Are they easy to paddle straight?
You might think all kayaks are designed to go straight, but believe me, that’s not the case!
Some kayaks are specifically designed to turn easily (like whitewater kayaks), and this makes them no good at going in a straight line.
Some kayaks are just poorly designed and spin in circles with each stroke and it is VERY annoying, even for an experienced paddler.
Rather than go through the complexities of hull design, the best way to determine if a kayak is easy to paddle is to look at video footage of it, and to check the reviews.