prowler p13

[shark]

well i got my new prowler p13 and put it through its tests and this is what i think of it


lets start with it on dry land i found all the fitting were all working and did not look as if they would leak the only thing that left me worried was that the hatch cover look far to big for the hatch so i put some water in the yak and tipped it upside down no leaks from the fittings and just a drop of water in the hatch cover which i would expect due to the yak being upside down with the weight of the water on the hatch so drained it out and dried it i was very happy with all the extra pre fitted holes also i found it very easy to pick up and put on and off the car and easy to carry by just one handle due to it being so well balanced

so now it was time to get it out on the sea and give it a good bash put all my bits on it i even had some place to put my trolley thanks to the big space at the back of you i found it had loads of room once on the water it was very easy to paddle and paddled in a very straight line it was great when you tried to turn it as it almost turned on it own length i found it very stable

on the down side i found that i had wet feet from the second we left the beach as the front scuppers always seemed to be under the water line leaving the front of the yak with about a inch of water around your feet which on warm days is fine but on cold days leaves you feeling extra cold

so all in all a great kayak

[izzetafox]

The penalty for a lower centre of gravity and the stability is water through the scuppers. It is a watersport afterall ;-)

You will love it. I have had mine 2 years now and I really enjoy it, as does my 13 year old grandson, he launches, lands and paddles it with ease and a level of expertise that is a little unnerving.

Terry

[russrec]

hi.
i have the trident 11,and have been pleased with it,just two niggles,when you pull it with the front strap it traps your fingers on the cleat,and the rigging is a real pain when you fish a string of feathers,twice i have had a hook stuck at the front of the boat and had trouble getting free,but wont be a problem this season it is on ebay,i have just bought a torque 13 electric,will post when i have tried it.
regards steve.

[oxygenkiosk]

Mine's on order. Reading around though regarding the water problem, i think i might get myself some of these: store.oceankayak.com/products/311045/Scupper_Stoppers



POST 1
i bought some soft golf balls and stuffed them into the scupper holes after realizing just how much water sits in the bottom of the foot wells when they are not used. Now the only water that gets in is from the paddle which is far less than what would be in there without the plugs.

POST 2
Second thing you hear is you get wet. It's hot in Alabama so I actually don't mind, but with scupper plugs, you stay dry as a bone

(http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showReviews.html?prod=1502)

[ZEBRA]

scupper stoppers

they block up the scupper holes no water can come in through the scupper holes when you have them in place.
scupper holes are there for a reason if you get a wave that fills the cockpit while fishing the kayak will be very difficult to control and also difficult to balance with it full of water so sliding forward to pull out a scupper when you are full of water is not easy and often ends up with you falling out .they are however very effective in still waters so using them in still waters is fine but not the sea .
people do use them at sea but they can create there own problems .
the most difficult part of molding a kayak is getting an even thickness of plastic on the scupper holes it really is a pain for the manufacturers to put scupper holes in the kayaks its the most common place where the molding process can go wrong and this can lead to manufacturers having boats returned because of leaks and failing .
scupper holes are a great feature of any sit on top kayak that is usually overlooked
but they are a very important part of your kayak and costly for in manufacture.
without them the kayak would be much less stable if water fills the seating cockpit
water would not be able to drain so the kayak would also be heaver and much harder to paddle .
there really is a science in getting the scupper holes molded just right it is very difficult
and really it is a bonus feature that we should take more notice of if the manufacturers did not put scupper holes in there kayaks then they would have less molding problems and less wasted kayaks and they would all be much cheaper but they cant we need them and they all deserve a pat on the back for putting them in even though they get no credit for doing so.
in short blocking up the scuppers is fine on still waters but not on the sea.

i will just go look for my tin hat ;D

[ZEBRA]

to add a not to this
if you do decide to use scupper stoppers look at them carefully make sure they are not straight sides they need to be angled and they need to have enough string pull on them so if you got wet hands you can get hold of them easily the ones in the picture to me
need a longer pull string i would say at least 6/8 inches long with a big knot on the end to get hold of better still a big wooden bead and a knot.
make sure that when you put the stoppers in your scupper holes you can easily pull them out and that there is no danger of the string breaking and leaving the bung stuck in while out on the water ;D.

[izzetafox]

Totally agree Terry, scupper stopers should NEVER see saltwater!!!

When you see how much water you ship when you go out through the surf zone and waves break over the bows you realise just what a good job they do and how essential they are.

[THURSOMAN]

Agree also with that owning a p13.
In fact sometimes I wish the scuppers were a big bigger with some of the surf I deal with at times.
Maybe I'll get the tin opener out. ;D

Only situation I'd maybe have them in is if the sea is an absolute millpond and you have no surf to contend with at all.

It's a bit disconcerting when the whole cockpit area fill with water after a wave takes you by surprise ;D