Thoughts?
Pintail
Just because…
apples vs oranges? NM
how so? nm
it’s a legit question
both are short day / play boats. In fact the Romany design was largely borrowed from teh Anas Acuta which is the same as the Pintail but with hard chines.
sure
Romany was specifically designed to be a learning/teaching student friendly tool, or so Nigel claimed.
Pintail is much closer to Anas Acuta than Romany is, simple visual comparison is enough to notice. It is a specialist boat, for the lack of better description. It surfs very well. I am quite sure no one would consider it very student friendly boat, especially were going straight is desired.
student boat
It’s a great boat in which to work on your forward stroke. I figure if I’m going straight in that boat with the skeg up, I’m doing something right!
I’m not sure I agree
I agree it wouldn’t be the easiest boat to keep straight. But from what I see it can turn on a dime, and it’s a good roller.
I agree with your general assessment but I’m not sure that makes them apples and oranges. I think they have more in common than they do different. But your response made me examine their differences more closely.
which pintail?
It looks to me like the newer pintail has a hull shape that’s more similar to the Romany.
The original Pintail (pre 1995) has very little chine, as the hull curves rather continuously from the sheerstripe to keel.
I haven’t been in a new pintail, and I’ve only been in a Romany a short time. The old pintail is harder to balance brace (for me), and I’ve always attributed that to the lack of any flat topside on the side of the hull. With no chine, there’s not much to rest the boat on when it’s at about 90 degrees to the water.
Pintail
The new Pintail is a completely different boat. I probably couldn’t fit into an old one but the new vs. Romany Classic is fairly close in fit (if I remember correctly…). Romany has a much longer keyhole cockpit than the newer Pintail.
Pintail is much less interested in going straight than a Romany; not that it’s a bad thing.
true…
While I have never paddled a pintail, my understanding is that it is a super maneuverable boat, but also one that is maybe more demanding of paddler skill than the Romany which is very user-friendly.
On the other hand I would like to point out that just because a boat is user-friendly and easy for beginners to use doesn’t necessarily make it only “a beginners boat.”
The Romany and Explorer are both user-friendly and easy for beginners but neither are merely beginners boats.
So I do think it is fair to put the Pintail and Romany in the same class for the most part.
Matt
romany vs pintail
hi there…i just joined this board to answer this post; i have both these boats, and they are both great kayaks. why do i take one instead of the other? i was trying to figure that out because of this post…i remember my first campout in December on Valcour Island on Lake Champlain with pintail; tent, but no sleeping bag, it was cold. then another campout on Garden Island in February; this time, sleeping bag, but no tent, due to pintails storage…it was cold. then finally, last November, romany carries tent AND sleeping bag-major improvement! - warm and dry.
so i analyzed my triplog and saw that on the day trips of ten-twelve miles or less, with a light(er) load, i typically took the pintail…when the trip was 20+ miles in one day, even with no camping gear, or when the trip was an overnite with camping gear, the romany has been the choice. i love them both when -loaded or not- they are trimmed properly, because they handle so well in big water. just last weekend, again camping on Valcour, two of us (romany and skerray rmx) in well-trimmed boats landed and launched in big and somewhat dangerous surf (at least for the glas romany) since the waves are breaking on rocks and cliff faces. but bringing all the gear we needed was nice due to the increased storage of the explorer. i do love my pintail first though…
…oh and one more thing, 7" hatch covers dont last as long as the 10" covers found on the romany explorer, with only one 7" for the dayhatch…the pintail takes two 7" covers, and one large oval in the stern…just another consideration.
romany vs pintail
hi there…i just joined this board to answer this post; i have both these boats, and they are both great kayaks. why do i take one instead of the other? i was trying to figure that out because of this post…i remember my first campout in December on Valcour Island on Lake Champlain with pintail; tent, but no sleeping bag, it was cold. then another campout on Garden Island in February; this time, sleeping bag, but no tent, due to pintails storage…it was cold. then finally, last November, romany carries tent AND sleeping bag-major improvement! - warm and dry.
so i analyzed my triplog and saw that on the day trips of ten-twelve miles or less, with a light(er) load, i typically took the pintail…when the trip was 20+ miles in one day, even with no camping gear, or when the trip was an overnite with camping gear, the romany has been the choice. i love them both when -loaded or not- they are trimmed properly, because they handle so well in big water. just last weekend, again camping on Valcour, two of us (romany and skerray rmx) in well-trimmed boats landed and launched in big and somewhat dangerous surf (at least for the glas romany) since the waves are breaking on rocks and cliff faces. but bringing all the gear we needed was nice due to the increased storage of the explorer. i do love my pintail first though…
…oh and one more thing, 7" hatch covers dont last as long as the 10" covers found on the romany explorer, with only one 7" for the dayhatch…the pintail takes two 7" covers, and one large oval in the stern…just another consideration.