This review was written by Peter Loyen and posted courtesy of NDK/SKUK.

I recently purchased a new member of the SKUK kayak family, the Pulse.

I opted to have a skeg instead of a rudder. This decision was based on the comments from various experienced coaches and kayakers, who have tested it both with skeg and rudder.

I wasn't able to test it myself prior the purchase, so I took a leap of faith.

“It tracks great, surfs well and is an over-all really fun boat to paddle. I gave it a 10.”    paddling.com review

“A Romany that mortal paddlers can take around rocks without worrying about doing loads of damage to a composite hull. Like the composite counterpart, the Romany Sport RM is a solid, easy-handling kayak that gives back every ounce of effort you put into maneuvering… it’s at the top of its class.”    Jake S.

Responding to a comment from a paddler who was frustrated by an NDK foam seat repair led Tom Bergh to reflect on what makes Nigel Dennis Kayaks his go-to sea kayaks.

Before I suggest a fix, let me offer a bit of perspective based on having helped put thousands of paddlers in our sea kayak fleet at Maine Island Kayak Co since 1986.

Personally, I want a boat that disappears when I’m paddling on the water: a boat that makes me smile, and makes me feel confident and solid when I’m challenged. When I hear complaints about minor outfitting concerns, I am reminded of my own personal order of importance for sea kayak design and manufacturing variables: