...stuff deleted

Lookee, Lookee what I found on the web site that someone posted
with Sea Kayaker magazine data:

Prijon Calabria Current Design Andromeda
LOA 4.42m (14.5ft) 5.26m (17.25ft)
LWL 3.96m (13 ft) 4.19m (13.75ft)
Drag 16.7 lb 18.0 lb

So here we have two _real_ sea kayaks, one that is more than 17 foot
long and another that is over 14 feet long (one 19% longer) yet
their waterline lengths are 13 and 13.75 feet respectively (one
only 6% longer).

Note in particular that the _shorter_ kayak has less resistance
at 4.5 knots.

Mike,

This is a pretty good comparison. I assume that the two boats were
unladen. Geared up for a long tour, however, the shorter boat should
ride deeper in the water (the LWL of the Andromeda should increase
significantly as the hull rides deeper), while the Calabria already has
most of its hull in the water. One would expect the drag to increase (as
well as the beam of the boat) as weight is added. I think this is where
we'd begin to see a performance hit on the shorter boat.

That is a heck of a lot of hull out of the water on the Andromeda,
however. Must be a real joy in wind (though probably pretty fun in surf
and waves).

Rick