Stealth Trident Pimpin'

After moving over to OK, I was excited about setting up a Trident for myself.  The boat, at least on paper, seemed to be a sleeker version of the "big man" boats I prefer to paddle.  The layout also looked very promising, so much so my drill and soldering iron were beginning to drool. 

I looked around on-line for good Trident threads, and found very few other than Scott's.  So with a goal of creating a clean, simple, and effective fish killing machine I ordered a "non-angler" Trident with a rudder and here is what I came up with...

The first thing I noticed was there was a lot of extra deck rigging on this yak.  Lots of lines all over the place, and every piece of webbing seemed to be way longer than it needed to be.  I got out the scissors and lighter and got rid of the rear deck lines, toolbox bungee, and trimmed a ton of web.  The result...a lot less cluttered and a lot less places to bury a hook while on the water.

Look at how long these were, I could have adjusted the rudder sitting in the tankwell!



Buh-bye...



One of the reasons I order a "non-angler" yak was so I could get the rear flush mounts the way I wanted them.  In particular I was hoping to fit two flushmounts per side for a total of four... two out to the side for trolling and two for a bat and gaff.  I played around and saw that it would fit if I sacrificed the rear seat mount...



So I got out the rotozip, cut some holes and they fit beautifully.  I added a new pad eye between them to replace the rear seat mount...



Next I moved onto the Fishfinder.  I was so excited about the transducer scupper I started there.  This was sOOOOOoooo ez it was nuts!  Sweet concept.  I put a tiny touch of Goop between the hull and trans to keep it in place and a small dab on the threads to keep it from rattling loose.  I passed the cable through the hull using a standard Humminbird deck plate. I filled the void behind the deck plate with a piece of Pelican foam cut to fit and covered the foam on both sides with Goop.  Low-profile, waterproof and FREE!



I then mounted a Humminbird 580 combo in the well of the "Sonar Shield" another very cool feature. I put a Sealcon wire seal inside the base to keep everything waterpoof.  Overall looking clean and meeting my goals...



I mounted the GPS antennae right in front of the sonar shield.  I then measured out the placement for two pad eyes, one on either side.  After drilling the holes I mounted the pad eyes UNDER the deck.



I needed them under the deck to help organize the cables...this setup had a LOT of cable.  What a mess...NOT meeting my goals!  You can also see the back of the ff wire seal in this pic...



A few zip-ties later... Rod stuffing is now a snag-free experience.  Back on track with my goals!!!



I then routed the ff power cable towards the Rod Pod and hung it from the bottom of the top deck using a small clamp and rivet...



I did so as I had noticed that a 3.3 Ah gel cell fit in the Rod Pod tray like it was made for it.  I was a little concerned that the weight of the battery would cause the tray to slide around, and I wanted it to stay put at the front of the Rod Pod, but I also needed it to be readily moved.  To solve the issue I made a small detent out of a rivet that worked perfect. 

To create the detent I drilled through both the tray and the Rod Pod, and then enlarged the hole in the tray to fit a rivet head...



To make the "nub" I stacked a few washers under a rivet head and installed the rivet...



Off...easily slide it or lift it out...



Once the hole captures the the nub this thing doesn't budge.  Clean and effective...



I finished off the power cable with a water-tight fuse holder, a two-prong trailer connector and a lot of marine shrink wrap.  The battery is high and dry, but SUPER ez to access...



My bilge sponge keeps the battery in place within the tray and the tray's high location keeps my bilge sponge dry until needed...AWESOME...



Rod stuffing and battery maintenance have NEVER been easier...



I tossed a Plano in the back for tackle storage...



In the end I have a boat with a rudder, full electronics, and four flushmounts and the thing looks naked...PERFECT.  Mission accomplished!!!!

On Mendo the Rod Pod was a great area to lay my binos and tools.  The large head unit fits easily in the sonar shield and is very easy to see.  Footwells are dry and comfy and the rudder is easy to steer and makes maneuvering this LONG boat a breeze...



