Need advice: Trident13 vs. Malibu X-13
 

A friend of mine wants to get into kayak fishing and been deciding between OK Trident13 and Malibu X-13. I got Prowler 15 (pre trident) and not sure how shorter (13') perform. Looked side by side comparison and they are almost the same spec.wise. So, wondering if anyone here has experience on these two kayaks and willing to share pros/cons.
Thanks

They are almost the same spck.wise, choosing would more of a personal choose.
I would go with Malibu X-13, since i have great experience with it.

Hi chuckt

I've been fishing using the Prowler 13 for about 12 years now and I use it a lot. I always surf launch and land and find it to handle the surf very well. The only issue I've had with it is that on the older models, the back end of the keel had what I think was a design problem in that it was not propperly reinforced with thicker plastic. After 5 or 6 years of dragging it to the water, the keel wore through and started to leak. I've done a few plastic weld repairs on it over the years and the repairs all turn out to be temporary. My latest attempt was to put some carbon fiber fabric with some aircraft grade epoxy over it and that seems to work the best. It actually scratches ashfalt if you drag it over the parking lot. Newer models have fixed the problem with better reinforcement.

A couple years ago I was practically given a Prowler 15 and found it to be far less nimble than the P13. I used it for a couple weeks and ended up selling it. If I were to upgrade, and I think I will quite soon, I plan on going with the Trident 13.

Good Luck

May I ask how you applied the carbon fiber and aircraft epoxy to your kayak? I have worked with fiberglass on other projects not kayak related, is it the same as that?

I have a Trident 13 and find it perfect for me have paddled the X 13 but at 250lb am to big for it you friend should go to an OEX and give them both a paddle. Over the years I have paddled and fished the Prowler 160 Tarpon Trident 15 Malibu X13 Hobie Outback and a few no longer made and the Trident 13 is my Favorite it is big enough to take me offshore anywhere I want and small enough to fish bass in the harbors.

I paddled a X-13 once and didn't think is was to bad at the time (Very "NEWB") back then. I later bought a Trident 13 and I'm very happy with the combination of stability, speed and at 6' 2", 220 pounds the fit is very comfortable.

Danjor,

Yes it is just like working with fiberglass. I used strips of the carbon fiber material layered in opposite directions, a good coat of epoxy and forming the shape with a rasp after fully cured

Someone under 200# the X13, over 200# Trident 13 is a better fit. That is not to say someone under 200# would not work on the Trident, but I usually steer people over 200# toward the T13 instead of the X 13.

6'1" 175 pounds and I love the X-13 that ^someone^ gave me a great deal on.

Own a bunch of yaks and the X-13 is still my go to boat for most of my saltwater kayak fishing.

Did you have to rough up the plastic at all or did it stick pretty well as is?
I'll have to try this out on a small area and if it works well I might do the whole keel of my x factors. Won't add too much weight but the added protection would be well worth it.

I haven't used it on a yak yet but I have repaired many of those plastic K-Rails " those barricade things you see to control traffic" here at my Equipment Yard. They are rotomolded and made of the same type of plastic.(polypropolyne) These things get hit, dropped, filled with 60-70 gallons of water and the repairs haven't failed yet. Scuffing the area helps though.
Just my 2 cents

Thanks for all the advice.
I think the weight capacity is a good decision point

Danjor
Didn't, have to rough it up but good cleaning with acetone is advised

I had a Malibu X-13 and I currently own a Prowler 15, pre trident kayak. My personal feelings are I like the Prowler 15 better, only thing different from the 15 and 13 would be length, weight, and speed of the kayaks. I liked that stability of the Malibu but I didn't like how slow it was. I have also noticed that a buddy of mine who owns a Trident 13, he is slower when paddling side by side, than the Prowler 15.

If he's wanting to stay with the 13' length kayaks I personally would go with the Prowler/Trident 13. Malibu x-13 are nice don't get me wrong, but if I had the choice of the two, I would take the Prowler.

Another vote for prowler or tridents they are great! I liked the 15 due to extra speed and tracking but the 13 should be fine if you have a storage problem with the bigger one. But either way you can't go wrong.

If it matters, I'm pretty sure the Prowler and Trident are identical from the water line down. Just the topside ametities are different. No expert, just what I was told when I got mine:paddleersmilie: