: Shawn,

: I suppose it's an unfair statement, because I've paddled so few other kayaks
: and it reflects a bias on my part.

Well, yes and no--you may be more inexperienced in other kayaks, but as a sailor, you probably know what to expect from watercraft, and how they behave in rough water. If you've got an advantage over folks in other kayaks with greater or similar levels of experience in kayaks, then that says something.

:I found I could control it so much
: better than anything else I've paddled. It carves and handles wind and
: waves very well for me. I'm sure some one shorter or taller or with
: different ideas about what a kayak should might not have the same
: impression. It has certainly given me an edge so far, however when
: paddling with others in rough weather, getting on and off the beach,
: paddling into wind, and surfing.

At any rate, your experience agrees with what the Broze Brothers say on their website. I haven't paddled any Mariners, but they sound intriguing. I don't really like rudders, and I'd like to see how their "integral rudder" design compares to other boats in leaned turns, etc.

There are certainly worse boats out there, and I'm sure theirs are among the better designs. I'd like to find out if they're the best, or just among the best. Did you try to copy the sliding seat?

Shawn