Ocean Kayak Trident Review

[snapper]

The Trident Part One.

I read this book recently that had on the back the text: “Five red cars means it’s going to be a SUPER GOOD DAY.” I wasn’t quite sure what that meant until today - today being the day that a brand-spanking-new yellow Trident came home with me.

I’d read the forums and looked at the photographs and so on and decided that I would start a thread on mine, from the start until, well, whenever it’s finished. So let us start at the beginning:

Just like Christmas, a parcel, all wrapped up, was lying on the floor for my attention. A 15ft long parcel. A couple of minutes later and this was all on the floor around it and I got my first real view of a Trident. It was love at first sight! Initial thoughts were that it looked solid, purposeful and well thought out. Closer examination brought out even more extra details and I realised that it wasn’t another kayak that had been turned into an angler edition by merely adding some flush mounts but something that had actually been designed for the sole purpose of being used for chasing fish all day long, comfortably, ergonomically, safely and thoughtfully. It just looked ‘right’. Once safely strapped to my roof bars it was time to see how it handled being driven as I took it home on the dual carriageway, slowly increasing in speed to 70mph or so – steady as a rock, no flexing or additional noise. It passed the first test and I’d happily go on a decent run with it on the roof.

Back home I grabbed a C-Tug, a PFD and my camera and unstrapped it from the roofbars, proper reviewing starts here.

Immediately noticeable was the weight – officially 1.8kg more than the Prowler 15 Anglers I’m used to, weighing in at 27.2 KG’s (60lbs instead of 54lbs in old money). I’m no nine-stone weakling but no weight-lifter either and I’d say that the average man in the street would be quite able to car top it solo, but it’d take effort. That said, the load balance seemed better spread than the 15 and it was easy enough to manoeuvre.

Once on the C-Tug and tightened up I took hold of the rear toggle handle and began to haul it down to the beach. Again, the extra weight was clearly noticeable but at no time did it become a struggle. Here I took heed of the first change in the fixtures. The toggles aren’t attached to their own point as on the 15 but instead go through the two holes and around a shock-cord deckline. This has the effect of pulling tight any slack and thus making the pulling of the kayak more steady and I would imagine it also keeps rattles down. The following photographs show what I mean, but using the forward toggle:





On the way down to the beach I liked that, and found it well thought-out and useful. I changed my mind, however, on the way back when I used the front toggle to pull it home. SO different. Maybe it’s tighter pressure on the shock-cord or something but it was uncomfortable for me. This was compounded by having the drain plug in the way as well and by the time I’d returned home I had changed my tune completely. It was no major job to undo the various fixtures and cords and re-thread them though and I now have the toggles hanging loosely with the bungee pulled tight – and the pressure on the toggle will be the same with or without extra’s placed under the bungees. Incidentally, the drain plug appears to be made from a stronger and more hard-wearing plastic than that on my 15.

Once at the beach I unloaded and dragged it into position without the trolley. It moves easily enough on wet sand. I then took the following general shots of the whole boat:

Front quarter, showing the bow:



A higher angle to better show the general layout of hatches, tankwell and seat area:



The rear quarter and a view of the rudder fixings and rear bungee area



A side view which draws attention to the more angular look of the moulding than on the Prowler 15:



Starting from the front you have the drain plug and toggle handle, both already mentioned:



Next comes the forward hatch which is of a less flexible and more sturdy feel than that on the 15 and which feels a lot more secure ‘in-place’, giving an impression of water-tightness. It felt snug and secure.

(Photograph to follow)

The hatch is then secured by the crosslock buckle which is again very secure and inspires confidence. It also appeals visually and ergonomically – and doesn’t need two handed operation or 4 straps to be put into place.



Now, on the 15 there is an extra strap on the front of the hatch which secures it so it can’t fall off. OK have opted instead to put a thin cord through a small hole in the side of the hatch and tie this off to a bowline. Effective and lightweight for sure and a minor detail but it doesn’t quite match the quality of the rest of the design – it looks like an afterthought, but does the job.



