: I'm considering building either the Chesapeake 17 or the 17LT. I know the LT
: is a lower volume version of the 17, but what performance differences
: should I expect? Is it less stable?

Adam, The LT will act the same in the water as the 17 except for windage,(less). The LT is still a big persons boat in some ways, in other words you will put the same amount of boat down in the water with the 17 as with the LT17. So if you plan on paddling in high winds putting some ballast in is a good idea. You don't define what you mean by performance differences. Given your weight you will not be inclined to crank the boat over on it's side to make quick turns but that's ok. Should that be a desirable performance characteristic then the 16 is still plenty big. The Chesapeakes like to balance in a particular range that I would call stable, to take them on edge comfortably requires a big load. I'd recommend glassing the deck. I've seen some LTs with cracks at the deck where the hatch reinforcement strip meets the sheer clamp. Putting a little fillet of epoxy bridging the underside of the hatch reinforcemtn with the sheer clamp will take care of that.