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I used to own one of these and recently got to paddle it again and compare it with my Valley Avocet as I've kept in touch with the guy I sold it to. The Romany is a great kayak - especially for the less experienced paddler considering it's superb initial stability which is similar to the Necky Chatham 16. However, unlike the Chatham 16, it does require some serious edging to get it to turn quickly. Also, like the Chatham 16, the Romany tends to plow through flat water but not quite as bad as the Necky. In very rough conditions both kayaks are very confidence inspiring. The Romany, compared to my Avocet, is almost boring to paddle as the Avocet is much more "lively" feeling and requires no effort to put on edge along with being effortless to turn - edged or not.

My biggest complaint with the NDK kayaks is their seat and back band. In my opinion, that fiberglass seat is far worse than Necky's seats which I've spent a lot of time in and truly dislike. I came very close to buying a new Romany recently but decided after paddling my old one again will stay with my Avocet.

For reference sake, I've owned a lot of different British style kayaks through the years including the NDK Romany and Explorer, Necky Chatham 16 and 17, Current Designs Gulfstream, Squamish, and Cypress, Impex Mystic, Valley Avocet and Aquanaut LV, WS Tempest 170 Pro, and currently own a Valley Avocet carbon/Kevlar, a WS Tempest 165 Pro, Dagger Alchemy 14S, and a poly WS Zephyr 155.