But what a hatch! It’s HUGE! Until you try to put stuff in you don’t appreciate quite how different it is. I usually have to put my C-Tug in methodically to get everything to fit and balance out after stripping it down into 5 parts. The Trident will take it in 3, the two wheels went to the rear and the crossmembers and supports stayed in one piece and pushed up to the bow. This had two immediately obvious advantages over the 15. Firstly, the balance would be better as the forward pieces remained upright and wouldn’t move about loosely. Secondly, by shifting the wheels backwards the nose would be lighter and thus more buoyant. Furthermore, I still had loads of room and could easily add a buoyancy bag or dry bag full of clothes. Perhaps even both.





From inside, looking backwards:



Next up was the sonar shield and fishfinder well. To me this is a very welcome addition – whenever I launch a wave goes over the bow and hits the back of the finder. The pressure of this is greater than that which the waterproofing is generally rated for and thus condensation becomes an issue on the screen in short order. I don’t see a problem now – the finder itself can be folded flat with the shield over the top and clipped down, streamlining everything and keeping the rear dry (ish) and away from excess pressure. The shield then flips up for actual use and still shields the back of the unit as well as reducing flare. Shock cord acts as a spring to keep it pushed down onto the finder itself too, in position and not flapping about in the wind.





More thought has been put into this too. Drainage slots are a featured part of the well and these also allow the transducer cable to run down to the transducer scupper making the addition of a hole for running the transducer inside the hull unnecessary. This is one less area for a leak and also means the transducer will give more accurate information on water temperature and optimum performance as a finder.





The transducer scupper hole, from underneath, is obvious in that it is far larger than the normal ones. It’s actually quite deep and formed in a teardrop shape which I presume to be for enhanced aerodynamic flow of water as the standard scupper holes also have a teardrop-shaped surround. (Please note that the photographs of the scuppers are not at the same magnification and are thus not in scale with each other).





These scupper holes are in the footwells. These have been redesigned and are self-draining. In the Prowler 15 I would always have water retained between the ridges but the Trident has gaps for this to flow through and down where it does drain away very efficiently. I know they work because although I still got a lap full of water going out through surf but it all disappeared. A great improvement and one which wuill be of added benefit when fishing in the winter.



Next comes the Rod Pod (or Cod Pod with a bit of luck!). This is the feature that first impressed me when the Trident was announced, and which I had admired on the Kaskazi Dorado. On the 15 I had always wondered what I would do with a decent haul of fish that I wanted to keep - chance would be a fine thing – but now this is no longer an issue. I can now treat fish like beer and send them straight down the hatch! Again, the cover is solid and not too flexible and fits snugly. It is also held down by a couple of straps (though not a Crosslock this time, which would be useful for opening one-handed but not so secure in the event of a capsize).



Opening up there is a tray covering half the length. This can be moved around and will prove to be ideal for my use by holding bait where it can be kept dry and secure (ie ragworm/lugworm wrapped in newspaper). Other small items could be stowed here too, or food, and in my opinion it is a useful addition.



Take the tray out and the entire interior of the hull is accessible. The length and width – not to mention the position - of the hatch itself will make stowage of tackle a piece of cake. No more messing around with rod clips or paddle-keepers or risking flushmounts or turning rod holders around and lowering them, no, even rods of a good length should go in with no trouble. Not only that, any heavy stuff put there is close to the centre of the boat and thus won’t affect the ride adversely. As someone who doesn’t use a crate but who wants to be able to stow things away this is ideal. As a photographer as well as an angler I also now have the option of being able to take a decent SLR with me, where I can get to it at will, without the danger of damage instead of just relying on a compact in the PFD. Hell, I could even get my Crown Graphic in there! OK have just designed the first truly photographer friendly yak!



Oh, the hatch cover also has the bit of string attached.



