If you watch videos you can see which boat has more speed. The Kaos tends to keep the surfers weight too far back and the boat stalls out and you see the boat settle back quickly. A strike can carve on a wave face much better. (Pilot error not taken into account here.) (Nothing like Byron in the first part of the video for sure.)

A Kaos ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv1WWjPzZys&playnext_from=TL&videos=zFjVkHjGD_4&feature=grec_index


and watch for the Cobra Strike at 1:25 ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpHbgKE_QEE

Neither one of these paddlers are all that great- waves were better at SanO. it's possible to do much more than side surf whitewater on the strike after the wave closes out.

I've tried them both, threw away the Kaos, now surf waveskis mostly but keep my strike around. It's good to have to paddle to places to surf and play in rocks.