introduction & q's regarding OK tridents

You may someday find yourself in a strong wind current situation needing a rudder. I know I have.

my son paddles the t-13 I paddle the t 15.  He is young and fit.  I am old and fat.  I get there either at the same time or even ahead of him.  I recommend the t-15

i tried both the t13 and the t15 yesterday during the demo day in Oakley... i have to say the t15 paddled way smoother than the t13. None of them had a rudder and the conditions weren't rough. the t15 felt as if i didn't have to put any effort into paddling. The t13 was nice but no where as fast as the t15. Now I'm leaning more toward the t15 but still indecisive...fml..... what do you guys think? a t15 for $850 (not including tax)..factory second with an aluminum cheap paddle?

I talked to Mike Mowrey the Ocean Kayak rep today. He was at Adventure over there at Big Break. I love my T-15. I just finished 3 days on the salt at GS7. The T-15 really shines in windy chop. It will paddle faster than the 13 once you get up to cruising speed. It will track straighter also. I weighed my bare T-13 angler edition the other day and it came in at 62 lbs. So the weight stated on the website is off. I have let Ocean know that. 850 is a decent deal and you still get the warranty I'm pretty sure

Love the T-13's,  Mooch recommended the Trident to me when they first came out and I replaced my WS yak and never looked back. Mine get's used on the ocean almost exclusively. Floats my fat ass just fine.

I found the Sonar Shield a little far away if you are like me and always messing with the GPS on the FF. I mounted the FF closer and now the Sonar Shield makes a great place to store extra swimbaits, jig heads, or keep bait out of the sun etc. Helps keep the area in front of me clear for dealing with fish. The newer style rod pod cover is a great improvement over the old one too.

Best part it is lightweight, never weighed it but since I've always said the day I can't carry my yak up the stairs at PP solo is the day I quit going on the ocean, it's pretty important.

pro tip: the landlord doesn't like sunrise T-13's

You are about the same size as me and I have a T-13 with rudder.  I perfer the 13 footer for surf launches/ long trails / leading and unloading.  The rudder on the 13 footer makes it track perfectly straight and makes it way easier in wind/rough conditions.  Its also easier to reach your gear because its closer to the cockpit.  Ideally I wish I had the 13 ft ultra.

I bought a T-13 from them.  Look at it carefully top and bottom before you buy.  Adventure told me the factory seconds were the same as regular ones except for minor color variations.  Not true,...mine has a large pimpled out area on the bottom instead of being smooth. It scratches you when you lift it.  Probably slower and harder to paddle.  It also has much cheaper ratty adjustable foot rests with long floppy adjusting levers which are always catching on something and coming loose as you use the yak.  They also are a magnet for line or rope tangles.
The cheaper seat has hard to use plastic snaps which will UV degrade and break instead of the brass snaps on the non factory reject.  Lastly the warranty is for a shorter period of time and more limited than the non-factory second model.  If I had known all this, I would have gotten the first quality.

i tried both the t13 and the t15 yesterday during the demo day in oakley... i have to say the t15 paddled way smoother than the t13. None of them had a rudder and the conditions weren't rough. the t15 felt as if i didnt have to put any effort into paddling. The t13 was nice but no where as fast as the t15. Now i'm leaning more toward the t15 but still indecisive...fml..... what do you guys think? a t15 for $850 (not including tax)..factory second with an aluminum cheap paddle?

try to get a brand new one and get this $50 mail in rebate.

http://www.oceankayak.com/takecharge/

i think a lot of the local dealers will give you a 10% discount too for being a ncka member on a new ocean kayak

When I got my Tarpon 120 in Sacramento I was told that the discount applied only to accessories. Is it different for OK yaks? The salesguy tried to talk me out of getting a rudder. I am very glad I didn't listen. While trolling at BSS3 I had the pole pointing to my left. When I turned right the line would come up close to me and get in the way of paddling. As long as I was moving, I could move the rudder hard over and paddle only on one side and still go straight. I am glad I got the rudder.

I bought a T-13 from them.  Look at it carefully top and bottom before you buy.  Adventure told me the factory seconds were the same as regular ones except for minor color variations.  Not true,...mine has a large pimpled out area on the bottom instead of being smooth. It scratches you when you lift it.  Probably slower and harder to paddle.  It also has much cheaper ratty adjustable foot rests with long floppy adjusting levers which are always catching on something and coming loose as you use the yak.  They also are a magnet for line or rope tangles.
The cheaper seat has hard to use plastic snaps which will UV degrade and break instead of the brass snaps on the non factory reject.  Lastly the warranty is for a shorter period of time and more limited than the non-factory second model.  If I had known all this, I would have gotten the first quality.

Can you send me pics of what you're talking about?  I can take this up with OK if you'd like.

Also, the foot rests on a blem should be no different than a standard kayak.  Note that there was a change in foot pegs in recent years so you may have a prior year model.

Also, I'm not so sure what you are talking about in terms of plastic snaps.  All the factory seats I have use the brass clips.

And ... what is the difference in warrantee you speak of.  First time I've hear this.

Not saying you're wrong, just want to make sure I have the correct information.

-Allen

I bought a T-13 from them.  Look at it carefully top and bottom before you buy.  Adventure told me the factory seconds were the same as regular ones except for minor color variations.  Not true,...mine has a large pimpled out area on the bottom instead of being smooth. It scratches you when you lift it.  Probably slower and harder to paddle.  It also has much cheaper ratty adjustable foot rests with long floppy adjusting levers which are always catching on something and coming loose as you use the yak.  They also are a magnet for line or rope tangles.
The cheaper seat has hard to use plastic snaps which will UV degrade and break instead of the brass snaps on the non factory reject.  Lastly the warranty is for a shorter period of time and more limited than the non-factory second model.  If I had known all this, I would have gotten the first quality.

yeah they were professional and didn't fail to mention the pimple issue to me...the one they were selling didn't have that issue although now i'm second guessing myself... and it still comes with a three year warranty...

I own a T13... I weigh 270 with all my stuff on and find it moves through the water quite well.  I too recommend the rudder... I think it is well worth it.  I have not paddled the T15 but I would encourage you to consider this... I did not... when you get to the end of your day, you will still have to load your boat into/onto something... let this be part of your process.  The purchase of your yak is not the only purchase... immersion gear, good pfd, cart (which I still don't have and curse myself every time I must drag my yak across the beach)... I don't know if 850 is a steal for your area or not.  I got my T13 for 800 with a FF, anchor trolley, rudder, seat, and paddle - it had never even seen the water.  There are good deals to be had if you can be patient. Good luck and enjoy.