So, from the seat forwards you have the following; hatch, sonar shield, hatch, bowline, toggle, carry handles, pad eyes and rudder peg fitment area:



At the bottom of the photograph above you will see a ‘contour’. This is the front of the seating area. Looking the other way you can see the overall shape, with a build up at the front and a slope to the rear (and scupper holes). Thus much of the shaping for a good seating posture is already built in.



Add the new high-backed Comfort Plus Seat Back and you’re away. Now, there are many options for seats and supports in the OK range and while I found this to be comfortable and with good support in the short time I was afloat today I also found the Basic Seat Back fine for half-day paddles in the Prowler 15. This came a lot higher up though and should make heavy paddling easier.



The seating area:



The paddle keepers are almost the same as those on previous kayaks but have the addition of tabs that make it a bit easier to grab hold of them, especially with gloves. Nice attention to detail that.



Behind the seat are, of course, the flushmounts. These are unchanged and useful for both rod storage on the water and trolling lures from as well as fishing from if sitting side-saddle.



The rear tankwell is next. Proportionally this appears to take up less area than that of the 15, having thicker sidewalls, but does in fact appear to be larger. However, it has been extensively redesigned and a lot of thought has been put into it. No longer is there a flat tray with 2 scupper holes – this is shaped and channelled and the scupper holes are actually lower than the main body and thus get drained into. This may not seem that big a deal but I for one will find it a bonus.



Something that I also liked was the central ‘dog clip’ attachments on the shock cord. Bungees can go everywhere when unhooked from buttons but this will all stay in position and the clips can no doubt be attached to crates by those who use them. There is also some bungee cord across the narrow piece of the tankwell just behind the cockpit. I can’t work out it’s purpose (nor, actually, the narrower section as it happens) but if it does get in the way it is easily removable. The pad eyes are sure to come in useful anyway.



From the other end:



Right on the stern there is more shockcord formed into a small cargo web. Handy to have but most likely not something that will be used much.

That’s the end of part one, what it looks like and how it’s laid out. My personal opinion is that it’s very well designed throughout with only the odd minor niggle as already pointed out. It looks the business and appears to be a capable kayak.

But don’t just take my word for it:



Part two will deal with my initial experiences on the water as I took it for a short test drive.

Rigging the Trident Part One.

This is the first part of the rigging of my Trident ready for when it gets out on the water for a fishing trip.

First job was to fit anchor trolley systems, on both sides to give me the choice when at sea. A visit to the local chandlers saw me sourcing what I needed and the photograph below shows the components for ONE trolley, everything being doubled and mirrored on the opposite side and I will write this from the point of view of a single trolley from herein to avoid confusion. Prices in Sterling, totalled for full quantity of each item.



The components are as follows:

7m of 7mm Yellow nylon cord - £4.90
1m of 4mm Yellow shock cord (cut into 4 pieces of 25 cm each) - £0.70
2x Rino Pulley Blocks - £7.00
4x 3x20 Stainless Steel O-Rings - £1.60
2x 5mm Stainless Steel Bow Shackles - £1.40
1x 8mm Stainless Steel Carabiner - £3.00

Total Price (one side) - £18.60.

The trident is superbly designed for setting up an anchor trolley. There are rigging points all over the place and this allows for an easily self-manufactured full-length anchor trolley system. The first thing to do is remove the two pieces of cord running through these fittings and set aside for future use if required.

At the furthest rigging points fore and aft I tied a 25cm piece of shockcord into an overhand loop which hold at the end the pulley block. The shockcord gives slack when the swell raises the boat in the water and tightens the lines when not in use.



Next I chose points behind and in front of the seat area and attached Bow shackles and O-Rings to these to form running eyes for the side of the rope unused by the anchor carabiner. These allow free passage of the rope without any resistance on the rope but keep the lines below the level of the cockpit and therefore tidier and safer.



I then ran the cord through these eyes



and through the pulley blocks



The final stage was to tighten the cord and tie off both ends of the rope to the remaining O-Rings and fit the carabiner between them.



