Kayak Stability

Have a discontinued OK Trident Ultra 4.3.  Mainly fish tidewater trolling for salmon.  Been looking for new OK Trident 13 but can’t find anyone in PNW who even deals in OK anymore.  So may be forced to get one of those flipper kayaks.  Can anyone compare the stability of an OK Trident 13 and a Hobie Revolution 13?  Also, does moving through the flotsam and jetsam that comes in with a slack high tide on the river cause any problems with the flippers or rudder on the Hobie?

The Revo is stable, but the Trident is more stable.  Trying and failing to navigate through kelp beds and other fresh- and salt-water marine plants, and trying to get through anything that's floating (crab pot lines, for example) contributed to the reason I sold my Hobie.

That could be more of a problem where I fish and YMMV.

I have both and find them very similar in regards to stability.  As for navigating through mine fields, the flipper yak just requires one quick push of one pedal to stow the flipper flappers up against the hull, and pull up the rudder. Pull out the paddle and it navigates just fine through the mind fields.

... As for navigating through mine fields, the flipper yak just requires one quick push of one pedal to stow the flipper flappers up against the hull, and pull up the rudder. Pull out the paddle and it navigates just fine through the mind fields.

True, true - if you see it coming and have time to react, and given that flattening the flippers in kelp beds still allows kelp to tangle in the drive.

Or, maybe the kelp beds I've had to travel through are out to get me?  We can't rule that out. 

... As for navigating through mine fields, the flipper yak just requires one quick push of one pedal to stow the flipper flappers up against the hull, and pull up the rudder. Pull out the paddle and it navigates just fine through the mind fields.

True, true - if you see it coming and have time to react, and given that flattening the flippers in kelp beds still allows kelp to tangle in the drive.

Or, maybe the kelp beds I've had to travel through are out to get me?  We can't rule that out.

You can also just lift the drive up and out of the hole and lay it down in the foot well.

It's not that difficult to do. 

How often to you find yourself caught in kelp that you didn't see coming?

I have a 13' Revolution and a 13' Trident, and think that they have similar stability.  However, for fishing I think that the Revolution, and indeed any pedal kayak, is far superior to the Trident or any other paddle kayak, because it leaves both hands free to fish, put on suntan lotion, eat lunch, fiddle with fishing gear, or whatever.  Since I bought my Revolution in 2013, I only use my Trident as a loaner kayak, for spearfishing, and for fishing or paddling in shallow rivers. However, I don't fish in any areas where weed entanglement is an issue.

How often to you find yourself caught in kelp that you didn't see coming?

Every time I've had to dodge a whale (which has happened more often than one would expect)

I have a 13' Revolution and a 13' Trident, and think that they have similar stability.  However, for fishing I think that the Revolution, and indeed any pedal kayak, is far superior to the Trident or any other paddle kayak, because it leaves both hands free to fish, put on suntan lotion, eat lunch, fiddle with fishing gear, or whatever.

That's just standard Hobie propaganda.  In all the years and ocean trips I made in my Revolution, I never had both hands free - my left hand was always on the rudder control lever trying to either maintain a course or keep the Revo facing in the direction I needed it to face.  I have no problem doing that with a paddle while holding a flyrod and landing a fish.

Of course, that's on the ocean - and as I said in the beginning, everyone's mileage will vary.

I have no problem doing that with a paddle while holding a flyrod and landing a fish.

Most of you don't know this, but Tinker is an octopus 

I have no problem doing that with a paddle while holding a flyrod and landing a fish.

Most of you don't know this, but Tinker is an octopus 

You know, that makes total sense! 

Tinker has the ability to overthink a lot of stuff. We would too if we all had nine brains to satisfy.

 

 

I object!  Anyone who really knows me knows I'm from the Alpha Centauri system, and we only have three brains.

Disadvantages of not being from Zeta Reticuli, Tinker ...

A guy catches a few rockfish with a fly rod and suddenly he feels qualified to be an anti-Centaurian critic?  Sheesh!

Disadvantages of not being from Zeta Reticuli, Tinker ...

I object!  Anyone who really knows me knows I'm from the Alpha Centauri system, and we only have three brains.

Hahaha!   

Watched that crazy movie "Paul" again the other night and their comic book cover immediately popped into my head when I read this!

Anyway - not sure why bogueYaker hasn't chimed in on this because he's been using a Revo the whole summer as far as I know. He gets around in the wind, current and weeds pretty well and can peddle faster on it than I can on my Outback, plus he's got a downrigger setup. That guy caught a lot of Chinook this season, including 4 that were over 30".

Anyway - not sure why bogueYaker hasn't chimed in on this because he's been using a Revo the whole summer as far as I know....

Dang dude, got me blushing.

Stability is a relative thing; the Revo 13 is more than stable for me. Never been on an OK T13 but from glancing at the specs I bet it's in the same ballpark as the Revo 13. Weeds, jellyfish, and other floaty crap aren't much of a problem, but I actively avoid super weedy areas when I'm trolling, which is most of the time.

Unless the website that I'm referencing has incorrect specs (wouldn't be the first time!) the OK T13 & OK TU4.3 are nearly the same boat in terms of length and width.... and maybe the OK TU4.3 is ~10lbs lighter? The slightly longer boat being lighter doesn't make a ton of sense to me... Maybe the specs I'm reading are wrong.