: Hi Jeff,
: I commented earlier on my own Shearwater Merganser 17, and again, if it's
: maneuverability that you desire, I would not suggest a hard chine kayak. I
: began running whitewater in 1976, so I am a kayaker first, and a boat
: builder second. That is, form follows function: aesthetics are great, but
: performance comes first. I believe that the best performance will come
: from a strip-built boat. My Guillemot stripper is finished except for
: varnish, but with winter coming, I will wait until spring to significantly
: paddle it. But -- I have decided that I will only build strip boats from
: here on out, and I will lean heavily toward ripping my own strips again,
: and using a block plane for a rolling bevel. I too have built furniture,
: but I don't care if my strips are not full-length: a good scarf joint
: suits me very well aesthetically. Yes, a strip built boat takes longer,
: but once the woodworking is complete and the boat is sanded and faired,
: you enter the fiberglass and epoxy stage. The glass and epoxy stage can be
: close to the same amount of time whether the boat is S&G or strip built.
: The glass and epoxy costs can be close to the same in both construction
: methods. Both boats need varnish, and both boats will scratch with use. I
: think that you would enjoy the strip-built process very much.
: Chris

First I'd recommend re-reading Jay's post on this subject, he knows what he's talking about. You can't base speed nor manuverability on if a hull has chines or not, doesn't matter in the least. Yes you might have a very small advantage at the ultimate top speed in a racing design sans chines but that's only for elite paddlers that can achieve the speed for a long enough period of time for this to matter. Otherwise having a chine or not means little other than if you like the shape or not.

Bill H.