mhl:
I was looking at the OK Malibu tandems, and noticed the bottom of the hull is like a roller coaster. Maybe that's for stability, yet kayakers talk about glide and speed as a key component for a good ride...so why the swale in the Malibu? I'd think a smooth hull with easy tapers would be the best design, but what do I know! What do you experts know about the top 3-4 hull designs and their main characteristics (beyond "wide=stable, long=fast" basics) I'm sure the manufacturers have put the big bucks into it, so if you could share what you know that'd be great.
boxofrain:
god question. I don't know, but I would think it was for the varius weght distributrions that may occur on the larger boats/tandems. I'll wait for a more knowledgeable answer with ya ;)
ZeeHawk:
I think what you're getting at is the channels that run the length of the yak right? If so, those are added to help with tracking. Keeping the boat going straight as compared to side slipping. There's not a ton of manufacturers out there that use them so don't know how effective they are.
Z
mhl:
No, not the channels. Most hulls are like a banana, but the XL and XL 2, among others, are like bananas with big dents. Then we have the pontoon tpye like the Escape that takes 100+ lbs before it stabilizes and sits low enough for secondary stability. Then the flat bottoms, etc. I was kinda thinking with all the computer design, there would be some ultra-turbo hull out there now, but it seems the different manufacturers just run with their own designs. I know we're not talking about racing here, jsut more about efficiency through design.
Pisco Sicko:
I used to work in a boat yard, mostly building new wood/composite boats from 8-50'. We were absolutely anal about hull shape, even below the waterline. By comparison, the PE kayaks and their hulls are amazingly soft and deformed. There are often major deviations from ideal hull shape. Probably not much can be done, considering the material.