In part it depends on the race you are thinking about. If they have any classes for the boats it will depend on the competition to know which one is best.
Most town, or celebrations, put in to class distinction. I would do the boat you are most familiar with. The fastest boat, for you, is the one you are most comfortable in and can paddle well.
I had to quit doing most local races that aren’t divided by classes. I paddle a boat that has a 15.7 rate on that strange scale and it wasn’t fun to beat people who thought they were fast.
The last local race I did was the Alafia Challenge, because they had an Elite category and an Elite Double category. Even though I waited four hours for my # to be called I ended up third overall. I only lost to an Australian doubles team that was touring the world as racers and an almost friend in a Van Dusen.
Damn, I’d just about settled on the Elaho and now you come along and toss a monkey wrench into the works. Does the Sound Rowers equation take into account hull shape, aerodynamic drag due to higher profile, etc. or is waterline length the only criteria?
Nazz, I didn’t mean to hit you in the face with a wrench.
Racing is a journey, and it took me years to be comfortable in that boat. During those years, and a few others, I learned that there is always some bigger, faster, or stronger than I am. The battle is always with yourself.
I got into racing because of that same Alafia Challenge. When I first heard of it I was in my first kayak, a Perception America. I entered and sat through the long wait to get started, they only let three paddlers at a time start.
I saw some boats like I had never seen and talked to a few of their owners. They told me that they would be the last to start because they were classed as Elite.
An hour or so later they passed me and I saw what a fast kayak or canoe could do. I was hooked and it took me a while to get to winning state championships.
Then I went to the Nationals and it looked like I was back in my first race, with that Perception America.
I come from a bike racing background and my favorite type of race was time trails. I just liked the discipline of getting right next to the pain and staying there. It just seems like a kayak race would be just what the doctor ordered.
Then there is always the practice runs to confirm your choice. If time allows between now and race day, take them out on the water for a known distance in similar waters. iIt need not be the full distance. Maybe 4 miles or more will give you the numbers you need to compare.
Too many variables to be sure, but as others have said - longer waterline is almost always better. I don’t think the momentum/weight of the boat would be a significant factor at all (and if anything I’d bet on a lighter boat, though the difference would be tiny).
I’d expect the biggest factor between the two longer boats is how comfortable you are, and how able you are to maintain an efficient forward stroke (for example, if one feels “tippy” and you are bracing rather than paddling, or one feels very wide, so you cannot plant the paddle and pull it straight back - neither of these cases are likely for you - just suggesting how ergonomics might mean the “best” boat for you isn’t the best for someone else). Good luck and have fun!
Water conditions? Some are better in flat water and others better in the chop of open water. I have seen within a distance run as water conditions change so does the lead boat. A dragster is great on a 1/4 mile track but maybe not the best for a pikes peak run.
A “heavier” boat will only give you momentum when going down a steep, long waterfall. It will ride deeper and be slower everywhere else. Pick a course and time yourself in each of these boats. That is the only way to know for sure. Boats aren’t fast, per se. They are only fast when matched with an engine that knows how to unleash their speed and be comfortable in the boat. In general, the longer, narrower and lighter the faster.
With a rockered hull the Elaho is more designed for maneuverability than tracking and speed. Of course, the Gulfstream has a rockered hull as well. Whether it is fast enough for you will depend on your ability, the class you are put into, and possibly conditions on the day of the race. When is the race? Let us know how it turns out.
