Since I'm a propponent of short and wide kayaks I'm always on the lookout for such designs. By wide I mean anything 24" and up, by short anything from 16' down. I believe...no...I know... that a short, wide boat doesn't have to be a slow water dog. I've built some pretty lively and fast short/wide boats...especially at the 16' end of the spectrum. The extra width and stability gives some added versatility that most of the narrow boats don't have. I feel that makes them more of a general purpose kayak. Since I also believe that all boats, including kayaks, are designed for fairly narrow and specific requirements I am aware that you loose certain aspects of performance regardless which design you choose. Just goes to show you need to choose a design that will fill your particular needs...or have several kayaks. That sounds better.