OK Trident

[aguachico]

I went by AYS yesterday. It's in the same complex as Noah's tackle and Dream Girl's.

The yak has possibilities. Will test it in LJ next week...

My initial reaction is that this yak is an improvement over the Prowler. I think the SoCal style of fishing requires a yak of it's own. The best thing a yak designer can do is to not do anything. Design a yak with a good hull, flat deck space and leave the rest to the people that know best.

The likleyhood that I will purchase this yak is in the 80% range.

[aguachico]

Wow; the interest is over whelming.

Grabbing the demo for a quickie manana. Tipping the scales @ 270. . This will be interesting to see where the water line is on this yak.

[FISHIONADO]

Originally Posted by aguachico

I went by AYS yesterday. It's in the same complex as Noah's tackle and Dream Girl's.

I was hoping you didn't see me coming out of Dream Girls! I'll be interested to hear your review of the trident, seems very promising. Did you try it in the bay or through swells? Does the higher ride make it more tippy than the prowler? Does a cross-wind push the bow sideways? I want one but I have a perfectly functional prowler as long as I keep an airpad and 1/2" foam pad under the regular seatpad, probably making it more tippy.

I'm planning to go to Punta Abreojos in late August for surfing and kayak fishing, hoping to time it with a south swell. Got any recent travel info for the area? How's Chello and I think it was Ray?

[aguachico]

Report tomorrow. August is the begining of the season at ojos. I'm calling Chelo this week.

[wavster]

I can tell you about the Trident. This comparison is based on the 2 eXtremes that I've
owned in the past 10 months. I had an older eXtreme and a 2007 model eXtreme. The
eXtreme is a good kayak. I'm only comparing here because that's what I owned and these are my
personal observations.

I bought Trident one week ago today on an impulse after demoing it 3 days prior.
I've been out in it 8 times in the past week. I've launched
at reef breaks, beach breaks, small surf and medium surf.

I like the way the Trident can make it over surf. Every day but one was a dry launch. The only time
I got wet was when the surf at Cardiff was 4ft. And that was just minor wash over and bow spray.
I wouldn't even have attempted this launch in an eXtreme. I would have
been flooded.

Speed: The Trident is faster than the eXtreme by a long shot. It planes better and therefore
glides through the water like a dream. Paddling is much easier on my shoulders and elbows
than the eXtreme ever was.

Noise: The Trident is absolutely quiet. My new eXtreme gurgled, due to the channels. I can coast
in the Trident and hear bait popping 50 yards away. I like it.

Weather vaning: The eXtreme seemed to weather vane into the wind. The Trident seems much
truer to the chosen course than the eXtreme did. I haven't had to fight major winds yet,
but side by side, the Trident tracks much better.

The Ride: The Trident is much drier than the eXtreme. The 2007 eXtreme has a wetter
seat than the previous models. The Trident is drier than both. The Scuppers are at the
low end of the seat, where the eXtreme has a single scupper at the high end with a channel to
direct water flow. The problem with the eXtreme is that the scuppers like to spit at you when there is
surface chop. My seat was always wet in the eXtreme when the kayatank was filled.

Turning: Unbelievable. I can lean into a turn and make the tightest turn. I couldn't do that in
my eXtreme. I don't mean to dis the eXtreme, but this kayak is great. With great
secondary stability and a solid keel, I can lean into a turn and really pivot.

Deck Space: The Trident Rod Pod cover takes up more room than it has to. There's limited
leg room and when plucking bait from a sabiki, it has a tendancy to jump ship, since there's not much
of a foot well. I have some improvement ideas for that, but not quite there yet.

Hatches: Everything stays dry, even through surf. These are great hatches. The slight exception
is the Rod Pod. The hatch has a tendancy to bow a bit, allowing water to enter. However,
I found that if I lay a chamois over the front part of the hatch, my gear is bone dry. I think an
extra bead of silicone may help here. Experimentation required.

Overall Layout: I like the space I have on the Trident. All the hatches are easy to reach and
I have lots of room. The vertical space is greater than the eXtreme, so loading 5 rods in the
Rod Pod was simple. When I pulled them out after paddling through big surf, they were
dry. This will easily save you $$ in reel servicing.

I'm looking forward to getting a kayatank in this kayak. I think that will make it perfect...

..until the next major kayak improvement comes along...

Kudos and Great job to O.K. and all those who had a hand in designing this kayak.

[Jim Sammons LJKF]

I saw the demo unit that AYS is using down on the bay on Friday so I jumped on for a quick spin, mine is still in the wrapper.
As always it will take a while to get used to the change and I am still thinking about how I will rig it.
One thing they did to help with the bowing of the center hatch was to add a 1" strap at the front end to hold it down, this seemed to give it a better seal.
Just the initial impression as compared with my 15 is this. The 15 is faster off the line but the PT once at speed is just as fast. The PT is a bit more sluggish turning, I could easily turn my 15 on it's own axes not as easy in the PT.
The PT has a very solid feel to it and just plows though the water with no hull slap or vibration and very good glide.
Because on the higher seat the rails are a bit steeper, not as full as the 15 and more like the 13, so not as much secondary stability. Not that it is tippy just has a very different feel compared to the 15.
The cockpit feels a bit more forward in the PT so though longer you don't get the impression of a lot of kayak out in front of you.
I have never permanently mounted a fish finder in any of my kayaks so I am not sure I will use the sonar shield for that. Looks like a great place to put the drift chute or stash my jacket when it warm ups. Still trying to figure it out. Will give it a good look today and play with some ideas. I am just excited to have a kayak that will carry my fat ass and all my stuff and still paddle well.

[Dan]

How does it perform when paddling backwards through the surf?

[AYS]

Wavster,

As Jim said, one thing i am recommending to everybody who buys the Trident is to add a strap to the front of the Rod Pod to keep the forward end down tight. It makes an unbelievable difference in how the hatch seals. Come on in and ill set it all up for you and show you some other modifications I'm working on that are making the boat That much better than any other.

Cj

[wavster]

Originally Posted by AYS

Wavster,

As Jim said, one thing i am not recommending to everybody who buys the Trident is to add a strap to the front of the Rod Pod to keep the forward end down tight. It makes an unbelievable difference in how the hatch seals. Come on in and ill set it all up for you and show you some other modifications I'm working on that are making the boat That much better than any other.

Cj

Thanks CJ. I'll come by next weekend. Heading to SQ tomorrow to test it in Mex.

[wavster]

Originally Posted by Dan

How does it perform when paddling backwards through the surf?

No need. I feel like I can surf this thing. I surfed a small wave at Seaside Reef last night after
fishing the kelp for awhile around sunset.

...although, I did paddle it backwards to adjust for timing when landing. It handled great.
No more backwards landings for me (unless I find the surf is just too big).

I have a feeling the surf won't hold me back from fishing like it used to.