OK Trident 13 Maiden Voyage

[the_kegs]

Finally got the new yak out on Saturday. Definitely glad I took it out for a smooth water shake-down before attempting to hit the bay. Initial impressions. Paddles and tracks well. Very stable. The new rod pod cover is great, especially in conjunction with the Cannon rod holder. It did a great job of holding both my spinning and bait casting reels. Certainly need to pick another Cannon rod holder. Had a hard time finding a place for my Nalgene bottle. Will probably mount a water bottle cage to the rod pod. The rod pod storage left me trying to figure out the best way to store/sort my gear. I put one rod and a binder full of soft plastics in the rod pod. The rod was easy enough to get out but anything else you put in there ends up working it's way out of reach. Also ended up with some water in there, not sure how, it was a calm day. Lots of area for storage in the back, I kept my soft tackle bag back there. The criss-cross of bungees seemed to do nothing but get in the way. Found trying to turn around and unhook/hook them very difficult. Won't be carrying a bag in the bay so will probably go with some sort of milk crate for tackle storage. Hopefully I'll still have room for a cooler back there. Not sure what I'm going to use the front hatch for? A little worried about the built in rod holders as my bait casting reels only ended up being a few inches above the water. I could see them getting constantly soaked in the bay. The seat initially felt really comfy but after a couple of hours my back was hurting. I think this is just a matter of getting used to it. At least my legs didn't go numb as they sometimes do in my other kayak. All and all a good first shakedown trip.

[surfdog]

nice to give it a shake down. you can get extentions for the flush mounts and get your reel up higher. i put mesh rug keeper in my hull to keep things from getting out of reach that and a pool noodle keep my tackle where i can get to them.

[Japanesezero]

Nice report. We have the exact same boat... down to the color. How did you or how do you plan on rigging a fish finder? I have mine all set up so its not going to change. did you troll at all with the cannon holder? Im thinking of getting the scotty rocket launcher holder to use along side the cannon. The rocket launcher will definatly put the rod at a different angle for trolling and make it easier to get out when a fish hits.

[the_kegs]

I like the pool noodle idea....thanks.

I haven't purchased a fish finder yet. More than likely going with a Humminbird 586c. Plan on mounting it in the sonar sheild. Hoping to get away with only having to drill one hole for the for the battery. My legs are a little long so I'm also a little worried that I'm going to end up breaking off the tranducer cable where it pokes through the scupper hole. How did you end up rigging your FF? I did troll with the cannon, no fish though so I can't say how hard it will be to get out. Will have to check out the rocket launcher.

[Japanesezero]

Here is what I did for the FF. http://www.snaggedline.com/boatyard/...read.php?t=850

You should be able to do something similar...

Hook1 just got the scotty rocket launchers in. I think the code is hook123011 and you get 10% off.

As for the wet well Idea. I used one on my malibu. Came out well. Used a pvc pipe adapter from 4" to 3" and a 3" rubber gasket. Link is here but the pictures seem to have been taken away http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...?t=6394&page=2

[Aesiegel]

I too have a Trident 13 that I rigged with a Humminbird FF. I used the transom mount transducer and epoxied it to the inside of the keel, just aft of the rear storage well. I installed a 4" watertight access hatch back there. The battery hangs in the battery bag inside the bow ( I assume you have the same battery storage setup). I ran both the battery and transducer cables externally to the fwd hatch then inside. I didn't want to poke yet another hole in the boat. I'll post some pics tomorrow. works great. That sonar shield is nice.

I also found the stock seat a little spartan. I just picked up this seat from Sierra Tradingpost and it feels much more comfortable on dry land, I have yet to actually paddle with it.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/2...ayak-Seat.html

[Japanesezero]

I too have a Trident 13 that I rigged with a Humminbird FF. I used the transom mount transducer and epoxied it to the inside of the keel, just aft of the rear storage well. I installed a 4" watertight access hatch back there. The battery hangs in the battery bag inside the bow ( I assume you have the same battery storage setup). I ran both the battery and transducer cables externally to the fwd hatch then inside. I didn't want to poke yet another hole in the boat. I'll post some pics tomorrow. works great. That sonar shield is nice.

I also found the stock seat a little spartan. I just picked up this seat from Sierra Tradingpost and it feels much more comfortable on dry land, I have yet to actually paddle with it.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/2...ayak-Seat.html

Definatly take a picture of that hatch. I thought about putting one back there but its a 4" hole in the back of the boat and I really dont have anything I need to put back there yet. I was thinking of mounting a scotty flush mount to put a visipole or home brew version but im not sure. Its a big hole in an area that can see a lot of water. That 3/4" wire seal is nice. I drilled a 1" hole and it was actually just big enough that I still had to thread the seal into it. Also the way its positioned, the boat will have to be upside down for it to ever take on any amount of water through that hole or be 100% swamped with all of the scupper plugs in.

[Aesiegel]

Here are some pics of the hatch and my wire routing.

[DOGFISH]

Ahh yes, a seat replacement is a must, if you are going to spend any amount of time in the seat.

[the_kegs]

What was the reason you opted for in hull vs scupper mount?

[Aesiegel]

I considered both options and decided to go with the inside mount because I liked the cleaner installation. The transducer is protected from scraping/scratches and there isn't something else in the cockpit to get in the way or break. I figured I could always get a through hull transducer if the inside mount wasn't giving me good returns, but so far so good.

[Japanesezero]

Did you have someone install the rear hatch or did you do it yourself. If you did it yourself can you post a link on where you got the parts from and maybe how you made a hole that size. Thanks... I still dont have a need for the access but may in the future depending on a flag mount.

[Aesiegel]

I installed it myself. Tridents that come with the rudder have a similar access hatch in that location. There is a round spot just for that purpose. The plastic is pretty thin right there, so I just traced the inside of the hatch's hole and used a utility knife to cut the opening. Then I put the hatch in place, drilled the hole for the rivets. I used small stainless washers as mini backing Plates so the rivets had something solid to grab. The hatch flange is bedded with silicone sealant. It's really too small to use for storing things but I needed access back there and it works.

The hatch itself is a Beckson screw in deck plate. I got it at Fairwinds Marine in cape St Claire for $8 or so.