I am about to build my first pirogue. I have the UJ kit and also the plans from the Cajun Connection (Bill Ray). My primary use is for duck hunting the marshes of the Chesapeake Bay (Md). I am 5-10 230lbs my dog is 65lbs and a bag of 18 decoys. What do you all think would be the best length and bottom beam to start with? Is there a give-and-take between having more stability (beam) and less performance (speed)?