Romany 16 thoughts?

Any thoughts on Romany 16 are desired.



Speed, rolling, seaworthiness etc.



Many thanks.



Also, just ordered my Astral 300T after reading this board.



Many thanks.

Romany 16
I have had mine a few months. The few times I had it out in Challenging conditions, it really impressed me. It felt very stable in 4-5 ft breaking steep wind waves. It was easy to correct course when surfing and was also easy to ride in broached. Very easy to roll. Not a very fast kayak. It has a skeg that is difficult to deploy, but I have never felt like I needed it.

16
I’ve only demoed one once, so can’t say much. My impressions were that it wasn’t as playful as the Avocet, but it felt solid in waves with no bad habits.



It has the reputation of being a great rough-water boat but not very fast. In Michigan where I started sea kayaking it seemed that every BCU instructor used a Romany 16 or Roamany Explorer as their teching boats.

Romany

– Last Updated: Jul-10-04 10:05 PM EST –

I also have only demoed one for a half hour or so. The boat comes with a great reputation, and it seemed to me it would live up to it. My only complaint with the Romany was the comfort in the cockpit, the thigh braces seemed to be too far aft, and very low. The end result was the fit was way too tight on the top of my upper thighs. I'm not a big guy, 5'11" 170lbs, but I have seen poeple bigger than me in a Romany. The other boat on my short list was the Avocet. I was way more comfortable in the Avocet and it also seemed to edge a little better (this could be because it fit me better), and held a little better speed. If you are looking for a fun, playfull, seaworthy, easy to roll, fun to surf boat. You should demo both the Romany and Avocet. They are both great boats! I bought a composite Avocet, the only complaint I have is I don't like the backband, but I hear NDK backbands aren't much better.

Fun in the rough
short on thigh room unless you lower the seat, fast enough to paddle with most groups if your technique is beter than mine easy to roll and turns betterh than my explorer. Might get one if my weight drops to 180. More stable than the pintail no doubt.

Romany 16
I’ve had my Romany 16 for about 2 months and have paddled it extensively in San Francisco Bay in 20 mph winds and 3’ wind waves. It’s very manueverable, easy to keep on track and really likes the rougher stuff that I’ve been into with it. I think it also likes the smaller paddler, if this one is too small, try the explorer, which is the next size up. Complaints about the cockpit are pretty much true, The Britts don’t seem to have the concept of comfort down yet. For me the main grip was the backband and it’s lack of support which I’m happy to say is easily remedied. I had an IR Ratchiting Backband installed and all problems in that area disappeared. I also added white water thigh pads for that little extra touch . All in all it’s now as confy as the Necky I sold to get this boat, and a purchase I don’t regret. As to speed, unless your in a race with your paddling partners, What’s the problem? A 16’ boat is not going to be as fast as a longer one. This boat is for fun, fun, and more fun. Somewone mentioned that they noticed a lot of instructors used this boat in classes. The reason is that it’s so damn responsive and nice to paddle. But, the boat needs to fit your needs and your body. Try it out, you could do a lot worse.


I’ve had a Romany 16…
For over two years…and I wouldn’t have another boat. It handles superbly in bad conditions (and good ones, too) and is easy to roll. I find the cockpit very comfortable, but I’m a smaller person (5’3", 128 lbs). Complaints about the backband are common. I have a solid foam block molded to fit me, and that works great.



Tracy