Its purely aesthetic. If you measure from the seat to the tip of the stern, and the same to the tip of the nose, realitve its the same proportions as the CM and Mafia. I don;t know about the Gangster. Didn't check that, but we just took all these measurements again against hte CM and Mafia and MB when we started on the new boats CAD drawings.
The MB is a RIVER RUNNER, not a creeker however (Diesel, thunder, mamba etc) and so its not as adept on steep creeks as the Mafia, CM etc... thsi we always knew. But on big pushy rivers and pushy creeks (Norway, California, Quebec) it does very well. its on the bee bop rocky stuff its not as good - but we knew that too. It was not supposed to be a creeker -just creekable. Not the same thing. On class 4-low 5 I prefer the MB to the CM.... more fun, more slalomesque feeling etc. But on hard core stuff, I'll take the CM any day. Its not as fun, but it makes everything feel 1 class easier.
Corran