Pre July 2021, my go to boat was the Valley Etain 17-7.
The Valley Etain 17-7 although being a traditional sea kayak, the Valley Etain 17-7 due to its length and fish form design is a pretty quick sea kayak, ideally suited to expeditions. It has a huge amount of internal volume for all your expedition gear, it goes in a straight line and is a fairly stable kayak. The downside to the Valley Etain 17-7 is that it is not a quick boat to turn, due to its length. As it has a large internal volume, which is great for paddler comfort, it is not the easiest boats to roll. I realised the Valley Etain 17-7 had its short comings a few years ago, but I must admit, I really like the Valley Etain 17-7. It is a great boat to sit in and explore the world from. Despite numerous temptations to move to different kayak manufacturers, or even just different Valley kayaks (I think I have tried most of them), I have always been reluctant to part with the Valley Etain 17-7. This is actually my second Valley Etain 17-7. The first one being a pre production model.
However, in July 2021 I bought a Tiderace Pace 17 Tour.
The reason for buying the Tiderace Pace 17 Tour was really down to wanting a faster boat, ideally to get paddle fit and improve my rubbish play boater paddle technique, ie become proficient at forward paddling, instead of the BCU approved "play boater paddle flailing". Something to this day cursed with.
Obviously, the Tiderace Pace 17 Tour, is not a traditional sea kayak. It is classified as being a Fast Sea Kayak (FSK). It has a rudder - something that took me quite a while to get the hang of. But it is a fast boat and is significantly faster than the Valley Etain 17-7. The Tiderace Pace 17 Tour rolls really easily too. I bought this boat new and I have to say the build quality by Nelo in Portugal, in Hardcore Epoxy layup, is exceptional. It is such a beautifully made boat in Orange with a black deck. I named the boat the Carrot! At first, I did have some issues though - mainly to do with the seat. The seat wasn't comfortable for me and I'd get dead legs/buttocks. Initially I tried all sorts of paddling etc on the seat, which helped a bit. But what really made a difference was losing some weight.
For several years, I had been messed about with my Diabetes medications by, as it turned out, a rather rubbish consultant endocrinologist. Despite being careful with my diet, my diabetes was way out of control and I was just pilling on the pounds. Since leaving the care of this dreadful consultant and the resultant subsequent changes to my medications, my weight has decreased significantly. In fact I haven't been this light for years! No longer was my comfort in the Tiderace Pace 17 Tour an issue.
As for paddling the Valley Etain 17-7, this boat only came out on social paddles - when paddling with others. The Tiderace Pace 17 Tour being a FSK, was all about paddle fitness, forward paddling and keeping paddle fit, mostly on my local stretch of canal/river, with the occasional solo trip on the sea. (Isle of Wight circumnavigation)
Having bought the Tiderace Pace 17 Tour in July 2021, I now had a traditional "expedition boat" - the Valley Etain 17-7 and now another faster "expedition boat" - The Tiderace Pace 17 Tour.
So what did I go and do next... duh?
I bought yet another "expedition boat", a Rockpool Taran.
The Rockpool Taran was a bit of an accidental purchase in that I really wasn't expecting to buy one. It was just that one just came up for sale at the right (or was it wrong?) time. Not only was this boat for sale second hand, it was in exceptional condition, due to the previous owner sustaining a shoulder injury skiing not long after buying the boat. If you have read my blog on buying the Rockpool Taran, you will have read how it was love at first sight/paddle.
From the very first moment I paddled the Rockpool Taran, I realised the Rockpool Taran does everything, the TideracePace 17 Tour does, but just a little bit better, in every way. The Rockpool Taran is faster. Proof of this became very evident on my TT course on the local canal/river - Zouch road bridge to Stanford Arches and return. In the Tiderace Pace 17 Tour I struggled, and I mean really struggled to beat the 1 hour mark for the course. I'd give it everything, only to find I'd just be a few seconds over the hour. On my second outing in the Rockpool Taran on my TT course, I not only beat the hour, but set a new personal best of 57 minutes and 57 seconds. If I had carried on living in the East Midlands, I think I could have improved my PB yet further.