The whole process took maybe 20 minutes and involved no drilling and no tools other than a screwdriver to loosen off the rigging points, scissors to trim loose ends, pliers to pull them really tight and a lighter to melt the frayed ends. Very simple and easy to do.

That done I turned my attention to the hatches, and those bits of string that held them once the clips had been released. First I tackled the bow hatch and after removing the thin line I tied an overhand loop into one end of a piece of shockcord and fitted it through a convenient pad eye.



I then widened the hole in the hatch and pushed the other end of the shockcord through, finishing with a double overhand knot.



With the hatch closed I know had a more substantial hatch keeper, and as it was tied in this way I can push the slack into the hatch through the hole, which is smaller than slack bungee.



I did the same for the rod pod, but turned the hatch the other way around, cup holder away from me as I intend using it for something other than cups of coffee, which I pour and drink straight away so as too avoid missing bites or having it get cold. I again removed the small line and widened the hole enough to get the shockcord through, again tied into a double overhand knot, terminating on the outside of the hatch.



I then made a hole on the inside of the hatch lip which I threaded shockcord through – this lip being turned over and not actually having an ‘outside’ edge. The line had originally been tied to a strap.



Once again, a nice tidy and strong solution which could have all slack pushed out of the way.



Third job of the day was not really a normal consideration. I’m a tart and as such I don’t like the brass swivel clips fitted to the seat backs. On my 15’s I replaced these with stainless steel carabiners as they were smaller and looked neater, and didn’t tarnish. However, this time I decided to save weight and also make the yak quieter by using plastic clips, which should also reduce wear and tear on the pad eyes.





While fitting these it reminded me of something. With my Prowler 15 not handling the surf too well (it’s designed for something completely different) I had often considered buying thigh straps but not gotten around to it. However, I had two long straps with these clips at each end which were on lighting stand holdalls. Were as in past tense. They are now temporarily installed so I can finally see whether thigh straps would be a useful addition for my kayaking as anything that keeps me from getting wet at the end of a trip is surely worth having.



The trident, as I said, has plenty of attachment points and I assume that the ones I used were in fact designed in to take thigh straps.

A further note regarding the fittings on the Trident. Pad eyes have recesses underneath them now which gives more room to use behind them and this is a minor thought but major improvement. I am continually finding these clever little ideas on the Trident and it speaks volumes.

[snapper]

The Trident Part Two.

The C-Tug stowed in the front hatch, camera in the rod pod and PFD on I dragged the trident into the water, getting in without about 8 inches beneath me. Swell was a couple of feet tops with a decent distance between each wave. Wind was fairly strong and blustery.



I was also trying out a new paddle, a Carlisle carbon fibre two-piece jobby that I was quite excited about. This was not a good idea though as I realised after launching that I couldn’t compare handling if using a different paddle to the one I normally use. Furthermore, I think the paddle is too short for me unless I need to alter my technique and the kayak was practically empty. Hence this is just a short and generalised review, not felt to be accurate, and while I am reporting things they will be revised the next time I go out – don’t take them as gospel.

I paddled out, head into the surf. The first thing that struck me was that the nose was more buoyant than the Prowler 15. The second thing to strike me was a breaking wave that dumped water in my lap. So, the dry ride promised on all the forums was not 100% truthful… Directional stability was very good and the kayak kept its course with ease on the way out. It was a stable ride through the surfzone and I took it gently just to test these things. I could feel it was heavier and for all the talk of its speed I felt it was slower than the 15 on this occasion.

Getting out into deeper water and away from the groynes I started to feel the main difference I’d heard of; the seating position is higher than on my previous yaks. While it didn’t feel tippy or unstable, it did feel different and I seemed to feel more movement than normal – but this is possibly down to being used to a different boat as well as the higher seat. Response to the paddle was more like a Frenzy directionally with the nose veering slightly with each stroke. This may be due to the new paddle though as I also found that if I paddled equally and in an intended straight line I gradually turned in a circle. It was also hard work to get anywhere!

