: Probably surprise you but it is rathery stable boat, 22" wide.
: I think it has a stability factor of 92 or 93 which is about the
: same as version 1 (the slowest) on this chart. The rounder shape
: lowers the wetted surface a lot. The boat paddles much easier
: than any of my others.

: It could be narrowed and loose some of the stability but it gains
: very little .... or rather looses very little resistance. Some
: people would prefer less stability and that is about the only
: good reason I see to narrow it.

: I use the KAPER method of comparing resistance and from what I
: understand it's a pretty simple measurement. But it is pretty
: universally used and it great for comparing one boat to another.
: I don't know if it is detailed enough to really see a difference
: in swede vs. fish. Regardless, I suspect the differences are
: minimal if any. It would be interesting to see, but how do you
: make two identical boats with different forms?

Second advantage to the swede form hull is allows a catch for the paddle closer to the centerline of the boat, also a reason many fast boats have cutaways on the foredeck to allow a more easy catch very close to the hull. This makes more of a diference if you're using a wing or even a wing stroke with another paddle. Btw a GP works great with the wing stroke. My plastic Cobra is nothing like the mentioned Rapier (which I can only dream about) but the boat where you're feet are and at the catch is about 12" wide, very skinny up front.

Bill H.

Bill H.