Lake Tenaya - Prowler 15 vs Trident 8/25

Headed up to Yosemite for my wife's birthday. Hiked Lembert dome in the morning and paddled Tenaya in the afternoon. Lake Tenaya is not a fishing destination although there were people fishing there and I did mark a few fish on my FF and did troll a kastmaster for nada. Definitely a downrigger kind of place mid-day. There are some good yak fishing lakes just east of yosemite near the pass for those who want to catch fish in this area, however as a paddling lake, Tenaya is awesome and well worth a stop. We paddled my P15 and my new Trident to compare the 2 boats side by side. My 2 cents on the Trident is that it is slightly faster, more stable and much drier than the P15. There were gusts to 25 knots and tracking was pretty good. No need for a rudder IMO. The P15 seems quicker off the start and easier to turn. The center hatch is nice but the FF compartment I could live without. Lots of nice details like the scupper hole transducer set up. My wife liked the Trident alot. Thanks again to KayakConnection and Ocean Kayak for providing the Trident for the Fathers Day Derby and the poor little trout who gave his life so I could win it. . Pics to follow...

Scott

thanks for the comparison Scott. I wouldn't have guessed that the Tri' is faster?! 
and thanks for thanking the lil trout again too, he deserves it.

Here are some pics...

Thanks for the report.  It's good to read comparisons and learn about other kayaks.  Friends ask me about particular kayaks and usually I'm in the dark.
I fished Tenaya a couple years ago and nailed the Brook Trout.  All were small (<10"), but I recall catching one every 15 min. or so.  I was trolling the shore opposite the highway and did best at the lower end of the lake by the large rocks.  I was probably using a black Panther Martin or black Wooly Bugger.
Nice photos. Beautiful lake!
Tom

Hey Scott,

not trying to get personal info on your wife, but does she have really long legs?  I ask because I saw a picture of a guy in a trident and he seemed cramped with his legs all bent up.  On that site, the users assumed the guy was a 6' 4" guy.

I dont think it will be an issue with my short stubs, but I am concerned the cockpit is a bit short.

Eugene

Eugene,

Tyler, Randall's son, who is 6' 7" had no problems fitting comfortably in the Trident 

The cockpit is about 45" in the Trident compared to 42" in the Prowler 15. My wife just likes to bend her knees more when paddling hard. There was a 25 knot headwind we were paddling into. As Joel said the trident can handle taller and heavier folks compared to the P15 maybe up to 6'6" and 300# but that is just a guess. For big guys the Trident or Big Game are the way to go in the OK fleet IMO. A really sweet ride overall. Not quite as fast as the Tarpon 160 but probably better in rough water and punching through surf. The bow has more volume than the P15 and doesn't flood the cockpit like the P15 when taking a big one over the bow. At 5'10" and 170# the P15 is perfect for me but I were bigger I would switch to the Trident.
Scott

thanks Scott and Mooch,

my tarpon is a bit light on capacity for me, the big game was a bit sluggish, so hoping the trident is just right!

Thanks for the review.   I like my P15, but the Trident looks good, tho I was wondering it that FF hatch was going to stand abuse.
    Among the things I learned at our spring Aquan HMB surf session: 1.The P15 stops dead in the water and doesn't get going again for a while after a wave over the bow going out because the wells are full of water and don't drain before the next wave.   2. I'm 6'3" 190 and had always paddled with my legs out to the last notch, but Aquan folks showed me that it was better for endurance to take short paddle strokes and hold my arms up higher and just speed up the reps.  That meant I could bend my knees and get a little more power and better balance.

Awesome pics!!

BTW, was fishing w/ a few friends last weekend (one has a P15 and the other the Trident) and there was a noticeable difference in how they sat in the water. The Trident really stood out of the water and gave the look as it was sitting on top of the water rather than in the water. I think GB2 nailed it, if you're bigger go Trident, average go P15.

Z

Awesome pics!!

BTW, was fishing w/ a few friends last weekend (one has a P15 and the other the Trident) and there was a noticeable difference in how they sat in the water. The Trident really stood out of the water and gave the look as it was sitting on top of the water rather than in the water. I think GB2 nailed it, if you're bigger go Trident, average go P15.

Z

Z

That's the bottom line. At my weight, the P15 doesn't bury the bow bad enough in the surf that I would switch to the Trident. I lay my rods down for surf launches and put my reels in a dry bag in my Plano box, so the rod pod doesn't offer much more to me, and a wet ride doesn't bother me. The P15 is 3-4 lbs lighter and is easier to paddle in a heavy wind because it rides lower. Because carrying weight is a major issue for me because of back problems, the P15 is the boat for me. I also have the luxury of owning a P15, Trident and Malibu 2XL and can choose any given the situation. However, if I had only one it would be the P15.

Scott

That's the bottom line. At my weight, the P15 doesn't bury the bow bad enough in the surf that I would switch to the Trident. I lay my rods down for surf launches and put my reels in a dry bag in my Plano box, so the rod pod doesn't offer much more to me, and a wet ride doesn't bother me.

Scott - Last weekend, my plano dry box was washed off my P15 tank well during surf launch. Do you hide the dry box in hatch during launch or you have a way to tie it down to the deck? I am personally debating between a mesh bag and a dry box. If the dry box can survive in surf, I would prefer it. From the last weekend's experience, it does not seem to. Otherwise, I just use the mesh bag instead. Then, it gets wet every trip.

That's the bottom line. At my weight, the P15 doesn't bury the bow bad enough in the surf that I would switch to the Trident. I lay my rods down for surf launches and put my reels in a dry bag in my Plano box, so the rod pod doesn't offer much more to me, and a wet ride doesn't bother me.

Scott - Last weekend, my plano dry box was washed off my P15 tank well during surf launch. Do you hide the dry box in hatch during launch or you have a way to tie it down to the deck? I am personally debating between a mesh bag and a dry box. If the dry box can survive in surf, I would prefer it. From the last weekend's experience, it does not seem to. Otherwise, I just use the mesh bag instead. Then, it gets wet every trip.

Eric

I use the Plano 1612 box which wedges in really tight. I then run a bungee over the rod holders which I added to the box which keeps the box from popping out in a rollover but still allows you to open the box on the water. As you know, the box is not really watertight so everything inside which I want dry is in a box or bag. In the Trident the same Plano box does not wedge in tight but the area has 2 heavy bungees which can hold the box in place if you add a hook or cleat.  I can post some pictures if you want.

scott

That's the bottom line. At my weight, the P15 doesn't bury the bow bad enough in the surf that I would switch to the Trident. I lay my rods down for surf launches and put my reels in a dry bag in my Plano box, so the rod pod doesn't offer much more to me, and a wet ride doesn't bother me.

Scott - Last weekend, my plano dry box was washed off my P15 tank well during surf launch. Do you hide the dry box in hatch during launch or you have a way to tie it down to the deck? I am personally debating between a mesh bag and a dry box. If the dry box can survive in surf, I would prefer it. From the last weekend's experience, it does not seem to. Otherwise, I just use the mesh bag instead. Then, it gets wet every trip.

Eric - Here's a pic:
Securing the Plano Dry box: I got this idea from Action / Jack = but I added a small strip of bunjee cords to the set-up.....I have 'em secured on both sides of the box 

This type of details is what I am looking for. Thanks, Mooch & Scott.