prowler versus trident

 Ok after two months of waiting, looking and learning I will be buying my kayak this week . I will be buying a OC malibu two XL for the family and either the trident 13 or prowler 13 for me and the fish (the fish are not as excited as I am ).
 I have two questions that I would like answered first. Is the trident 13 set up for a rudder? In the pictures it does not look like it is able to have a rudder. I dont plan on getting a rudder right away but I dont know if I like the idea of never being able to get one if I decide it would come in handy.
 Second, is the trident worth the extra money. The trident and prowler are more or less the same yak other then the rod pod and the sonar shield. So I would like to hear from some of you guys that have spent lots of time in the water (especialy the big blue) and know if these two items are worth the extra $150 or so.
 The fish finders that people put on a kayak are made to with stand the water right? So do you really need the sonar shield? And I dont plan on bringing a dozen different rods out with me so with the holders on the out side of boat do I really need the rod pod? When would it actually get used?
 Thanks for any help.

 jesse

T13 is set up to take a rudder.  It has the mount points at the stern.

I think a T13 is worth if over a P13.  The rod pod makes it worth it.  Sonar shield ... bzzzt, not really IMO.

-Allen

I don't have any time in the prowler 13, but I have been in the Trident and the Big Game.
I really liked the Trident over the Big Game. It paddled nicely and had good initial and secondary stability without being tooooo hard to move. <this is part of a post from a couple of days ago>

 That rod pod is very slick though and useful, but I was not able to stow or retrieve my rods any quicker than I could by shimming up to the front hatch without breaking them down.

 What the rod pod did do was swallow a huge ling without blinking. If you added a couple of foam bulkheads and at bit of insulation, it'd make a really great ice chest/fish storage locker. The icechest would be more of a southen neccessity though. Actually, it did make a great fish storage locker with no modification (although it was a bit disconcerting having it flop around under the seat every once and a while  ) . The bulkheads would kill the full length access to the inside of the hull though (unless you added a rod tube)
<ever think wali was a closet boat designer?> 

The sonar shield (sounds like something from a bad sci-fi movie) is kinda nifty-ish. Its a bit out of reach unless your >6'2". If I had my druthers, I'd have made it a Sonar Dip to accommodate a flush mounted rear angled ff with a cover.

I was looking on the OK page and I did not see a T13 (is that the Big Game?)(polepole knows, he's the OK pro)
The one with the rod pod and Sonar shield was the P15 Trident. If that's the case then the extra bucks are definitely worth it for the length as much as for the other goodies.

 

Not sure why OK hasn't updated their website yet, but I keep seeing flyer's online, and other websites like outdoorplay that actually can get them already.

Merlin,
dont get too hung up on the sonar shield. it's just a nice touch to mount a FF, store it folded up, and have it readable under bright sunlight conditions by having the lid lay down on top. it can also make a nice small storage point for things like a bow line or maybe one of those nifty kayak sails you see on some of the retail sites if you dont mount a FF.

i've got a Trident 15. the thing is designed for big water and coastal fishing. it's got decent speed, stability and storage. consider that i am about 6 ft 1 and 250, with a fused lower spine and subsequent nerve damage, and am also a very novice paddler. [ my 1st year] with all that stacked against the boat, i can make it get up and go easily, and usually turn when i need to, but not as fast or as sharply as the smaller boats. [ another reason for our safety and skills clinics] 

this is a boat i will have to grow into, and i learn a bit more about it and myself each time i am out on it.  it's far more capable on the water than i am.

the T13 ? well, i see a lot of P13's being used throughout all the sites i visit online, and thier owners love them to death. think of the T13 as the Mercury Milan version of the Ford Fusion. a bit nicer layout of the same thing, in this case a humble but very capable SOT for fishing, with a few more amenities for just a few dollars more.

rudders are ususally a higher dollar option [ like almost $300-!!] that sometimes can backfire on ya if not installed correctly. we have other threads here re: rudder pro and con. i personally like the rudder idea, only to keep a straight line, but not for a fishing yak. i see it more as a tool needed for sea /touring yakkers when paddling, say, the san juans.

hope my $.02 helps
 

i've got a Trident 15. the thing is designed for big water and coastal fishing. it's got decent speed, stability and storage. consider that i am about 6 ft 1 and 250, with a fused lower spine and subsequent nerve damage, and am also a very novice paddler. [ my 1st year] with all that stacked against the boat, i can make it get up and go easily, and usually turn when i need to, but not as fast or as sharply as the smaller boats. [ another reason for our safety and skills clinics] 

this is a boat i will have to grow into, and i learn a bit more about it and myself each time i am out on it.  it's far more capable on the water than i am.
 

