You are correct, in the name of economy, newer hulls are designed to plane quicker and at a lower speed. Sacrificing comfort in rough waters. My 1986 4wins was an awesome rough water boat. The newer boats turned me off so I settled for a 'performance hull' Formula which has excellent rough water handling.
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Originally Posted by chocophile
The design of the hull makes a lot of difference in handling rough water. Our previous boat was a 1994 21' Four Winns Horizon, and it handled rough water very well. I didn't worry too much about unexpected conditions on the Broads. Our current boat is a 2006 22' Four Winns Horizon, and it doesn't do well at all. I was really surprised at the difference. The older boat was harder to get on plane -- a much sharper transition. I suspect the manufacturer wanted a boat that was more gradual getting on plane to allow speed changes. But I think the price of that is poor rough water performance.
So if you're routinely on the Broads, make sure your boat is designed for it.
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