The Romany set a new standard for high end paddlers. The low rear deck, forward mounted compass, keyhole cockpit, and a day hatch, can now be found on many kayaks, but the Romany made this popular. Everyone now sells a Romany type kayak. Necky has the Chatham, VCP has the Avocet, Wilderness System has the Tempest. There is no single thing that makes the Romany special. The Romany just does lots of things good. Hard chined giving it good stability for only 21.5 inch width. We wish it had all VCP hatches in place of the front and rear 9" round covers. The skeg in Romany reduces already limited rear storage space. Some people will find the skeg vs. storage space trade off not worth it for the Romany.
The Romany fits a mid sized paddler. NDK also have the Romany HV for larger paddlers and the Romany LV for smaller paddlers.
User Input: Both the Romany and Explorer seem to fit snug around the thighs - in a good way. Although I know this is a personal thing, the thigh braces are set lower than most other keyhole cockpits and really grab your thighs without "digging in" uncomfortably. I had some trouble feeling comfy in the Necky Chatham due to the moveable thigh braces being a little "sharp" and not having as much surface area as the NDK keyhole. The Avocet/Aquanaut seem a bit too roomy - padding helps, but there isn't the same "lip" as on the NDK boats. (The NDK seats aren't particularly comfy though and the standard backbands aren't great.)
Skeg - neither the Romany or Explorer needs a skeg 90% of the time. Having the slider up front on my Explorer, it's been easy to use when I'm feeling lazy. Only needs a small amount of skeg - which makes the cable slider a good option. J.N.
User Input: I’ve been paddling the Romany for about 9 years now. I keep trying other boats – my boat is beginning to show its age, and besides, I’d like something that’s a bit faster – but every time I come back to the Romany it’s like coming home. It’s the most all-round comfortable boat I’ve paddled. And it tracks extremely well, while maintaining a large degree of maneuverability. My boat doesn’t have a skeg, and I’ve never missed having one. I’ve heard complaints that it doesn’t have much cargo space, but it can certainly handle enough gear for a one-week trip. Larger hatch openings would be a plus, however, and loading the gear for a longer trip might be a problem. I know that there have been problems with quality control on these boats, but mine has not presented any problems. While the quality control may not be consistent, when you get a good one, you’ve got one of the best boats on the water. JV
NDK says: The Romany was designed in 1993 with the following features: A low rear deck for easy rolling. A white water cockpit. This gives the kayaker excellent grip, control and allows a quick exit if needed! Three compartments, including an offset day hatch, allowing the kayaker to reach into the compartment whilst at sea. Sloping rear bulkhead behind the seat, allowing the kayak to be emptied by lifting the bow (no X rescue necessary). Polished deck recesses. Plenty of room for large feet or warm winter footwear. Exceptional manoeuvrability, with direction stability. Very fast in following seas. Large round hatches Minimum weather cocking in strong winds.
Download NDK Romany Data Sheet PDF (Low Quality 55KB)
Download NDK Romany Data Sheet PDF (High Quality 872KB)
NDK Romany Standard Equipment
- Length: 16 feet,
- Width: 21 1/2 inches
- Volumes per compartment: Front 48 litres, Middle 36 litres, Rear 46 litres
- Deck: 2.5 oz C.S mat plus foredeck rescue patch of extra 1.5 oz mat.
- Hull: 2.5 oz C.S mat plus 8 oz cloth. 2 inch keel strip. Double thickness reinforced bow and stern.
- Inside seam: 2 inch diolen plus 3 inch glass cloth. Outside seam: - 1 inch glass cloth.
Weight
- Fiberglass: 54 Lbs. (approximate weight with hatch covers and skeg)
NDK Optional Equipment
Retractable Skeg
VCP Rudder
Compact 50 Deckpump
Henderson Footpump
Strumbox
Silva 70P Compass
Kneetube
Foam Seat
Foam Pad
External Keelstrip
Towing Cleat/Fairlead
3 Piece Kayak
Custom Stripes
Metal Flake single color
2007 MSRP
- Fiberglass with Skeg $3,099
Contact us for more information on the Romany or any NKD Kayak.
Images courtesy of NDK Kayaks