As for the Rockpool Taran, I find it even more comfortable to paddle than the Tiderace Pace 17 Tour, it rolls easily, it has more storage (being 18 feet in length helps) and it tracks much better than the Tiderace Pace 17 Tour. If you try to paddle the Tiderace Pace 17 Tour, without using the rudder, it is nigh on impossible to keep the boat in a straight line. Not so in the Rockpool Taran. Yes, there is some slight yaw, but it is controllable by edging the boat to compensate. Having said that, I wouldn't want to paddle the Rockpool Taran or Tiderace Pace 17 Tour without a rudder, especially in a cross wind as both boats, by design, catch the wind on the bow. On my second outing in the Rockpool Taran, I noticed how well the boat rides through big swell/lumpy seas. The only downside to the Rockpool Taran, is the very small front hatch, where I am told, to tie a length of para-cord onto the first bag going into the hatch, to give you a chance of getting anything back out again. Due to the red sparkly deck on the Rockpool Taran, I have named the boat "Disco Boy", after a Frank Zappa song of the same name - if you know, you know ...
The Rockpool Taran is a keeper. It is already being used for fast solo trips, fitness training and hopefully in 2026, for some "specific" challenges...
So now, just before moving up to Scotland, I have three expedition type boats, two of which were not getting paddled much. [roll-eyes]
Something had to give and sensibly, and somewhat rather regretfully, I sold my Valley Etain 17-7 and my TideracePace 17 Tour ("The Carrot"). It was time to let others enjoy them.
I now was in need of a playful traditional Sea Kayak for club activities. Turning up at club events in the Rockpool Taran would just be plain rude, no one would want to paddle with me. The Rockpool Taran is simply too fast for most people to keep up with. Unless I happen to find someone in the club padding a Rockpool Taran?
So why did I buy a NDK Romany Surf ?
To be honest it wasn't my first choice. I was eyeing up a Tiderace Xtra. But then taking to a friend of mine who had previously owned one, mentioned the lack of foot space being a problem in this boat. He didn't keep the boat for long. As we both have the same boot size, I obviously decided against buying a Tiderace Xtra. I then looked at the Tiderace Xceed, but now, I am heading back into longer more expedition type boat territory. I really needed a boat that I could play about in, one which would turn easily and ooh, Surf... and then it hit me "Surf", what about a Romany Surf.
Lots of paddlers I've paddled with - some tall 'n lanky, some heavier than me, and some about the same build and weight as me, are paddling Romany Surf's. I've seen first hand, when out paddling with these paddlers, just how well they handle rough water, turn, surf and play. Now as an added bonus, I'm much lighter now and happen to be at the ideal recommended paddler weight for a Romany Surf. In the past I was simply too heavy to paddle a Romany Surf, which is why it hadn't popped up in my heads boat radar. Besides, I had always shied away from NDK boats in the past, having seen some dubious build quality examples. Although, thinking about this, I am pretty sure these examples were fairly old fleet boats, owned by an Anglesey coach. Maybe the build quality of NDK boats has improved? In fact, I am sure they have. I know Mirco Goldhausen - he was always banging on about NDK boats, having worked for Nigel Dennis making NDK kayaks, before moving into full time kayak coaching.
So that was it. Decision made. It was just a case of finding a good second hand one, preferably one locally in Scotland! I decided on buying secondhand, as the lead time for a new boat was going to be a couple of months and I "need" a kayak sooner, rather than later. (Don't we all)
Maybe it was meant to be, but Argyll Sea Kayaks just happened to have an ex demo NDK Romany Surf for sale. Argyll Sea Kayaks being about 30 miles away as the crow flies from my house, or 80 miles by road. Still it was a lot nearer than having to drive down to Anglesey - 350'ish miles via the M74/M6/A55. And what a lovely drive it was to, driving through the Scottish mountains and along Loch Fyne, on what turned out to be a beautiful sunny winters day. So I went, viewed and bought the boat! Without even having paddled one!
This particular Romany Surf is an August 2024 model and by the looks of it, has hardly ever been used. It is an orange deck with a blue cockpit and deck lines ie. it is the colours of IRN BRU. Consequently, I have named it "IRN BRU".
