It would take about ten pages of rambling to discuss tracking, turning, rocker, etc. Nick's book "The Strip-Built Sea Kayak" pages 6 through 23 explain all about how length, rocker, and hull shape affect the handling of the kayak. The ISBN number (what your bookstore uses to order it) for his book is 0-07-057989-X, but you can order it on this site from him. I was looking for a boat that tracks well especially in wind, that was very fast, and that could handle rough water. (Am I picky or what?) I am going to use mine for a trip down the Mississippi River, which I consider to be one of the hardest places to paddle due to current, wind, and variable water. I chose the Atlantic 19 from Shearwater boats, but I also considered the Guillemot Expedition and even the Pygmy Coho, which is stitch-n-glue. I chose the Atlantic because of it's LWL (length at water line), it's proud bow, and its narrow width for such a long 'yak. I felt it gave the best combination of performance for my paddling situation. I needed speed for paddling upstream against a 7mph current, but I need a boat that can dodge the uprooted trees that you can find floating in the lower MS. I will be putting a rudder on this boat which I've never had before on my factory-builts, but I had always had shorter boats before. I think with 19' of boat with a very long lwl being used in a river current it will be a definate plus for turning, plus it will help me fight the horrible crosswinds and currents you can get on the MS river. I'll leave the rest to the book, or I would be rambling. Hope that helps.