Hi Marcus,
the first kayak that i ever owned (and built) was a Chesapeake 17LT and i bought it without a test paddle after somebody let me borrow their kayak and i wanted to get a kayak for myself.
while i always recommend a test paddle, sometimes it just is hard to find someone close by. if you were not aware, there is a 'builders club' where a lot of builders list the boats they have, so i would at least take a look or let folks in the forum know where you are....maybe there is one close by. the link for the builders club is here: https://www.clcboats.com/builders_club/search/
getting back to your question, i am 5'10" and 185 lbs and i found the chesapeake 17 LT very comfortable, good looking and fast. and i was always very comfortable to let my friends who were new to kayaking use it. i have friends who are six feet and about your weight...and they had no problems. you do want to check things like foot size....as that is an important measurement and see how that looks. but based on what you shared, there is no clear warning sign to say avoid this boat.
the shearwater sport is a more modern design and is only about 14 feet long....and has similar performance.....but it is a tad slower. you can compare the clc designs using this link and see how they line up side-by-side. just hit the link below then select the boats you want to compare and then go to the bottom and hit 'compare'.
https://www.clcboats.com/shop/boatcomparison.html
so if you are space limited, 14 1/2 feet is shorter than 16 feet 10 inches....so that can be an important factor. but otherwise, i think its really about what looks good to you and if there are gating factors like size.
for whatever its worth, the size issue for me is tied into where i keep the boat. these boats, while rugged and beautiful, are best kept in a garage or other protected space vs living on a rack outdoors. so for me, the factor that has often made the decision for me is what garage i have and how long a boat can it accomodate.
anyway, both these boats are great. you can't go wrong with either...but i think the clc 17 LT is really sweet. here is a picture of the first three boats i built a long time ago. the red was my first clc 17 LT, the green one is the second CLC 17 LT which i built for guests who came to visit, and the yellow is a Chesapeake 14 for my wife who is small.

the other option to consider, in my opinion, if you are considering a 17LT is a shearwater 17....which is also an incredible boat that would probably fit you and just performs wonderfully. i had one for a long time and it was always good with beginners too. picture of that one too is below:
anyway, let us know where you live. lots of good choices.
good luck
h