I decided to not bother with the paddling things any further for the time being and just to see how it responded when left to is own devices. It seemed to weathercock slower than the 15, which was good, and less water came in from the chop. It also drained out of the footwells and scupper holes very effectively (the lap full of water at launch was very quickly gone). It was also quite comfy to lie down in but so is the P15. Next I decided to try it in the surf.

As I paddled towards the surfzone I noticed it was very keen to pick up a wave on its own and ride it. It was doing it every time with no attempt by me to do so, even when I was not paddling but just slowly drifting in. After enjoying this I got to the point where I’d usually head in and caught a decent wave. Straight as a die, no need to correct with extra strokes and no tipping. The bow stayed out of the water and I glided in effortlessly, turned and went back out. It turned easier than the 15 too at this point. The next time I came in it was very slowly. Again, no turning from my course, no dipping of the bow under the water and no tipping. Very impressive. The last time I caught an even nicer wave by chance (the yak made me do it!) and I surfed it in easily, being turned a bit when I got into about a foot or so of water.

Certainly today it marked itself as a better surf yak than the Prowler 15, but an inferior paddle. I’ll give it another go tomorrow with my usual gear as the latter is contrary to other reports.

The Trident Part Three.

The first time I went out properly I woke up early and took the Trident down to the water for a proper test paddle. According to Magic Seaweed the conditions were 4ft swell at 4 second spacing with a 17mph south westerly. The swell was like that past the breakwater, but the surf was mostly a couple of feet with just a few decent sets. It was warm outside and nice and bright and so I trolleyed up, pulled on a wetsuit, grabbed my PFD and cameras and wandered down to the beach.

First thing I did was take some photographs of the Trident as it looks now, just because the light was nice.







The next ones were those I’d missed on the first look at the kayak - the front hatch:



and the underside of the hull:



from the bow:



and from the stern:



The Rod Pod also has another safety use, ie that of storing a two piece paddle. I would suggest having some kind of securing feature for this as there is of course no bulkhead and it can end up at the stern, which is no use in the event of an emergency, maybe a Velcro leash on the inside.



The main paddle was of course secured in the paddle keeper when not needed:



I had brought my usual paddle - a Carlisle Day Tripper cheapie - and the fancy one, to see what difference they made. Beginning with the cheapie I pulled the yak into the water and paddled slowly out straight through the surf. Again, it held a very straight track through this and I remained dry. I turned and went back in, again very straight and dry and repeated the exercise with the two-piece. I then repeated the exercise a further time but quicker and once again it handled it fine, riding straight over the waves and keeping me dry – basically unless you have one curl over just as you hit it you should stay pretty dry.

Once out, I removed my camera from the hatch and photographed the anchor trolley from the seat. First I pulled it so it was to the fore:



And then again to the aft:



It worked smoothly and well and the lines remained out of the cockpit. The only difficulty was where I had joined the two lengths of rope by re-melting having had them cut in two pieces by mistake, this was a bit bulkier and didn’t go smoothly through the block so will need to be shrunk slightly.

I then tried sitting side saddle, something I personally don’t tend to do, and it was fine. There is plenty of buoyancy so it doesn’t let a noticeable amount of water in but I didn’t feel too secure – the reason I don’t normally sit side saddle – as the kayak will weathercock and move with the swell and the high seating position does enhance the movement. It was fine though.





Reaching around to the back of the tankwell was also tried and this was easier than on the Prowler 15. I also went forward and opened and closed the bow hatch, again with no difficulty and the high, buoyant bow kept it clear of any ingress of water. Very stable kayak this.

I paddled over to an area where the surf is usually bigger and more uneven (getting broken up by the pier legs). Swell was 3-4ft but not really producing rideable surf, although the water was very broken. I pointed my nose at a groyne (down boy!) and sat there. And sat there. It stayed straight, just bobbing up and down with the swell. I may as well have been at anchor.


