: I have finished Pygmy Arctic Tern 17 and overall am quite happy with it's
: performance. Its a solid, spacious, floatable and stable boat perfect for
: extended touring and rough weather. One thing I found missing is ...
: speed. I tend to use the AT mostly for workouts where the top speed that
: can be sustained over 8-12 miles is ~5.5-6 MPH. I guess this is the hull
: speed, and trying go faster produces little extra speed with monumental
: increase in effort.

: I would like a boat that will be similar to AT as far as overall buoyancy,
: stability, wave handling etc. but faster.

: The top contenders as of now are: 1. Guillemot S&G Night Heron
: 2. Pygmy Osprey HP
: 3. CLC West River 18

: I wonder if someone had experience building and especially paddling these
: boats and what are your impressions.

: -Tom

One thing you'll find is you're going to give up some stability (at least primary stability) to gain speed. No such thing as a fast sea kayak that's 23" wide. The fast ones are skinny, you just have to learn to like it

Bill H.