Just a thought but - kayaks in the broads go beyond the operators or vessels capabilities. Most days it's rough enough out there where a kayak - that sits maybe a foot off the water? - becomes hard to see. As the waves generate "peaks and valleys" (or troughs) the kayak will be in and out of view on a repeated basis. I have never looked at the position of the kayak and paddler as not "belonging" in the broads, so much as it may not the best choice from a safety standpoint? I happen to thoroughly enjoy kayaking and exploring all the places you can't go in a big boat. I consider myself very capable in such a vessel, I have kayaked all over the western hemisphere, fresh and salt water in the US, Mexico, Caribbean, etc... I never really considered putting myself out into open water in these cases, not for fear of anything other than not being visible enough to a larger boat. All boats have conditions that they are suited (designed and built) for, and ones that the operator knows they are pushing the limit, and beyond. I've been there - as a kid, took a 13' Whaler out many a times in water that was beyond what Whaler had in mind I'm sure, but I loved it - and survived just fine. However, I never ventured into the broads on a windy day with it... just didn't seem smart. I pushed the limits of that boat, but never to the point that I felt there could be catastrophic results.
Point is - forget what the boat and operator is capable of, are the conditions and prevailing circumstances conducive to being there? Could the factors that are out of your control have a negative effect on your actions? Example - you read about people going out in a paddle boat or canoe at night, no lights, etc... and they are thinking... well, not sure WHAT they are thinking, but they do it.
Now, along comes Joe Q Boater, driving his 22' bowrider, family on board, lights on and doing 24 mph. It is a clear night, he is sober, experienced and 100% within the letter of the law from an operators standpoint. He sees nothing in front of him from an illuminated standpoint, and looks at his wife for 2 seconds to comment on how beautiful of a night it is. Meanwhile, said unlit vessel is crossing between Meredith Neck and Bear Isl, and in those two seconds, tragedy - he hits the canoe, paddle boat, whatever - and say kills one or both of the two occupants. How incredibly awful would you think that operator would feel for the rest of his life about that incident!? It would haunt him forever, and there was basically nothing he could do about it - from a practical standpoint - as it was out of his control. Yes, that is an extreme example - compared to a kayak in the broads during a sunny day, but I am just trying to make a point. The boat and operator may be "capable", but the prevailing conditions may not... And FTR - I would NOT take a kayak out into the broads on any day, it just doesn't seem like the best place to be in a boat like that.