Since longer kayaks are potentially faster should I buy a longer kayak so I can paddle faster?
The concept of hull speed often leads to the oversimplification “longer is faster”. This has caused many paddlers and several designers to buy or build kayaks that are extremely long in order to be faster. However, because longer, like wider, also means more wetted surface, there will be a length where all the available power will be absorbed by the increased friction, before hull speed can be reached. Longer then becomes slower. Unfortunately, the longer kayak will also require more effort at all lower speeds because friction is present at all speeds. The speed advantage of a long waterline is only apparent at top speed. Extremes of length (and then only up to a point) benefit a racing kayaker and few others. If you can’t reach hull speed (squat the stern) when paddling hard that kayak is probably too long and/or too wide for you. The above discussion only points out one of the disadvantages of buying a longer kayak, more work. There are several other disadvantages (other things being
