: But, I
: want performance as well so I guess my question would be; are the
: multichined strip built kayaks better performers than a S&G? Yes I realize
: that can be very subjective but it's subjective opinions that I'm looking
: for.
Well, I've never built a full-strip boat. I have built 4 SOFs and a couple were "multichine" and I have to say I don't see a huge performance difference between the multi-chine and the hard-chine boats. That may be because it's much harder to compare them when considering a baidarka versus a greenlander, for example, but I think the paddler's skill has more impact than number of chines. There are clear differences, to be sure, but I don't think one performs better than the other, necessarily. In my multi-chine boats I feel a more smooth "flow" between primary and secondary stability, with a high primary stability. In most of my hard-chines I have a relatively low primary stability with a high secondary stability. All the boats track and maneuver approximately the same considering length and volume differences, though.

Perhaps the big difference... I think with a multi-chine you get more volume for the same profile because the boats tend to be a little wider and flatter for the same height. That would imply less wind resistance which definitely makes a difference in maneuverability.

FrankP