Ok, so I have two kayaks in Ontario that I built from Yostwerks plans (one glued and the other lashed) and was happy very happy with the way they paddled. Then I did three in Newfoundland, 1st with Instructables plans and by the forth no plans. Both were beautiful works of art. Unfortunately they where both very unstable (my own design better but still...) and didn't get used much at all. I did a fith one aswell, also my own design which I was very proud of. It was designed for someone for fishing. It was extremely stable (at 24" wide you could stand up in it) but I managed to preserve the very sleak, sporty profile (not boxxy) and somehow still maintained great secondary stability. It was to be outfitted with adjustable foot braces and comfortable seat so anyone could jump in and go. This design is not what I want for myself as I spend alot of time rolling. I am now in BC and very excited to start working on another but am desperately seeking the secret ingredient. I am not expecting to go on weekend trips, just something for day trips and rolling practice. I love building and don't mind doing a few but I spent more time building than paddling last year and am anxtious to get back on the water. Especially being on Salt Spring Island. All five boats are so very different and not with me so I can't give specs on all of them. I will say though that the ribs on my instructables boat ended up too rounded and the depth ended up two inches deeper than planed and so i fixed it by lowering the knee brace two inches (it was raised Two inches so I brought it flush) and I realize that was a mistake and should have redid the ribs. For the next one I opted for 1 1/2" ribs and less of them so I could focus on shaping them better (the wood there was terrible) but it was still hard to keep upright unless you where really moving. And yes I was looking at the shear depth and it seemed like it was going to be great...
I am hoping someone else has encountered this problem and found a fix and can help me out. It is really embarassing to have everyone ohh and ahh your boat but never see you in the water.