Roll the Swell Scupper14 ??

Fascinating stuff, thanks for sharing all this. I'm really looking forward to your review and especially your rigging. I've been on the fence about getting thigh straps; part of me wants the control so I can learn edging and bracing and do some ocean whitewater, part of me says that's a younger man's game...

I've been holding off writing a review of my Swell because everybody loves a new boat and I wanted to get some experience with different sea conditions. Still haven't really pushed it much but I will say it gets me through the break, out to the fishing grounds and back, quickly and without any difficulty, and I've had no trouble riding swells and chop. Wind on the other hand... I really need a rudder.

 Hey TiA,  Please consider getting off the fence and really experiencing this kayak.  Being in command of the boat that you are riding has no age limit. I didn't take this boat on the water until I rigged it for straps.
This may even change your mind about rudder installation. The paddle is my rudder and the straps help facilitate that.

Here are my contact points. Hope this helps.

I've been holding off writing a review of my Swell because everybody loves a new boat and I wanted to get some experience with different sea conditions. Still haven't really pushed it much but I will say it gets me through the break, out to the fishing grounds and back, quickly and without any difficulty, and I've had no trouble riding swells and chop. Wind on the other hand... I really need a rudder.

I appreciate your way of approaching a boat review. It does take time to get to know how a boat works. And this particular boat isn't like all the other fat boy barges that have flooded the culture.
I am also doing the time on the water and have held off on any significant weight additions.
I wasn't positive that this boat was going to get much rigging beyond straps, pad, and flotation, but it is way too much fun not to take it fishing.
Also looking forward to your thoughts on this fascinating shard of plastic.

We sure agree about the fun! I really enjoy just paddling this boat out and back; the fishing is a bonus. Thanks for the pics and tips about attaching the braces. I will put that on the to-do list, especially if I sign up for a Liquid Fusion class.

I see you padded the footwells pretty thoroughly. What's the purpose of that? I have the stock pads but haven't bothered to install them yet, just haven't figured out why I need it. (Despite my motto, I also think simpler is usually better.)

So far all I have added is a Scotty mount on the table. I put a FF on the rail mount and a rod in a rocket-launcher tube in the Scotty mount, which means the rod is partly in the way of the FF screen. I'll try to get a pic next time I'm out.

I made a fish cooler box out of an old Rubbermaid tub, which fits almost perfectly in the well behind the seat. It's a little awkward getting bigger fish into it, without swinging my legs over the side, but it works well. With a couple pounds of ice in there, the fish get chilled right away and stay cold.

 While the leg straps increase the fun factor, the traction padding increases the comfort and the quiet. I enjoy standing and sight fishing and the traction pad helps in that too.
I padded the middle console area so my dog can ride there and she can keep some traction.
The traction padding is now the standard for all of my kayaks. It's easy and I enjoy the boats more with it.

You've got a lot more done than I have and unfortunately I am putting the Scupper14 back on the rack for a while. It's time to fish here and the river has more reasonable flows happening now.

All I have done is the traction pads, the leg straps , and flotation.

Well doesn't that look nice! A lot tidier than the noodly mess in mine.  Is it all press-fit or did you also glue it down? Looks like a nice project for one of these blown-out days.

What I would really like though is to add some kind of paddle keeper. I've been leashing mine and just drop it over the side when I stop to fish, but it would sure be nice to have some way to rest it on the boat, especially for carrying up and down the beach. I have a clip I could install but I didn't really like the way that worked on my old boat. Any suggestions?

No glue, just cut and shove. For ops, I completely inflate my dry bags and place them in the spot left for storage. This creates a functional bulkhead.

As far as paddle keeping goes, it is another thing that the traction pad helps with when it is used on the rail.  The JK Coosa has a spot cut away that holds a paddle, then the traction material cut and placed there adds to the paddle keeping. The JK Kraken doesn't have the rail cut away, so I used a waffle cut traction pad and it has worked well so far.  The rail on the Scupper14 is thin but I still plan on putting the material there hoping it will help keep the paddle where I place it. The Scupper 14 had a paddle keeper strap right with the mid boat hand grip.  It was one of the first things that I cut off.
I prefer to have the paddle easily accessible and usually have it across my legs. Sorry that Im not more help with that.

I too usually have the paddle across my legs. Seems like we have similar approaches to this sport. Except I am fishing the salt here in Mendo and am unlikely ever to try standing in the kayak!

Straps though... going to get those at some point. Although this thing feels pretty controlled already, with that excellent seat getting a grip on me and the deep footwells and pads.

Sure is a fun boat to paddle out in. Gets me to the fishing quick, and makes the run back to shore quite pleasant. And MAN do I love those cutaway gunwales... don't miss banging my knuckles on the handles of my old Illusion.

I flooded the footwells yesterday, took a wave over the bow on the launch. Unfortunately got the scupper plugs oriented wrong, couldn't figure out why they weren't draining when I paddled out... oops. Doesn't seem to affect handling with water in there, but it did make the boat heavier to drag up the beach.

Speaking of dragging, I'm considering taking off that little skid plate - it seems to really drag in the sand. I've got wheels if I need to get across pavement.

I flooded the footwells yesterday, took a wave over the bow on the launch. Unfortunately got the scupper plugs oriented wrong, couldn't figure out why they weren't draining when I paddled out... oops. Doesn't seem to affect handling with water in there, but it did make the boat heavier to drag up the beach.

 I haven't had a chance to play in the waves yet but looking forward to surfing with this boat next year.  But, I have flooded the work space multiple times when working on the roll.  Its been taking me around 45-50 seconds to drain the boat with the venturi plugs engaged.
I have not yet decided on what paddle I will primarily use with this boat, but when I do, I hope to improve on that time.   Its likely to stay on the rack for a while though. River CFS has become reasonable and It's time to fish.  Just got back from 5 days on the Kraken13.5 and it really helped me appreciate how well the Scupper14 paddles in comparison .  The Kraken13.5 is a floating fishing lounge and the S14 is a kayak.