Profile

Love the Romany Surf RM. Three years ago I bought an NDK Romany Surf RM and have paddled it almost 200 times to date. I don't believe I have seen another, although I see Romany Classics from time to time. I have two other sea kayaks (QCC 500X and 600X) and a Necky Manitou 14, but I end up paddling the Romany 80% of the time, because it does everything pretty well.

Toward the end of a paddling class three years ago, the instructor let me paddle his Romany and I knew I had to have one. For a 16 ft boat, it turns extremely well, due to lots of rocker. Initial and secondary stability are excellent. This boat inspires confidence. If going into rough water, this is the kayak I take.

At 5’ 10” and 150 lbs, this boat fits me well. I added seat padding, hip pads and a back band. It is a bit on the heavy side (about 57 lbs), but it is tough and durable. As others have reported, there is an issue with the fiberglass coaming where it attaches to the RM body of the boat, but that was remedied with marine adhesive/caulking.

Due to the thick, triple dump, polyethylene construction, it would be hard to hurt this boat. It has been well worth the money.

I've had these paddling pants for about two years and only wear them when it's cold out. They seem quite sturdy and durable, and fit well. They are comfortable, but I get wet on my thighs and knees when I paddle. I can't tell if its sweat from me or water dripping from the paddle. I bought these to keep dry when it's cold. They don't seem to do that very well.