On the flip side, I think it would be very valuable if a bunch of us got together and asked Chris @ Seakayaker to include some wooden kayak reviews.

I don't think 3 reviewers give a single hull an accurate enough report, but we've all reached some consensus as to what different kayaks do.

The wrong reviewer would say that the Guillemot doesn't track at all. An honest review is that the kayak goes exactly where your paddle strokes make it go--it's very maneuverable.

A single reviewer might say your OI is tippy. It simply has low initial stability, and would be appreciated most by intermediate and advanced paddlers.

Not that it's "spin control", but there are positive ways to express the designer's intents. (Unless something's seriously wrong with the design). I should think that a "committee" of us would be able to come up with some good, honest, straightforward reviews for SK to include in future issues.

There are getting to be enough representative hulls in the PNW for the tank testing and stability graphs to be calculated.

Or, maybe we could just pay Nick to calculate stability curves for various wooden hulls and have them posted somewhere. Just seeing stablity curves and study drawings in comparison with commercial kayaks would be valuable.

Shawn

: There's a saying in the publishing world "there's the reviewers and the
: doers". Advertisers always get favorable reviews. Guess why?

: These reviewers are paddlers just like you. If their bottom doesn't fit the
: seat, the boat is not so good etc. I never read a bad review in Sea
: Kayaker even on Nigel Fosters Vyneck where the initial stability was so
: low that the graph dropped below the line on the page.

: I know in manufacturing, one bad review by a writer can kill years of work
: and investment by the designer and manufacturer. I'd rather have 35
: paddlers paddle my boat than have some writer with a chip on his/her
: shoulder tell 20,000 readers that the boat's too long or some other
: opinion.

: I'd like to see my kayak tested on the computer however for those specs. and
: made public.

: So much of our opinion about what kind of kayak traits we like is very
: personal.