Having recently received two profanity laced emails from friends suggesting I attempt a modicum of amelioration......
Serenade FlashFire are roughly similar canoes; both ~13' long and 28+"wide. being smallish they minimize surface area and skin friction, and so accelerate quickly; always a rush. Flash might be the faster because it's rocker removes more drag creating surface area, but lots of finicky little factors affect the final forward speed. We could compare tracking and maneuvering performance if a skilled builder installed similar kneeling seats in the two.
While Length/ width ratio, Flash 6, Ser 5.6, indicates Flash will be the better tracker, Serenade may track better than Flash, due to it's V bottom which increases the depth of the waterline length, width depth "block". Comparison of the similar hulls width/length ratio, isn't enough data, we need the full monty block co-efficient to quantify tracking due to significant differences in bottom shapes.
Serenade's differential rocker further improves it's tracking in so far as the skegged stern resists yaw occasioned by improper forward stroke technique; angling the paddleshaft across the rail or carrying the blade aft of the thigh/body. Flash's tumblehome improves tracking by allowing paddlers to keep the shaft hand closer to the keel line and especially for smaller paddlers, use a vertical shaft orientation.
Maneuvering canoes addresses skidded turns, drawing or prying the leading stem, usually the bow, to one side and allowing the trailing stem to skid away. We usually heel to enhance that skid by lifting the skidding stem. Flash's increased rocker, especially in the stern, allows lifting the stems higher as does the tumblehome, which allows ~10dg more heel to further increase stem lift. Flash will turn more tightly.
We can heel either direction. Bow rocker is important with inside skids, allowing the bow to draw to the more stable bracing draw but don't turn as tightly as outside heeled maneuvers because the latter carve the bow into the turn and increase skidding momentum. Serenade's bottom V presents a vertical composite wall to inside heeled skids and limits rotation; strongly suggesting heeling away from the brace so the outside V presents a planing stern surface to the water. The elliptical hull is more neutral, the V hull exhibiting more "personality" in its handling characteristic.
Stability and seakindliness are a function of width and chines. Flash's softer chines allow waves to slip under the hull more easily but width is narrower; they narrow knee spacing a little, reducing knee spread and stability for those of average or greater thigh length. Serenade, with 1.5 in wider waterline width and harder chines will probably overcome the V bottoms inherent tendency to switch flats and seem the more stable of the two?
So there's the why, bon chance!
