: If you like sculling, you can't beat the OI. The boat is
: designed for Greenland paddling techniques.

Sculling can be done easily on a hard-chined kayak, too, it just involves swiveling your hips so that the side you're drawing toward is tilted up a bit. This allows the water to slide under the boat more easily.

The OI is a Greenland-style kayak from the shear up only. It has a fairly narrow beam, low decks, and upswept bow and stern, like the Greenland boats.

But what makes a Greenland kayak a Greenland kayak is its hull. Greenland kayaks will respond to an edge, the OI doesn't because it has no chines. A Greenand kayak will also track well because the hard chines and almost-vertical hull sides aid in tracking. I don't think my 18' OI tracks any better than my 17' Arctic Tern, although they both track well. I also find the OI wants to broach in waves coming from the aft quarter -- the waves push on the deep-V stern, pushing the rear of the boat around. Ideally, the wave that pushed the aft end around should push on the bow as it passes under, correcting your heading. But when the wave gets to the front of the OI, it slides under the very round U-shaped bow, and you only get a partial correction. A Greenland hull is almost symmetrical fore and aft, so it will be more neutral in waves.

Don't get me wrong, I love my OI, but next winter I'm going to build the Greenland stitch-n-glue design that was in Sea Kayaker...

Dean