[Paddlewise] FW: What do you paddle?

What is your favorite kayak and Why?

Dana

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I like my Romany Expedition. It is 17 feet 6 inches LOA with
a 21.5-inch beam. It has a fish form hull with a shallow V
bottom, slab sides, and rounded chines. I bought it with a
retractable skeg and added a deck compass, Henderson foot
pump, and towing hardware. It has three watertight
compartments, including a day compartment with a VCP
hatch cover that is watertight yet easy to remove and put
back on with one hand. That's where I keep my water bottle,
lunch, and other stuff I want access to on the water. (I prefer
a clean deck.) It also has a keyhole cockpit that gives good
thigh contact while allowing easy entries and exits. For me at
5-8 and 170 pounds it is a good fit, but people with large thighs
might find it a tight fit. Capacity is smaller than many West
Coast kayaks, but adequate for a two-week trip if you pack right.

As for performance, it has good initial and secondary stability,
tracks well, carves well, and turns reasonably well when leaned,
though my wife's Romany 16 is more maneuverable. It handles
well in waves and is one of the easiest boats to roll that I know of.
One reason I chose it is that the cockpit design makes a layback
roll quite easy. I found both the Arctic Hawk and the Betsie Bay
Manitou too restricting in that respect. Also, it requires less hip
snap than either of those boats. After teaching myself to roll
in my old Sealution, the first time I rolled a Romany it felt like all
I had to do to roll it was to lift my knee! I don't have enough
surfing experience to know how it handles in that regard, but it
is reputed to handle well.

Nigel Dennis' new boat, the Greenlander, is faster and even
easier to roll than his Romanys (I popped up accidentally in
it while trying an underwater scull), but it takes more outfitting
(especially in the thigh area) to make it comfortable, and the
small cockpit made it impossible for me to reach far enough
forward to adjust the foot braces of the one I tested. The
Romany is a much more comfortable boat for the average
paddler in that and other respects. It is a very popular kayak
on the Great Lakes, and many instructors and guides use it.

Chuck Holst



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