Mitch,
Here is a link to a test of the Little Wing 18 in a Norwegian magazine: http://www.scandickajakk.com. During the test they found the top speed was 7 knots and the cruising speed was 4.8 knots. I paddle a Little Wing 12.5, and I would agree with your comments that. "it seems to have just made the boat more stable while maintaining good speed and not really have reduced drag... looks really nice though..". The 36-Lb weight is not bad either for an 18-footer. I would agree that there may be better boats for your purposes.