I do know that stiff platforms ride the waves noticeably better. I had an old Prindle 16 that became soft in the beam/hull connection. At one time I decided to stiffen these up. Once again I could fix the beams tightly to the hulls. The next day I went out it felt like the boat was reborn. It felt young again, agile, it glided the waves with ease. With gusts it picked up power more quickly. I was really suprised to find how much effect bringing back platform stiffness had and it hadn't been that soft to begin with.