second the Force 4, maybe 5
Fast, stable, great for camping, clear step up from Tusnami. Chesapeake can get rough so a boat that can handle rougher water would be a plus. Another alternative is to keep the Tsunami for camping and get something like an Impex Outer Island as your day boat.
Sooooo, does this mean I can find a
composite model of the Aquanaut that will have the same length, width, and rear deck height as my RM LV and be of a cockpit size I can get into (with or without cutting out the seat)? Do I need to find an older model? Thanks for the help. Bill
You would need to ask Valley rep for that
You could probably convince strip builder into making you a very slightly tweaked copy. Or, you could do it yourself - the instructions read easy enough 
Nope.
The composite Aquanaut that is the same length as your RM 'naut LV is narrower with lower decks. I don’t know the coaming opening size on the composite Aquanaut LV. I do know that the coaming opening on my standard 'naut is bigger than on the original RM Aquanaut (now RM LV.)
Ok, done with my hijack.
P&H
I’ve paddled the Quest LV just a few times, and I loved it. One day was just out off the beach playing in the surf. Nothing huge, just 3-4 feet, but paddling around in and out through those breaking waves is rougher than what you will likely be out in open water taking on. The boat handles beautifully. It has a nice lively feel, but not so much as to make a good paddler lose confidence. First time in the surf, I was comfortable edging and turning the boat on the crest of steep waves. I was comfortable riding along in front of the waves. I was comfortable paddling out through the breaking waves, not just perpendicularly, but at increased angles to the waves with a nice lean into them and a hard stroke, without getting pulled down with the wave into a sidesurf. In other words, it demonstrated excellent directional control in big conditions. It did what I wanted it to do, not what the wave wanted it to do. Obviously, at some point, with any kayak, the waves eventually win, but the Quest LV was great in this regard. It tracks well enough for me to forget about the skeg. I found it maneuoverable and fun. I had a blast feeling out the boat doing turns, braces, rolls. There was nothing really to talk about there for me. It behaved very well, and felt lively, fun, and threw no unpleasant surprises at me. My friend, as a beginner, always cruised along at 4 knots in it without any problem. I never really thought about the speed much. It felt quick, but that feeling can truly be meaningless. I honestly don’t think sluggishness will ever be an issue with this boat.
The only thing I would bring up is that at 6’, 175 lbs, it was feeling like a good fit, but I wouldn’t have wanted to pad it anywhere. I wouldn’t want my kayak to fit any tighter. If your hips are completely against the sides of the seat, it will inhibit your hips from rotating freely in the seat, and I would tell you the fit is too snug. (I say this knowing the current trend is towards squeezing into the lowest volume possible.) Lower volume is only good to the point of comfort, and good fit in a sea kayak isn’t feeling snug when you squeeze into your boat. You don’t want it to be sloppy, but you don’t want it to be snug either. You should be able to sit still without any pressure against you anywhere (except what you’re sitting on), but make contact in all necessary places with minimal movement. Take this advice from me, take it from Nigel Foster, take it from anyone who does some mileage in a kayak, but don’t scrunch yourself into something that cuts off circulation or pinches anywhere or doesn’t allow your hips some rotation in the seat. Nigel Foster recommends being able to easily put your fingers down on each side of your hips. I would agree with that.
I, too, think a lot of the Nigel Foster Legend. It is maneouverable for its speed, and I can tell you that it has plenty of speed. At the Wrightsville Beach kayak race I outdid a Looksha III, a couple racing class boats, and a good bunch of QCC’s in the Legend. It’s a smaller race, but I don’t consider myself a racer, there were some strong paddlers there, and I was pleasantly surprised at how fast I moved in that boat. It’s another nice rough-water boat. In the end, it will come down to personal preference. It sounds like you’ve got a lot of room for growth, and personal preferences often boil down to the boat a person is currently paddling. Enough time in one, and many simply think that others just don’t feel right. I personally don’t think you’ll go wrong with any of them as long as you’re comfortable enough to get out on the water in them. These are good boats for agressive learners and skilled paddlers. Most people would likely be better off in something else, but most also don’t have quite so much fun in rougher conditions in a kayak, or aggressivley maneouvering and playing around in flat water (you don’t have to go into rough water to enjoy the performance of any of these).
we already have a p&h shill