The tide was quite far out now and the water was shallow – between 1 and 3 feet and I sat side on to the surf for a good while, staying pretty dry (it was small surf by this point, maximum 2 feet) and not rolling over or being pushed around in direction. The following photograph was something I wouldn’t try in the P15 but which was fine with the Trident. I was in 12-18 inches of water, side on to the surf and paddled through the legs of the pier. The water is very messy here and runs fast; there are also banks around the pier so it does tend to be unpredictable. Spacing between the legs is I would say about 12 feet – not sure, but thereabouts. I went through easily and without being pushed much off course at all.



I paddled back to where I had launched and played some more in the surf. Although not designed as a surf boat this naughty little minx just wants to play! Well, play we did for a good half an hour. I couldn’t ride any of the waves today but I paddled into shore forwards, out forwards, in backwards, out backwards, in laying flat pointing forwards, out laying flat pointing forwards, in laying flat pointing backwards and out laying flat pointing backwards, the lying down ones repeated with my legs crossed as if having a kip. Now, there is no sane reason nor justification for most of those exercises, they were pointless and wouldn’t be used normally, but for the sake of doing them they were done. They were all VERY easy, the direction holding and mostly I kept dry, with the exception of some of the backwards ones on the way out, dependant on the breaking of the wave.

At this point Mike arrived and so I handed over the Trident and went and fetched a Prowler 15, which I had fitted my Pacific Action sail to. Two reasons – Mike was enquiring about them the other day and the wind was strong. Coming back to the beach ten minutes later he looked dry (and resplendent in his new dry gear) and we went out again after I placed my C-Tug in the bow hatch of the Trident to try things with a bit more weight in. I also placed a paddle in the paddle keeper to make sailing easier and deployed it, trying to sail right off the beach. I couldn’t because of the position of the groyne so instead paddled out a little bit and then started to move quite quickly. Glancing back Mike was standing in the water, a wave having caught on the stowed paddle, knocking it up and hitting him. He stowed it again and launched with ease – but he couldn’t catch me, I was flying. I played around a bit doing a good rate of knots and then came back to where he was. I crossed the wind both times and having had a good successful sail (with virtually no effort on my part – in fact I was on the mobile for a few minutes of it to a mate who was too slow waking up to join us). I think I’ll put one on the Trident too; it certainly does make things a breeze (!)



Now Mike and I tested the weather-cocking. I felt the other day that it was slower to turn with the wind than the 15. I was wrong. We got parallel to each other but with a bit of space between us so as to not block the wind. We both pointed at a particular shore mark and called out as we turned to another. We then swapped boats and repeated the exercise as a control check to ensure it wasn’t dependant on the person in the saddle (shape, weight, wind resistance, lack of hair etc). That’s a story in itself and will follow in a moment. The verdict was unanimous – the Trident weathercocks quicker. Substantially quicker. I can’t say accurately but at a rough guesstimate I’d say between 20 and 40% faster than the Prowler 15.

Swapping boats. Apart from the weather cocking we both wanted to do some capsize drills and I especially needed to test the Trident for this. Plus Mike wanted to try the sail. So, instead of doing things on dry land, or getting in the water and then into the other one we decided to cross-deck. Good idea that. I got out of the Prowler and across to the Trident. So for a while we had Mike and I both on it, me forward and him near the seat. It felt stable enough. However, when Mike went across to the Prowler we became unstuck – literally. The Prowler tipped on its side when the weight was put on it and try as he might Mike couldn’t get it to behave. I was my usual helpful self and took a photograph but I don’t think Mike will forgive me for posting it! Still, he tested his dry gear – custom made locally by Liquid Logic – just not when he was expecting to. He soon clambered back in and I retrieved my camera from the Rod Pod and hung it around his neck. This was the first time I’ve seen Mike look worried on the kayaks; I told him to be careful because that was £2k of camera. I then handed him my compact – which is waterproof and asked him to snap me doing the capsize drills with the Trident:

I got in on the leeward side and flipped her over:



Reaching over, I turned her right way up:



Kicked myself on:



And clambered aboard:



Simple. Now for the windward side.

