: 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

Freeboard is still an issue in regard to a boat's handling in the wind. Higher freeboard tends to catch more wind than a lower profile will.

In general there's more freeboard forward so you don't so easily stick the bow into waves. But freeboard isn't the same for all types of kayaks. Greenland boats tend to ride very low in the water, sometimes with an inch or so freeboard aft. While rec boats may sit several inches higher.

Bill H.