: So the question is, what's the general comfort rule for designs? Obviously
: every individual person is going to have a different comfort level, but
: I'm looking for general design rules. I would suspect 2-3 inches is the
: norm, and that may be what the Nikumi has, when unmodified, but I have no
: more than an inch or so at the cockpit with varying levels at the bow and
: stern.

: Any one have any ideas?

Freeboard is more of an issue with rowboats, or open canoes than with kayaks or decked canoes. If the boat is open then you are reying on the relatively high sides of the boat to keep out the water from waves. In such cases, boats designed for dealing with heavy surf have a lot of freeboard, while boats designed for calm ponds have very little.

With a kayak, if you can create a good seal on the sprayskirt, it is possible to have the entire boat completely submerged and still not get any water inside the boat. That makes any actual measure of freeboard much less important with kayaks.

If you are planning to roll the kayak then you are concerned with where your center of bouyancy is going to be when the boat is inverted. That will be expressed in the deck height. Depending on the shape of the deck the designed freeboard will vary, too.

PGJ