I grinned when I read that because I had the obvious objection and then read your "REBUTTAL" section.

It also reminded me of one of the places where I originally read about this subject, but had forgotten:
http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi/md/read/id/182532/sbj/the-long-boat-myth-pic/

and the subsequent discussion, most of which I had a hard time grasping at the time since I had no point of reference, paddling only 17'+ plastic sea kayaks. Since I had a membership to a kayak rental place, I grabbed a 14' kayak the next time I went out with a group on the river and was very pleased with it for paddling in groups where everybody goes the speed of the slowest paddler. I have the Sea Tour 15 (actually 14' 9") from Bill's last class now.

At the time I talked to him about it, Nigel mentioned having a design that Current Designs puts out describing it as a "fast low effort cruising kayak" that's 16' x 19.75", the Rumour
http://www.nigelfosterdesigns.com/852/999.html

This struck me as a good balance based on some of the discussions from the previous thread.

However, I hadn't really prioritized comfort that much, which as Dave and Nick point out is probably one of the most critical features on a multi-week trip. There's not much point in saving yourself comfort in terms of effort/mile @ a given speed effort only to create such discomfort due to the fit.

: I know what I would do but that doesn't mean it would be right for
: you. Sounds like your a stronger paddler and can take advantage
: of a longer boats speed potential. You don't plan on carrying 75
: lbs of gear so you don't need a big touring boat. So I would be
: looking for faster boat which means it is more efficient. That
: way you get more distance for the same amount of effort. Or you
: could say you would put out less effort for a given distance
: traveled. And as Nick said the long boat will ride better in
: waves. So if it were me I would be playing around with designs
: in the 16-18 foot range probably.

: I linked to this a couple of times but a couple of years ago I
: wanted to see what effect length has on a boat. I always heard
: longer is faster but I just knew that there was more to it. So I
: did a little study and then created a web page to show what I
: found. Maybe it will help you decide what you need.

: http://www.kudzucraft.com/articles/longboatmyth.php

: And maybe someone has so info on this, but I am pretty much
: convinced that 'glide' is directly related to the hull
: resistance. Wind and waves will obviously have an effect. But
: the slippery hull is going to have a better glide.