WR:
Yours is the best kind of review. Who cares what a bunch of 28 year old young bucks can do (hell,they can do anything!)* What the boat does with someone with a bit a seasoning and a couple of wonky parts tells the real story.

I disagree with you on one point though. I think the Trident 15 is a great boat to start with as I think you'd grow out of a boat with training wheels (BIG GAME) much sooner than you'd think.

If the money is relativly close +/- $200, I'd go for the Trident 15

and I forgot about the shade part with the FF. That kinda nifty too.





*why yes, I am becoming a cranky old fart

I think the sonar shield is over-rated.  I never have had any glare problems without it.  However, the scooped our area under the shield for the FF is a nice place to put stuff ... out of the way of the main cockpit area and contained enough to keep things from sliding around.

I really like the rod pod, the tray for storing stuff, and access to the hold.  For the kind of fishing I do, I rarely stow rods inside the kayak.   The times I've needed to (surf entry), I don't personally have any problems reaching the front hatch, but then again, I'm 6'3" with long arms.

What I really l like about the Trident line is that in terms on yak handling I think it is similar enough to the Prowler 15's and 13's, but it is DRY.  Again, being a big guy, I usually have a couple inches of water in the cockput, but with the T15 it is high and dry.  The T15 does take a tad bit more to get it going, but once going it keeps its momentum and glides nicely.  I don't notice any difference in the turning ability.  And the stability is a tad better than the P15.  I think a newbie will notice the stability first, and appreciate the dryness.

-Allen

I've got a P13 and a Big Game, haven't paddled the Tridents but have admired them.  In addition to the differences discussed so far, the new T13 is slightly wider than the P13, has less rocker, and has the flat foot wells with pegs like the Big Game rather than the foot slots like the P13 and Trident 15.

I love the P13, it really does deserve the rave reviews it gets.  Were I buying a new boat now though, I'd certainly give the T13 extra consideration, as it is an evolution of the P13 design.  Really though, it would boil down to where I intend to use it and how much money each cost.

The P13's rocker makes it very agile for a boat its size, and the flared bow makes it very dry for it's width.  Very stable as well, easy to sit side saddle.  It is fairly light as well.  Following the analogies above, I'd say it is kind of the Honda Accord of fishing kayaks.  Well made, very capable, performs well in a wide variety of situations.  The new Trident 13 seems like the Accura upgrade to the Accord. 

I got my Prowler on clearance for $650, and I would certainly buy it again at that price over a full priced T13.

The rudder thing is not a serious concern for me in boats of these types.  The 12-14' fishing kayaks are the jack of all trades boat, doing well on slow rivers and lakes while still doing ok in tidewater and even short distance ocean paddling.  If you are really going to be paddling in the ocean, with big swells, currents and strong winds, you want a 15-16' boat like the Trident 15.

The 12-14' fishing kayaks are the jack of all trades boat, doing well on slow rivers and lakes while still doing ok in tidewater and even short distance ocean paddling.  If you are really going to be paddling in the ocean, with big swells, currents and strong winds, you want a 15-16' boat like the Trident 15.

I'd say the P13 is right up there with the longer yaks and a bit more stable to boot.  After paddling one each of the last 3 years on my trips in the big waters of Alaska, I have developed a certain, well deserved appreciation for this yak. I wouldn't hesitate to give it a strong recommendation for paddling in all conditions.  I'll let you know if the T13 lives up this lineage after some more time on it.

-Allen

i've got a Trident 15. the thing is designed for big water and coastal fishing. it's got decent speed, stability and storage. consider that i am about 6 ft 1 and 250, with a fused lower spine and subsequent nerve damage, and am also a very novice paddler. [ my 1st year] with all that stacked against the boat, i can make it get up and go easily, and usually turn when i need to, but not as fast or as sharply as the smaller boats. [ another reason for our safety and skills clinics] 

this is a boat i will have to grow into, and i learn a bit more about it and myself each time i am out on it.  it's far more capable on the water than i am.
 

WR:
Yours is the best kind of review. Who cares what a bunch of 28 year old young bucks can do (hell,they can do anything!)* What the boat does with someone with a bit a seasoning and a couple of wonky parts tells the real story.

I disagree with you on one point though. I think the Trident 15 is a great boat to start with as I think you'd grow out of a boat with training wheels (BIG LAME) much sooner than you'd think.

why, thank you , FFTW, thats a really nice compliment. and yep, us old farts have to stick together.. i'll take your slight disagreement for what it is; polite, constructive, criticism.