re: Nice try
"You tried to craft an OP question that would avoid, obviate and preempt the various and sundry generalities, evasions, diversions, tangents, diverticulations, cul de sacs, and random walk-abouts that often snake like kudzu through pnet threads.
You failed. (Says he good naturedly)"
Indeed. But with this crowd, you sort of have to expect to. 
Oh well… I think it’s gonna be either an Easky, Alchemy, or Atlantic. Those seem to fit the bill.
Peter-CA hit it
and String and a few others alluded to it. If you do not have a single specific person in mind for the second boat then get two different boats for yourself. Say longer glass boat for touring and shorter plastic for surfing and rocks. Used glass should be found for 1K to 1.5K and used plastic for less than 1K. Take anyone else out in quiet water in either boat. Have fun.
I’ve not tried one
But I’ve always been impressed by the pricing on the Perception essence 17 for the bigger guy.
http://www.perceptionkayaks.com/product/index/products/sea_kayaking/essence/essence_17/
That said the end of season sales I see for poly Tempests in the USA make me jealous.
"very few people"
Actually the Romany is a very widely used boat. I don’t particularly care for it but not because it is not comfortable. It is one of the boats used commonly by instructors.
Debatable
I know that the Conduit, which I speak of very much, is not a very fancy boat. I have not taken it in the ocean. I have not taken it on large lakes with real waves. I feel, though, from its performance in comparison to rec boats, and from comments on the Dagger Catalyst (its former name) it wold do well in mild ocean conditions.
I don’t think that I personally will ever outgrow the boat, and if i want, I can add a rudder kit for $200 from Amazon.
Percep…what?
Ok, so the words “Perception” and “real sea kayak” didn’t come to mind initially. But all this talk of 14 and 15 footers brings to mind:
Perception Expression 15
Brand new $999
2 bulkheads, skeg, adjustable thigh braces, full deck rigging. Fits a wide range of paddlers. Beginner freiendly stability, but an advanced paddler can have a lot of fun with this boat due to the rocker and responsiveness to edging. (high seat back can be easily removed if so desired by said advanced user)
So right now its reasonable to find one for $800 new!
there ya go… thanks!
Where you at?
I know CCK in Oakland has a pretty dynamite sale going on, and there are Easkys and Easky LVs in the lot, some as cheap as $650.
But if you’re not a West Coast person, ah well…
Clone
I got a glass Northwest Sportee for $550 this past summer and there was another listed for $400 right after I snagged mine. Really like that boat alot.
Not our experience
– Last Updated: Sep-21-12 9:13 AM EST –
To be clear - the Explorer IS the Romany but stretched. The only diff between the two is the added volume of the Explorer, developed after Nigel Dennis felt he had gotten the Romany right as a schooling boat. It was the pre-eminent schooling boat in fleets for a long time because of its combination of adaptability and head room for new paddles. We have never seen a new paddler capsize in a Romany, though it wasn't because they didn't deserve to.
I agree that the other boats you mention fit newer paddlers well, except for maybe the Capella. A coach around here has one of the first batch (before the current set of numbers and hull redesigns) that he puts new paddlers into, and while they stay upright just about every person is complaining about not being able to go straight within 20 minutes. This is on a calm river with very little wind. I've had to shepherd more than one of them home, so I hear the full litany.
Our experience is that people who are nervous in other sea kayaks get into the Romany and relax and smile, instantly. Now, that said I am talking about folks who have already gotten into some sea kayaks.
The Alchemy is in my mind a great idea because it adds a change in pace to the OPer's own stable. My only concern, and the reason I didn't mention it earlier, is that it is a highly maneuverable boat that could turn into a whirling dervish in waves. It is designed to be that kind of fun, but my husband's first sea kayak was one similar to that and there were times when he found it very discouraging to handle because of that maneuverability.
It made him a better paddler - but there were days that it was a tough introduction phase.
oh, well. Too far away…
– Last Updated: Sep-21-12 10:04 AM EST –
I'm in SW Pennsylvania (tip: if you click on the little face icon beside anybody's screenname it opens their profile so you can find out any location and personal info they care to share.)
