Patty,

I built the Shearwater Baidarka and love the way it handles. It is a strong tracking design but it turns well when leaned(though I would not call it nimble)My paddling partner who built another design that is hard chined swears he has to work much harder than I do to maintain the same speed. Unfortunatly I injured my back and have not been able to paddle his boat to make a proper comparison. I told him that it's just that I'm so much better looking that I just look faster

Ken

: Those of you who have built and/or paddled baidarkas such as the Shearwater,
: Fire Star, Shooting Star, or others, could you give me some idea of how
: they paddle? I would expect them to be pretty fast and track well and
: handle surf pretty well. But are they lively and at all maneuverable? What
: do they offer that a regular hard chined design doesn't other than a
: unique look? Just curious.