Any one have experience pulling pots from Ocean Kayak Trident Angler

Am looking at purchasing the 29" wide Prowler Trident Angler vs 34" Prowler Big Game Angler. I will be new to Kayak Fishing including Kayak Crabbing. Am thinking the faster 29" boat will work well.  How tough is it to pull a crab pot from a kayak?  Would appreciate any input. I live in the Lacey area.  Thank you, Holt

don't sweat it.. I am 5'-10" and weigh a whopping 135#'s and I pull traps with crab in 'em no problem.

Yep, don't sweat it.  I have a T13A and this week have pulled traps from it for my first time ever.  I'm using Promar collapsibles, I'm 5'8 and 155#, and had no issues except finding my floats :-)  The hardest part was figuring out where to stow the traps on the way out and back.  I used the live well, but I was not geared up for fishing.

Thank you both for the input. Am 67 and raren to go.  To pull the pot do you sit sideways in the boat?  Once the pot "full" of legal male dungies  is to the surface where do you put the pot and how do you deal with the rascals?  Where and how do you store them?
Are you set up for fishing at the same time as crabbing, or do you choose one or the other?

How do you like your Trident Angler 13? Any key points that caused you to select that boat over others? 
Thanks again,
Holt

 Once up, I just lift it into the boat in front of me, and unload the Crab.
 I always carry a gunnysack that I wet with sea water and store my catch in it, fish, crab, whatever.
 and thread a rope through the top of the gunnysack so you won't drop your catch when you "roll it"   
 don't ask me how I know 

I'm 56 next month. 

I didn't sit side-wise but I might try it next time.  Just lean a bit to the other side.  Sitting side-wise may alleviate the strain on the "pulling" shoulder.  Pulled them up and put the trap on my lap.  Had a leather glove on one hand to handle the crabs.  Grab them by both rear legs or by the shell between the back legs.  They may try to stick you with their back claws which is why I wear the leather glove. 

Used a 5 gallon plastic bucket in the live well behind the seat.  Just dropped the crab (yep, just one keeper) in it.  Had a few inches of water in the bucket for cooling. 

My kayak selection process was a little weird, but it is how my obsessions operate - suddenly.  I only thought of kayak fishing a few days before buying the T13 and before finding this or any forum.  I have a couple kayaking friends, touring and surfing.  I talked to them a bit then banged around the web looking at boats and reading reviews.  I prefer to think I made a careful, well-considered, intelligent choice.  The truth is probably closer to I got lucky.

I like the T13A a lot.  The Rod Pod is interesting and if one were launching in adverse conditions it would be nice to secure rods and other narrow gear below deck.  However, for Puget Sound where there is no surf, and for the kinds of conditions in which I use the boat I think a shorter hatch with a better lid would be better because it would bring the Sonar Shield closer to the seat.  You need to have eyes like a youngster and either be sasquatch sized or have arms like a chimp to use a fishfinder mounted in the Sonar Shield.  I am trying to figure out how to mount my Humminbird on an extender from a compact Scotty mount between the Rod Pod and Sonar Shield. 

Someone suggested letting the line you pull trail in the water to avoid a mess on the boat.  I tried it, but it was easier and faster to just let it pile in my lap.  Next time I may bring a tiny 1 gallon plastic bucket (like a kid's sand bucket), hold it between my legs and pile the line in it while pulling. 

I was not rigged for fishing when I dropped and retrieved the traps.  Mostly it was because I didn't have the time to fish and because I had to temporarily rig the fishfinder tie-wrapped onto the bottom of an upside-down milk crate strapped to the Rod Pod.  It made the boat a bit ungainly as a fishing platform.  I am sure Zee was amused by the setup. 

One bit of advice from another newbie, get the best cart you can afford.  Check the "Cart Review" thread in Product Discussions.  After only about 10 trips across 50 yards of beach, dry sand, wet sand, and small rocks, the cart I have is nearly trashed.  The uprights are bowed, every joint is loose and worn, some screws have rusted, and one tire has rotated on the wheel and pulled the air stem into the wheel so it is not usable.  I'll need to deflate the tire to recover to stem.  Even on pavement the joints started to loosen.  I won't even sell it or give it away, when my new cart arrives.  I'll save the axle, wheels, and tires, and toss the rest.

Demonic, thank you.  Most interesting, a pot full of crabs sitting on ones lap, that certainly might cause one to flinch a bit.  Appreciate the cart info and will follow that thread.  Does the rod pod lid work reasonably well or does it pop off or leak more that one would want?  Holt

Demonic, thank you.  Most interesting, a pot full of crabs sitting on ones lap, that certainly might cause one to flinch a bit.  Appreciate the cart info and will follow that thread.  Does the rod pod lid work reasonably well or does it pop off or leak more that one would want?  Holt

The rod pod lid will stay down fine, but flexes too much.  It will flex up on the ends if water pressure is forced by a huli or heavy wave.   I think the material they made them from is way to plyable.  Also, when I scoot up to access the front hatch, my rod pod lid flexes too much under my 215 lbs, and causes the pod side walls to fold in.  I don't like this at all!    I am in the process of making a fiberglass lid that will fit over on both sides of the opening like a Tupperware lid to keep any flex of the side walls at bay.  So far with the five layers it is already several times stiffer than the factory lid arrangement, lighter, and noticably narrower.  I still need to finish reinforcement glassing of the underside, and add 3 more layers to the outside layer, sand smooth and coat with something that is UV resistant/proof. I'm thinking a thin layer of Line-X should do it.