: Perhaps a hard time calculating in advance but certainly not difficult to
: observe. While computing a numeric figure for volume is not done by the
: native builders, building mistakes from too much or too little volume, bad
: cockpit placement, etc, are painfully obvious to observe in the finished
: kayak trim and would be corrected in future efforts. Years of trial and
: error and careful observation can accomplish much, even create a match for
: kayaks built by our technologically smug culture. There is much condensed
: wisdom contained in the anthro measurements.

There is just as much condense or distilled wisdom in a Mariner kayak as there is in any anthro system. Since the modern boats are all ultimately based on traditional kayaks, they have taken the traditional wisdom and combined it with other knowledge and created something new. The thing about condensed wisdom is it doesn't contain all the components of the original knowledge. It is distilled down to what is necessary to get the job done fairly well. It leaves out a lot of the specific knowledge necessary to do the job really well.

Distilled wiskey may be nice, but it is not the same as having the raw ingredients and the knowledge of a skilled Scotch distiller. One is just a single bottle of alcohol, the other is an unlimited supply of the stuff. No matter how good the bottle is, it is not as good as knowing how to make more.

The anthro rules are just a form of technology like any other and they don't contain the complete knowledge of how to design a good kayak. If you want the perfect kayak, you can not use distilled knowledge, you need the whole, unadulterated variety. A single bottle of wiskey may make you happy for a while, but if you know how to make the stuff you can stay drunk for eternity. And once you know how to make it, you can strive to make it better.