: I have Chris K's "Stitch & Glue Boatbuilding" and like the
: looks, etc of the North Bay. Seems to fit the bill as a fast performance
: boat suited to rolling.

: Has anyone here built one, or able to comment on the design, etc? 18'7"
: x 20" but the hard chines should give it some stability and low
: volume plus L vs B should mean high speed. Seems to be a precursor to the
: Arctic Hawk or Pax 18 of CLC.

: I'd be keen to see any pics of one or hear any opinions on performance,e tc.

: Thanks,
: Darren
: Melbourne, Australia

I built one a couple of years ago, from plans in that same book. It was fast and relatively low volume. It responded well to leaned turns, and had decent but not great secondary stability. It rolled just fine, though a lower back deck would have been better for layback rolls.
That last bit is true for most boats, though!

On the con side, it had very little initial stability, and was a pretty nervous ride in some conditions. It weathercocked, too, though not horribly. It was - as with many Greenland style kayaks - definitely not happy riding waves with a strong wind aft. And there was little leg room, of course.
Stowage was limited to the bow compartment.

I very much enjoyed my boat, but rarely had it out in big or confused waves. If I built another, and I wouldn't for me, I'd definitely add a skeg, use a much thinner seat and lower the back deck.

North Bays got a bad rep, on the internet, from a couple of vocal paddlers, but I don't think it is a bad boat. I do think a skeg, perhaps a retractable one (install it as you are building the boat!!), would cure most of its mostly minor vices.

BUT, if you're not married to S&G, you could build a Tom Yost designed Sea Rider in 1/4 of the time, for 1/4 of the price, and end up with a superior boat in most every respect. Nearly all of Tom's SOF designs can be built as wooden framed, non-folding kayaks in 2-3 weeks, for $150 US or less. And the Sea Rider and Sea Rover designs, at least, handle superbly and are perfect for rolling.
You can skin these boats with a variety of materials:canvas, nylon, polyester, the PVC Tom recommends, or even transparent vinyl.

You, being from the land of enormous sharks and saltwater crocs, might want to avoid the invisible boat look, though.

Anyway, complete building instructions and many designs can be found here - for free!: www.yostwerks.com

Here's a pic of my old North Bay, in any case:

Good luck!
Dave Gentry