Flipped her over:



Reached over and began hauling myself up:



Clambered in:



And made myself comfy.



It was like getting into bed. The buoyancy and shape I assume is what makes it so easy to right – it sits high (but not so high you can’t reach over) and can be flipped back over very easily – far easier than the P15. There is also more space to put your feet etc and the buoyant wide gunwhales give you plenty of stability. There was no tippiness, no effort to pull here over, nothing, on either side of the boat. VERY safe in that respect.

Then just for the sake of it, I decided to stand up. The first attempt I was trying to work out how to stand and went in. I got out and tried again:



Having worked it out I got up easily enough:



And stayed standing upright for a good 30 seconds I’d guess, the sea wasn’t flat either. More stable than the 15 which I’d have gone over the side in seconds on. I then started to get myself back down and went for a swim. I’ll stay seated when fishing I think.

Mike deployed the sail and got the hang of it as soon as he started. He was off and I was paddling as hard as I could to keep up.



This is the point when I start evaluating the paddling of the Trident, the important part and so I have kept it until last so that I can pull it all together.

First I must say that it was a practically empty boat. I had, in the hull, a camera weighing a couple of pounds, a fleece, a carbon fibre paddle and one (later two) C-Tugs. This kayak is designed as a fishing platform and thus to be carrying weight, so this paddle review is only half of the story, to be continued when I load it up. So please do bear that in mind. Everyone so far who I have spoken to that has paddled it says it is two different beasts dependant on what’s in/on it. Comments are ONLY valid for an empty kayak, strong wind and saltwater. I can’t stress this enough.

To begin, I paddled out trying to keep a straight line. I couldn’t. It veered off to the right (the wind was pretty much right to left), repeating the experience of the other day. This also happened with Mike. I must say that I have never used a rudder on a kayak but if what I understand of them is correct then this kayak definitely needs one (for cross winds).

You can’t use a short paddle effectively as you are up high. It will do the job, but it is more tiring. You can still do close-in and reaching-out strokes with ease (I don’t know the technical terms) and can rudder/turn with the blade to the rear with no bother too. But it is a hard boat to paddle in open sea compared to the P15. It seems to wallow quite a lot and takes a lot of effort and a lot of time to get anywhere. That’s across the wind. Against the wind and before the wind it moves a lot more efficiently, being easier to physically move and keeping a better course. Some hull slap was evident at times, but not a lot and it was dependent on wind and wave direction and also speed. It wasn’t enough to be of concern but I did take note of it for the review.

Paddling in the surf is largely described earlier in the text but it paddles far easier than in open sea in these conditions. Surf was, in fact, the only time in which I’d say the Trident paddled better than the Prowler 15 – but it was a hundred times better.

Turning. It seems to turn a lot easier and in a smaller circle than the 15 even though it’s longer by ten centimetres or so. I need to do a proper comparison on a river during a calm day but that is my feeling for now.

It’s slower than the Prowler 15 too, doesn’t cut through the water half as well. The 15 doesn’t have the buoyancy of the Trident of course and is a lot lower and wetter to ride.

So, all in all an interesting couple of hours. I tried as many things as I could, including some that I would never dream of doing in normal situations. In many ways the Trident fell short, and in just as many others it excelled.

If I wanted to take a fly rod and go for bass, with just some sandwiches, I wouldn’t take a Trident. If I wanted to troll a few lures in the river with a couple of rods, I wouldn’t take a Trident. If I was out for a bit of float fishing on the river, I wouldn’t take the Trident. If I wanted to take out my lobster nets and drop them off the pier, I wouldn’t take a Trident. If I wanted to have a lazy afternoon paddle when on the beach I wouldn’t take a Trident. The Prowler 15 is the better boat for all of those. If that’s what you want to do with your kayak, then you need to be looking at the Elite 4.5 or Prowler 15 (depending on which country you are in) or something similar.

