Bob, you can take beam too far too at 14 ft your 26 footer would be diagonally
unstable and have a pitching problem no doubt. The clean hull interaction can
definitely offer efficiency benefits to over come any slight weight increase.
Its part of design and design does matter. When we designed the Manta, marina
access was a consideration, but we felt for offshore cruising which is our
market, the stability and efficiency would be compromised too much to go with
a narrower beam.

Pat, I need some education regarding pitchpoling forces.  Why would a
boat that's too wide be more prone to pitchpoling?  If all other things
are equal (speed, center of gravity, hull shape...) what is the
mechanism that would cause the boat to pitchpole as beam increases?

I think you make a good point regarding the Mantas.  Your target market
is offshore boaters, hence a wider beam.  That's a prudent design
decision.  I doubt that the Glacier Bay 26 was designed as an offshore
boat.  If an owner takes a boat into conditions outside of its design
parameters and the boat fails to perform... is it fair to fault the
design of the boat?  Or the operator?  If someone had taken a 26 ft
Bayliner far offshore and run into trouble would we fault the design of
the Bayliner?  Or the judgment of the operator for taking that boat out
there?

Bob Deering
Juneau Alaska