trident 13 vs tarpon 160 (alien vs predator)

I heart the Scupper Pro, and am glad to see it return.  It may be what calls me back to SOT land.

Better move on that quick. Word is they are haulting production on the Scupper Pro again. discontinued next year.

Im a bit out of touch...Has anyone here heard rumours of OK getting into peddle drive market? Maybe what I heard was just forum garbage but please clear this up from the NWKA forum

no? noone here has heard of it? I didnt think it was true...

Im a bit out of touch...Has anyone here heard rumours of OK getting into peddle drive market? Maybe what I heard was just forum garbage but please clear this up from the NWKA forum

I've heard some whispers, but nothing that I can verify as reliable.

-Allen

Lame.  One last run of them, eh?  I take it that I can get one from your shop, J?

if it's skinny, semi performance types you're looking for, malibu seems to have given up on them, but cobra has one you might like called the expedition

http://www.cobrakayaks.com/kayaks/cobracat6.html

Yeah, WR, the Eliminator and Expedition are nice boats.  Ideally, a glass ski would be what I'd want, but the price of plastic can't be beat.  I'm a bigger dude, too, so finding a large sized ski is also a problem.  The Cobra boats may solve that problem......

Jason
You're goin with a Scupper?  We were both kinda lusting over that Tarpon... I still need to get some demo time figured out now that I'm working...

I've heard a lot about Tarpons being, well, overrated in the weight category.  A lot of people my size (average ~6' 210#) having a wet ride without the scuppers plugged in the Tarpon 140..  I really wanna give it a ride though.  That thing is awesome compared to what i've seen in the Tridents...

Lame.  One last run of them, eh?  I take it that I can get one from your shop, J?

Actually, no, we don't have them, but we could order one for you.

Jason
You're goin with a Scupper?  We were both kinda lusting over that Tarpon... I still need to get some demo time figured out now that I'm working...

I've heard a lot about Tarpons being, well, overrated in the weight category.  A lot of people my size (average ~6' 210#) having a wet ride without the scuppers plugged in the Tarpon 140..  I really wanna give it a ride though.  That thing is awesome compared to what i've seen in the Tridents...

I really like the tarpon, and the trident. both great boats. the reality is that what i like isn't always best for the general public. i basically need a sit on top with the same specs as a small sea kayak because i spend half the time fishing, and the other half surfing or touring.

I think the tarpon and the trident are both very user friendly, and boats i like aren't.

I have owned a Tarpon 160 for a few years and love it.

I bought mine from an east coast vendor as well, as none were available over here.
 I'm in eastern Washington, and fish the Yakima, Columbia, and Snake rivers. We regularly put in 8- 14 hour days on the water, so far up to 51 mile days on the Hanford Reach (last free flowing stretch of the Columbia).

I also drag the kayak over to Seattle for Thanksgiving and Xmas, for a little chilly water Alki point adventuring.

I'm posting because folks always seem to type about it's not being stable. I've paddled a few Kayaks and I don't find that to be true at all. When I need something from the back, I swing my legs over the side, and rumage away for food or tackle, never have I ever felt like I was going to tip.
 Once, at night, on the Columbia, my buddy got his anchor stuck in a car tire filled with cement. I had to pull the tire up hand over hand next to him, them had to jerk up and down till I could unwieght the tire so the anchor would come free, when it finally came free it was like someone being a jerk in a game of tug-of-war and just letting go! Scary, but I stayed upright .

I hope this helps folks if they aren't going to buy the Tarpon because of folks commenting on it not being as stable as others, when I was researching back in the day I was on the fence, because of this, but I read a review from a guy in Florida who said he landed a 150lb thresher shark, then pulled it up onto his lap and paddled in! I was done right there.

Hull durability for me has been great, I'm not abusive, but close. Regulary going over hidden rocks at speed in current. logs, fast, shallow water ripple riding/dragging, will land anywhere, sliding up on ice flows at speed in 13 below weather!


The speed and efficiency of the thing is totally addicting as well, it sits so low compared to almost all others that when the wind pics up, my friends automatically start cussing me as they have to work way harder to stay pointed in the right direction, and, I would say keep up, but really at that point it's nicer to slow down and stay with them, just with less effort.

 Wet ride, you bet, I'm 220lb, when it's cold I have a wet suit, and rain slickers, and when it's hot, I'm jumpin in anyway, so that's never been an issue, I'd much rather ride low for wind, and narrow for slicing through waves.

If I had to bitch about a Tarpon it would be turning radius, wholly crap!, and no one ever mentions it, If I have to turn fast, like picking what side of a small island to go around at the last second, because I didn't see the tree snapped off that I'd have to go under! I'm gabbing my paddle like a canoe oar, wide strokin to beat the band!  Or turning back upstream to help a buddy land a fish, or free a snag. It can be a pain...but its a small trade off for everything else. I also have a Ocean Kayak XL for friends, or when my 7 year old daughter goes with me. It turns much quicker, way more rocker.

All right I'm done, here's a picture of my girlfriends first fish of the year! around 5lbs, on the Yakima, in the OK XL.

Hope this helps, confuses, or at least causes a bit of kaos.
jay

Jay,
i think what you;ve just told us says it very clearly regarding that boat. thanks for opening quite a few eyes.
rich

I for one would like to know more about your trip on the hanford reach... been eyeing that for years now!

I'm hoping to hit the reach again soon, for smallmouth and hopefully sturgeon, my friends catch em 6-9 feet long with fair regularity, not sure if I have what it takes to bring one in on the kayak, but I'm gonna give her hell regardless. To date none of our clan has caught one out of a yak...course I want to be the first. . Here's a pic of last years trip, going by whitebluffs. Next trip, I'll start a thread, as not to hijack this one.