: Hi Bill,
: this review of the Think legend contains some interesting to & fro' over
: hard chine hulls Vs. round bottom hulls.
: http://www.surfski.info/content/view/694/156/
: Ocean racing is typically not flatwater so maybe there is a place for hard
: chine racers in downwind&surf conditions. And as alluded to in link, its
: no good having the fastest boat if you can't handle the instability and
: are having to brace every 5 strokes.
: Some food for thought.
: Cheers, Craig

The only time a paddling craft is gonna plane will be on the face of a wave surfing, there's not anywhere near enough power with a solo paddler to get a boat onto a plane otherwise. Thus the idea that having a chine will enable the boat to plane is a moot point.

There is little reason for this anyway, skis are narrow and long enough that they break the speed/length rules so their displacement hulls can achieve very high speeds that normally aren't associated with displacement hulls.

When someone says they want a boat that's competitive, I assume that they are actively racing, and have the ability to do that. Thus very small changes in drag can make fairly large changes in a race.

Bill H.