better than a shallow arch, or, at least that is what I seemed to experience.
I have had shallow arch canoes for several decades, and last year bought a shallow v hull. Some boats passed by, and I would usually turn slightly to put the bow into the waves, out of habit. I found that I could handle the waves at a cross angle much better than I expected.
Anybody else notice this from a shallow v hull compared to a shallow arch?
I have more than one of each, and I
can’t make any general rule about it. Also depends on the rest of the boat shape, including rocker, and on how deep the boat sits with a typical load. My impression is that the V has to be very shallow, and starting to arch at the margins to perform the way I like it.
Could be
A V-shaped bottom often feels like it has a little less initial stability to newcomers because it has a tendency to want to tip over onto the flat of the hull.
Once the boat does heel slightly onto the flat, the stability does “firm up” some.
Chine shape and depth
Probably has more to do with chine shaping and how deep they sit in the water. V’s tend to run a little deeper in the water.
Regarding Initial Stability
If the O.P.'s observation has anything to do with a shallow V having less initial stability, it probably is not about “getting firmer” when leaned. No rule is absolute I’m sure, but so far in my experience, I find that the less initial stability a boat has (or, the more “tippy” it feels), the more comfortable the boat will be when taking waves from the side. To me, a “tippy” boat will stay comfortably upright with no real effort on my part as the water beneath it “tilts” while the waves pass by, while a “stable” boat in the same situation gets rocked back and forth in a way many people find unnerving.