If I wanted to take a box full of pirks, weights, a few rods and some spare warm gear and go wrecking I’d take the Trident. If I wanted to spend the whole day on the sea fishing, I’d take the Trident. If I wanted to go in rough sea, I’d take a Trident. If I was in the habit of taking a load of gear with me, I’d take trident. If I had to face a tricky launch and beaching, I’d take the Trident. If I was hoping to bag up with mackerel, cod or what have you I’d take a Trident. If I was trying for Tope, conger or skate I’d take a trident. If I was to fish Protea Reef in South Africa (where I have experience from ski-boats) for yellowfin, yellowtail, musselcracker, sailfish, marlin or sharks I wouldn’t dream of taking any kayak other than a Trident!

This kayak is designed purely and simply as a fishing workhorse. It is designed to do the job and do it well. It is designed to keep you dry, in your seat, your tackle safe and bring home a freezerful of small fish or a tuna in the tankwell and if that is what you ask of it then you will not be disappointed.

Part Four will be an evaluation of the kayaks paddling abilities when loaded up for fishing. This is, obviously, the most important consideration of the Trident but it’s going to be a few days.

[ZEBRA]

thats a great review snapper well written check your pms

[hatter3]

what a report
my hat go's off to you sir (A+)

[snapper]

So, how does the Trident handle for me when rigged for a fishing trip? Today I finally finished the initial part of my trials with a 4 hour paddle with fishing gear under conditions that represent those I usually face.

And it handled brilliantly!

Load it up, they said, and then it’ll impress. Well, I didn’t have to load it much – a couple of rods, a box of lures and other tackle (more than I usually take though I must admit) and that was it.



I took it down to the Broad and launched into a stiff breeze and slight chop and paddled straight into it.

Immediately I could feel the weight and solidity of the kayak, no flexing, less slap and equal tracking to the Prowler 15. This was also the case later heading downwind and even across the wind it held the direction fine. At this point I shall revise my feeling that the Trident definitely needs a rudder. It doesn’t. It would, I feel, benefit from one but I now suspect that the veering off-track of the other day was through a combination of strong wind AND strong current while going crosswind and therefore not an accurate statement overall.

Was it still slower than the P15? Yes and no. The best analogy I can think of is a bicycle gear. Imagine that the P15 is say 3rd gear, a good combination of movement for effort. Trident is 4th gear, harder to get shifting initially but once going it’s there. The glide is great on it, it carries on steadily and once going requires no more input than the 15. Coupled with the tracking that’s a good trolling yak.

I paddled pretty much all of the 4 hours I was out today. The standard seat was fine for back support, I had my changing mat underneath though so can’t comment on the padding down below. I used the Carlisle two-piece carbon fibre paddle for at least 3 hours of that and although it is a little short for me I have got used to it and have found it to be a good bit of kit. Brilliant for controlling the yak too. Getting used to the higher seating position is also part of that.

Drifting: It goes nice and slow. Weathercocks round and then kind of sits there, hardly moving. Sure, a drogue will slow you down more but I’d be happy drifting baits down at the leisurely pace I was going today.

Dryness: I had bungs in, and then took them out. It made no real difference – the water in the cockpit was from paddle drips. Nothing over the side either.

Playing fish from it: Doesn’t pull around as quickly when bringing a lure in which is an improvement but is still responsive enough to aid the angler. A good, steady fishing platform. The only negative is the slightly raised position, making it a bit harder to hold a pike in the water to get its strength back after the fight – but that’s a minor criticism.

Yep, bloody good kayak to paddle after pike. And it catches too:

[keef]

Thats the best, and most thorough review I've read...Thanks!!

[empee]

WOW! What a review (s)!
Well done!
Particularly interesting for me as I hope to pick up my first yak in the next few weeks and it looks like it will be a Trident - not the 15 though - I'm going for something that will combine fishing with some general family use so it will be the 11. The handling will no doubt be different but good to hear you're happy with the design and construction.
Look forward to reading it again with pictures once I get home as forum pics never seem to display here at work offshore.
Many thanks for the time and the trouble.
Martin

[technoengineer]

Nice review!