Romany Excel or Excel Expedition? Which do I choose?

Romany Excel or Excel Expedition? Which do I choose?

Which is the best all around kayak can I get? I love surfing and rough water play, but I also love to expedition and travel long distances. Oh yeah, I’m a large person. 6'3"/1.9 meters tall and weigh around 260lbs/118kgs with large feet US14/EU48. I have been frustrated through the years trying to find a kayak that I could be comfortable in. One that I don't overweight and lose the performance of the rocker. One that I can carry gear and live out of for an expedition, but not sink the boat so much that it loses all of its speed and maneuverability. I am going to go ahead and say it out loud as well... I want it to look good and I am proud to paddle it! When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you paddle better! 

Around 2014 I was exposed to the kayak that would become one of my 2 dream boats! The Romany Excel was the one for me. At first, it felt huge, because I had never been in a cockpit opening that large. I could actually get in it without scraping the skin off of my shins when I needed to do a quick entry. It was so easy to roll. I was shocked at how comfortable I felt in the rough water. I felt stable, yet nimble with the waves flowing under me. I had met Nigel Dennis at a symposium, and I was discussing how big it initially felt, but he quickly pointed out that the Excel was designed to function best with someone of my size. If I chose a smaller boat such as the Romany Surf, it would still paddle, but wouldn't perform as well because I was sitting lower in the water. Now it all made sense to me and I could feel it!

I quickly began playing, tripping, and coaching out of the Excel. I took it on several longer day paddles of 30+ mile/ paddles. Surfing was so much more enjoyable due to the extra rocker. It was close to perfect. The only flaw I found was that even though I could carry a huge amount of gear with me, I found myself back to the problem of overweighting the kayak. That sacrificed some of the efficiency and maneuverability. Little did I realize at the time that Nigel was once again going to fix my problem. I was talking with him again a couple of years later at a symposium and mentioned that smaller folks were lucky because they had a play boat and an expedition boat to choose from. The Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Expedition, The Romany and The Explorer were examples. He then said, that no worries, he would make a longer version of the Excel. The Excel Expedition was born! This was a huge deal for me, because I now had enough volume to carry a week's supply of water on a trip along with the rest of my kit. Being a larger person, it means our kit is typically larger. Larger clothes, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, etc. All of this makes a difference for enjoying the sport while having a high performance kayak for wilderness adventures.

I am often asked which kayak I prefer, if I could only have one. I hope the information I mentioned earlier helps clarify when I would take each kayak. Here is a quick summary as well. While the Excel can do it all, it has limited carrying capacity. The Excel Expedition can do it all, you just have a longer boat to deal with, but you will be faster and more maneuverable when carrying gear for an expedition. The Excel Expedition also is a faster day-boat if you just want to go for a longer day paddle. I love to surf, and I coach frequently, so the Romany Excel is an excellent choice for those 2 activities. I also love to expedition, so the Excel Expedition is my go to boat for longer trips, but I can still surf with it anytime I want.  It's great to have choices that you can't lose with! I hope to see you on the water!

­­­­­­­­­­Jeff Atkins, Sea Kayaking UK and Celtic Paddles Sponsored Paddler

Jeff Atkins and Ashley Brown are the dynamic duo behind Wavepaddler! Hailing from the picturesque Charleston, SC, they serve as your gateway to paddling excitement and personal growth. But their reach extends far beyond their home base, as they travel to the East Coast, Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes and internationally to deliver top-notch coaching experiences.