial stability is surprisingly good for such a low and narrow hull, but not to the extent of allowing waves to lean the kayak against your will – enough to relax on a static brace but not to impede rolling.
To get something that complex I have to refine the hull for the individual builder/paddler – and my reference is the way my own prototype behaves with me. I do this by adjusting the hull dimensions until the resulting calculations matches those for me in my Black Pearl – with the ultimate goal to let the paddler interact directly with the sea without the kayak interfering. A paddlers kayak.
My other kayaks are more "normal" in this respect: a healthy margin on all dimensions takes the demand for precision out of the design and adds some built-in properties that might be appreciated by some, and disliked by other.
You might find Frey or Njord interesting alternatives...
But just a week ago I shipped a Black Pearl to a Finnish gentleman of 85 – the third kayak of mine he build ;-)