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Name: swellrider9
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I bought a used Bahiya (pronounced BAH-i-YA) a few weeks ago. What an odd boat. I like it but is is markedly different than all the Romany/Explorer/Cetus/Force 4s out there which are predictable and stable. The Bahiya is predictable once you figure out what it likes and why. The deep V hull is a departure from the flat hulled boats I just mentioned and it has an interesting consequence; IF you paddle it expecting that it likes to stay flat and and level on the water (especially flat water) you will be rewarded with the deep V hull "searching" for stability which translates into twitchy. IF you keep your hips loose and alternate pressure on the foot pedals during the forward stroke the whole boats smooths out and feels lively and stable. If you stop and wait setting the hull to rest on the left or right side makes for a stable place to sit. It rewards a physical understanding of what is happening as you edge and move. I would not call this boat a good beginner boat. My favorite thing about it is how easy it is to edge steer it with hip tilt. Raising the inside edge of the boat onto the hard chine will result in a steady turn to that side. This enables the paddler to continue with a forward stroke steering at least partially with lower body. Not as easy or efficient as a rudder but useful and effective in the right hands. The boat is surprisingly skeg dependent in beam or quartering wind ... not impossible with the skeg up but it weathercocks more than you might expect for a Greenland style, hard chine boat. That is all for now. : )