"...are there drag tests that indicate how fast NFK's are compared to it's peers?"
Though I've often cited drag figures, they are not that significant when talking about sea kayaks of similar types/dimensions at normal speeds.
The Romany feels very slow when trying to maintain pace with decent paddlers in longer boats, including Explorers. I use my Aquanaut for training sessions that include any amount of journeying.
However, I used my Romany for all three days of classes at the Vermont BCU symposium and it was a fine boat to have for those sessions.
Jed Luby regularly uses his Romany for leading sessions. He is a strong paddler with whom I really struggle to keep up when I'm in my Romany and just barely manage when I'm in my Aquanaut ;-)
Question re surfing kayaks Not to hijack the thread, but… if one doesn’t have a surf kayak, and has the choice between a sea kayak (e.g. Romany) and a ww boat would a planing hull ww boat be a significantly better kayak to use than the Romany?
Yes, IMO Romanys, Coasters, etc., are fun in the surf, can surf, are great at reaching out of the way places and are fantastic on tidal races. But they are not WW or surf boats. When broached, your 14-18 foot wide bulldozer will make few friends on a busy break.
However, the planing hull WW boat is another deal altogether. It has great maneuverability and the things of surfing, like cutbacks and top turns are now possible. The biggest thing you’ll notice is the weight transfer edge to edge going from a ww boat to a composite surf boat. WW boats are heavier and you really notice the weight.
What you get with a true surf yak are rails that bite into the water, huge bow rocker and speeds that (most) ww boats don’t achieve. Lots of generalizations, but better than saying “try one you won’t believe it.”
I went years in various WW boats until I made the plunge. Glad I did as the difference is all in the shape. We have some guys in them that were new to surf boats but have been surfing for years and the comments were:
I was trying to be polite ; ) Salty! Actually, I would compare the WW boat to the sea kayak as I would a surf kayak to a WW boat. They are that different to me. I couldn’t imagine taking a WW boat to the breaks and thinking, “boy, gonna rip it up in this baby.”
Took it out Today… I got out in the Explorer today with about 20 knott winds on the Chesapeake.
I still have mixed feelings about the boat. It is so capable in rough water that it felt a bit boring on the water today when heading into and across the wind. Of course the conditions were benign but it made them feel non-existent. This would be good if things were really rough though as I can see this boat taking on anything.
Boat is probably the easiest rolling boat I have used. Manueverability is good but not fantastic. Not the easiest boat to turn into the wind, but manageable. Very neutral in the wind though. Could not imagine having to use the skeg in this boat except in following seas. Stability profile is a little more stable than I would prefer.
In following seas I noticed that the bow tended to wander when surfing and wanted to broach. So I dropped the skeg…wow. With the skeg down this boat would really surf wind waves. I also noticed that the the bow really is bouyant. Whenever it started to pear it popped right back up before burying in.
Super easy to do the hanging draw and reverse figure 8. Not the most responsive to a bow rudder though. Found edging to be less than optimal given the boat’s high stability.
I think I really need to get this thing out in some rough water. Seems like a great all around boat, but feels like it may be a bit boring until the conditions kick up.
Hatches were bone dry. Impressive. Weight is manageable as well. Seems like it is about as advertised (not always the case).
I’ll take it surfing this weekend. Expect good things.
Follow up I have had the Explorer now for about a month and wanted to give some feedback on it.
The boat is a solid all-arounder and good in conditions. I have had it on flat water, in wind and in surf and in large clapotis.
Not the fastest boat, but ample speed combined with very good tracking on flat water and conditions.
Stability: a bit more stable than I would prefer. Secondary kicks in earlier than I would prefer as well—prior to dipping the cockpit coaming in the water.
Handling is quite good. Could turn a little faster though and could respond better to a bow rudder. My Aquaunaut was a bit better handling in my opinion.
Where the Explorer does quite well for me though is with surfing. First, the bow is really buoyant and really resists pearling under. My Aquanaut’s pearled in too much on steep waves (which is why I prefer the Explorer). Catches waves easily and the hull really seems to want to surf even on small wind waves. The other thing I have found to be unique about this boat is its resistance to broaching. Seems that it tracks much straighter on a wave than any other boat I have used. Makes staying on the wave a lot easier. Back surfing this boat is incredibly easy and stable as well.
On short wind waves I found that the bow wandered a bit, but with the skeg down it tracked like on rails and surfed the windwaves with outstanding speed….hit about 10 mph surfing with a 20 mph wind at my back on a portion of the bay with fairly short fetch.
Overall this is a very solid boat. It’s not what I would describe as an exhilarating boat to paddle and I am not awed by it, but it is a very solid rough water boat that surfs quite well. Very confidence inspring. I plan to keep it for now. I feel confident that I could paddle in just about any conditions with this boat with confidence which is one of the reasons I want to keep it. I can only get to the coast every couple of weeks or so and if the winds or waves really kick up I will not feel at all hesitant about going out. This is especially good for me since I often paddle solo.
The trade-off is in playfulness / livliness. I would very much like to have a more lively boat like the Nordkapp LV, but for now I think this boat is probably more practical for me, and as mentioned above you can’t beat the way it surfs.
I plan to keep this as a surf / rough water boat, and keep my Greenlander Pro for flatwater and distance paddling. I think they make a good combination.