Hello Baum,

I don't have the Guillemot, I have the Shearwater Atlantic 19'. Have you considered building an expedition kayak? The Guillemot Expedition is similar to my kayak. I won't comment specifically because I've not paddled a Guillemot, but I think an expedition is what you're looking for. I use mine in open ocean paddling with large swells. It turns good with a leaned turn, but I later added a Seal-Line rudder system, and that made it a piece of cake to maneuver.

As for hard chines, I think you would prefer them. They give better secondary stability. You can lean pretty good on my kayak and it "catches" at a certain point. Now if you go past that point, then you will surely get wet, but compared to kayaks with round hulls, which tend to just keep going and not stop on the edge, it's much better.

When you say "open water" I interpret that as ocean paddling, and not just paddling lakes. If that's the case, an expedition is a great match for you because of the better tracking. You will be dealing with currents, wind, and swells, and the better a kayak tracks the less you have to fight all those forces. The only thing is when you surf the longer kayak it's going to want to pitch-pole, but good rudder technique will help you control it out of the wave at an angle.

Good luck. Whatever you choose it's better than a plastic one!

-Malcolm