Ocean Kayak Trident & Trident Ultra

Looking at Ocean Kayak Trident & Ultra Series and have a quick question for those in the know.
There are fore and aft bungees on the side of the hull on these boats and for the life of me I cannot see a reason for them.
What are they used for?
When installing an anchor trolley do these get in the way?

On the Trident, the fore and aft bungees are usefull as hold downs or for clipping in accessories.  There are also fore and aft poly (I believe) lines that are useful for clipping or tieing off things that your bring or catch.

The Ultra doesn't have the bungies but it does have the poly lines.

Hope that helps!
-Mark-

Mine are cord rope not bungees and they have  reflective threads in them or so they say.

I think the ropes which run along the gunwales of the Ocean Kayak Tridents and Ultras are completely unnecessary, and one of the first things I did after I bought my 13' Trident was remove those ropes.  As I am typing this reply, I see an advertisement on the left side of the page for a Wilderness Systems Thresher kayak which has similar lines strung along its gunwales.  Perhaps they are intended to be for a kayaker to hang onto if he or she gets dumped out of the kayak? I spearfish from my 13' Trident, and climb in and out of the kayak many times a day while wearing dive weights.   If you leave them on the kayak, you are likely to snag hooks in them on a regular basis, and if you end up in the water you may snag your PFD and other gear on them while climbing back in the kayak.  I suggest that you remove the ropes.

I think the ropes which run along the gunwales of the Ocean Kayak Tridents and Ultras are completely unnecessary, and one of the first things I did after I bought my 13' Trident was remove those ropes.  As I am typing this reply, I see an advertisement on the left side of the page for a Wilderness Systems Thresher kayak which has similar lines strung along its gunwales.  Perhaps they are intended to be for a kayaker to hang onto if he or she gets dumped out of the kayak? I spearfish from my 13' Trident, and climb in and out of the kayak many times a day while wearing dive weights.   If you leave them on the kayak, you are likely to snag hooks in them on a regular basis, and if you end up in the water you may snag your PFD and other gear on them while climbing back in the kayak.  I suggest that you remove the ropes.

I clip my game bag into the front lines.  I've used both front and back to tie down big fish.  They make a good spot to clip in accessory leashes.  They're handy for tying off to docks and other kayaks.  But that's just me. 

-Mark-

The lines can also be handy for other kayakers to clip their boats to an anchored kayak.

Thanks guys; I just knew this would be one of those light-bulb moments.
Thanks for correcting me, I've not paddled either of the boats yet and from the photos I thought they were bungees.

If you leave them on the kayak, you are likely to snag hooks in them on a regular basis

Or perhaps not.  I leave these lines on my kayak, however I rarely use them, BUT I can't recall ever snagging them.

-Allen

I may be prone to snags.  I've had fish which are thrashing in my net snag my anchor trolley line through the side of the net.  Last weekend I laid my pole down on the bow of my 13' Revolution with a lure at its tip, and managed to snag the lure on the nylon webbing which serves as a hinge for the front hatch.

Now I have snagged the front deck top cross bungees on the Ultras, enough that I removed them.  And yes, hatch straps are snag masters.

-Allen

Like most things, probably different strokes for different folks. I find it useful to have some places to tie things off to on my boats. On my Malibu Two XL I put a length of paracord down both sides as a general attachment point for my stringer and enjoyed the flexibility of having it there. I haven't noticed any issues when practicing self-rescue, and in fact it's nice to have the line to grab on to (easier than finding a handle) to get ahold of your boat. But again, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for someone else.

Don't worry those models have negative rocker which prevents snagging the bow lines.   

Seriously though, I don't have an issue with snagging the lines or handles.

Don't worry those models have negative rocker which prevents snagging the bow lines.   

Deck lines are a safety feature, they're standard on touring kayaks and usually SOTs designed for bigger water like the trident and thresher. It gives you a place to grab on when you get dumped, but also to help flip your boat back over.  In rough water it can make it a lot easier to do a self rescue.  Definitely an easy part of the outfitting to change up, but I would try a few self rescues with and without them to see the difference they make.