Would love to drive to CA but just got back from a Northwest Coast vacation and have to pay that off before I go anywhere else.
I did look at the CCK inventory for the sale, though. Wow, some great deals there! Unfortunately, shipping costs would offset much of the savings (though I admit the deals are tempting.) Few dealers in the NE have that kind of stock depth.
40 Replies - Individual Purchase
With 40 replies you see the various approaches
toward kayak purchases clearly laid out.
In the end it is always a highly individualized
purchase with pretty defined constraints and budgets.
Fairly easy to go through ““the list”” and sort
out what length, what material, and what price.
http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/Kayaks.html
The tough part is assessing skill, aptitude,
knowledge of water conditions, former background,
risk aversion, and a bucket of personal items.
Wow …
So what do you think of the hull shape, slightly different than the coaster, still fin in rough water?
Well
the word was that NW used to manufacture hulls for Mariner, then later came out with the Sportee after the relationship ended. Connect the dots as you see fit.
Romany fit
OK maybe I got it wrong, but when I look around and average guy is about 185 or 200 and a Romany is a tight fit. I know it doesn’t fit me, but I’m biased towards really long racing style cockpits or wash deck boats.
I can sit in a Delphin for an hour or two and an Alchemy for hours, but the Romany hurts my back in minutes. Funny thing is I have better flexibility that a lot of folks but low decked boats are painful.
Other I talk to have similar feelings that the Romany paddles like a dream but hurts like the dickens. My I mostly paddle with fat paddlers?
How Does It Compare …
to my RM Mystic? I too kick myself for not buying a used Coaster 6-7 years ago. Haven’t seen one around here since.
sing
Seating comfort in Romany/Explorer
These boats are actually both sized for about 180 - 190 pounds and can take taller. That said, seating comfort can be a different matter than size. There are some things specific to the Romany/Explorer that happen to be a very good fit for me but others can find uncomfortable. The big ones -
The NDK backband is an instant backache. It looks pretty but doesn’t function at all well, I even had a small backache after a couple of hours in a demo and I don’t hurt that way so easily. The dealer we got our NDK boats from recommended a swap to a Bomber Gear or IR backband before any NDK boat left the lot, which we took. Another option is to remove the original and go to a full foam seat and back like from Redfish.
The NDK seats are short, and for many they simply don’t provide support as far down the thigh as is needed. I prefer the shortness, but again I am odd. It is not uncommon for owners to glue in shaped minicell ahead of the seat to add support for the thighs.
The decks are relatively low compared to the newer sea kayaks, influenced by racing preferences for a higher knee to help with pumping action. For some the angle of leg to hip is just too big.
The seat is hard, none of the funky padding under the sit bones like you see in even older P&H seats. It is easily remedied by gluing in a bit of minicell in the hollows where your bones tend to lie, but some people never get around to that.
It is possible that the regular Romany deck is lower than the regular Explorer deck. Our Explorer in this house is the one with a lowered deck height, so we can’t lay a regular version of each side by side. Both have aggressive keyhole cockpits, but an inch of difference in height can make the same cockpit feel different.
There is one other thing that we only noticed one day looking down from the second floor on top the Explorer and the Romany on top of the car. It’s more about handling, but worth mentioning. The seat in the Explorer is basically centered. The seat in the Romany is more like 2/3 back in the boat, so the bow is much freer than in the Explorer. In fact the Romany is one boat where it can be worth reversing the usual front to back percentages of load, and making it if anything a little bow heavy. The loose bow is great in surf, but often it is best to tame the darned thing for distance paddling.
Rental kayak
Can’t get any cheaper than renting a kayak for a friend for the day/weekend! Plus you don’t need to take up garage space with a redundant kayak.
Exactly What I Did
My T165 is my ‘do everything’ boat. I found an Alchemy demo model for half price as my play boat / company boat. I think I’ll be happy with this arrangement for a good while.
Q on Romany/Explorer Fit…
My youngest brother is a bit north of 200 lbs, and is 6’ 1".
Think either boat’d fit him? Or would ‘HV’ would be a good idea?
Also, are they still making plastic Romanys, or did that go bye-bye?