From a distance this big yak has great lines and looks very sweet.  The uncluttered  uber-fishability is exactly what I was after.  I can't wait to take this yak to baja...












 

Sean can definitely tell you are in that business very clean nice job .

Pat R

I had the good fortune of seeing it up close and personal last weekend and boy does it look GOOD!    Sean's write-up is terrific but it doesn't even begin to do it justice.  He did an exceptional job.

Michael

Very nice Sean whats that stainless loop behind your seat in the 4th picture.

Nice work and excellent write-up.   

Very nice work - great step-by-step and descriptions! I could use some pointers on outfitting my kayak - in due time as funds allow of course!

John

Sean, I'm inlove with your kayak Great job on the pimp job!!! I really like the flushmount rod holders side by side idea.....nice place to store a gaff, fish bat and even a net!!!

Very nice Sean whats that stainless loop behind your seat in the 4th picture.

Mike I think thats the fill tube for the "Scwafish" air seat.

PIMP!! Damn SCWA you know how to make a seriously KISS pimped out fish killer. Lovin' it! And good deal on the write up too. Gave me a few ideas for my new yak.

BTW. care to share your rivet source?

Z

Thanks for the kind words guys...I too am super pleased with how this boat laid out.

Z-I buy the rivets in bulk for the biz, but you can get them from any paddle shop or places like Hook1.

Very nice Sean whats that stainless loop behind your seat in the 4th picture.
Mike I think thats the fill tube for the "Scwafish" air seat.

Yep, its vinyl tubing that goes to my fill on the fly air seat.

I really like the flushmount rod holders side by side idea.....nice place to store a gaff, fish bat and even a net!!!

Moochy-I had this on my X-Factor and could live without it.  IMHO-they should set the "Angler" up with four from the factory.

Very nice!  A couple more questions...

1) does the scupper with the transducer still work as a scupper?  That is, can water drain past the transducer assembly?

2) Does the Humminbird mount you used allow you to fold the Sonar Shield closed with the head unit still mounted?  Does it fold flush?

Again... very nice... this may be my next boat.

1) does the scupper with the transducer still work as a scupper?  That is, can water drain past the transducer assembly?

Yes, it still works as a scupper, but obviously the flow isn't as much.  I intentionally douched it on the water etc. and it is fine.

2) Does the Humminbird mount you used allow you to fold the Sonar Shield closed with the head unit still mounted?  Does it fold flush?

Yes it flips right down and the lid goes completely flush...super simple.  No more surf launching sonar drama.

Sweet!  Very Clean.  I likey!!! 

Question:  What happened to the new school power supply?  Need the bigger battery for the Matrix/GPS?  Or are you just looking to get more than one day of power out of it before needing a recharge?

Question:  Did you consider putting the battery elsewhere so that you can use the tray for other stuff, like tackle, sandwich, etc.?  I personally really like having my battery installed in it's own hatch in the very rear of my yak.  It's nice having it out of the way like that.

Question:  What happened to the new school power supply?  Need the bigger battery for the Matrix/GPS?  Or are you just looking to get more than one day of power out of it before needing a recharge?

Nothing...working on a New School Mach 2 right now.  I just wanted something simple and bombproof for my trip to Baja...easier to keep a few of these alive vs. charging a zillion AAs in the middle of BFE.

Question:  Did you consider putting the battery elsewhere so that you can use the tray for other stuff, like tackle, sandwich, etc.?  I personally really like having my battery installed in it's own hatch in the very rear of my yak.  It's nice having it out of the way like that.

Absolutely, but the tray was so close to the ff and free of bilge-ooze I grabbed the opportunity to have the interior virtually free of wiring. Its also so easy to grab at the endo fo the day and throw on the charger.

I will keep my sandwich and tackle in the Plano behind the seat.   

Beautiful job Sean!  Thanks for sharing. 

Been thinking about a Trident, after having paddled a P-15 for a few years now.  I don't have a rudder on the P-15 and was thinking of not getting one on the Trident, mostly just because that it was I'm used to.  Sounds like you like the performance with the rudder?

Thanks - Bird