As more riders experiment with their hulls, we're learning more and more about handling at a very fast pace. In the late 90's the front sponsons were much thinner than they are now, but their cornering improvement was very noticable. As the Tubbie came on the scene, freeride grew by leaps and bounds as new tricks and riding styles emerged. Hull shortening brought more handing changes, then in 2008 enter the Rickter and it's been full throttle development since then. Wider, shorter, more rocker, etc. The sky is the limit, now that a lot of us are out there trying new ideas. Who knows where we'll end up. Maybe Seadoo went a bit too far with the 3D, but maybe there's something to be learned from the design. I do see that the wider hulls and bond rails make the ski more stable, which many will love or hate depending on their skill/riding style. Short hulls are great for tricks, but lack high speed stability. The modular hulls, like the Liteweight, give tunability to the hull. 15min on the beach can yield major handing changes. Perhaps this idea can be adapted to more aspects of new hulls.
As for general handling traits, I'd like to see more experimentation with strakes and bottom shape. Would a flattened out strake in the rear allow easier rotation? Would a larger radius on the lower corners of the hull allow the rear to sink more by diverting more water to the side? Who knows? I'm sure someone will try it, and let us know.
