Stealth Trident Pimpin'

Nice to know. Thank You. 

Sean,

Very nice first-rate job on rigging the boat. I didn't find the article before I emailed you with questions on the pics on your site--sorry about that. Your great report is very clear--nice job of the documentation as well as the "pimping".

Muchas gracias Sean (and Eric and the others) for sharing you great rigging ideas. I am slowly starting on my T-15 now that all the parts arrived today.

I really fell in love with the rudder after using my Kaskazi for boil chasing, especially when flycasting. The flyrod takes a few moments to get going and I always seemed to be drifting off course as I fiddled with the flyrod.  With the rudder I could stay on target while I got organized.

I find a rudder comes in handy in a few other situations as well:

1) when fighting a big fish with your hands full you can turn and keep the kayak perpendicular to the fish's pull wearing it out faster and slowing any sleigh ride towards places you don't want to end up,

2) you can control your drift direction in the current and wind a bit, and

3) you can keep the kayak from that annoying weathercocking in even slight winds while fishing--especially useful when you are fly fishing and want to keep stripping your line into a stripping container in your lap at a windy place like the Fore Bay.

Thanks for the pictures and "how to" descriptions.  I have owned a Trident 15 for a year, but have postponed doing any mods until I get a better idea of my needs.   I use my kayak primarily as a platform for spearfishing and catching lobsters in the Florida Keys.  I bought the Trident 15 because it is the only boat with a hatch long enough to store a large (55inch) speargun or two in the hull.  Don't want to have the guns clipped to outside of hull or deck - too expensive to lose.  I am not sure I could do a battery the same way you have, since I have to have the tray out of the way to get guns out of the center "rod pod" hatch.   So I am thinking about one of those batteries in a Pelican Case that one can find aftermarket.  I need a slick way to drop an anchor while still sitting in the seat, a nice long tag line (safety line) to throw out of the rear, a way to mount a dive flag so the flag will pivot and turn with the changing wind direction, instead of wrapping around itself.  The higher up I can get the flag the better, since getting run over by some drunk yahoo tourist in a rental boat is my number one safety concern.

Any suggestions?   

Also, having done such a great job on your boat, is there anything you would have done different now that you have used it for a while?   Different ff/gps?   place for a fishbag or cooler?   Your boat is a "wow, look at that" , head turning set up.  I want to do same for spearing/lobstering?    Also, one can catch lobster in the Keys at night with a "bullynet", which is a long handled net with net at right angle to handle, using a light.  I need to rig powerful underwater lights of some type, along with marine legal running lights of some sort.   Any suggestions would be appreciated.   Man how I wish you lived in FL.   I would hire you to rig my boat for me. 
thanks, Will in Sarasota, FL

I have a orange box that is water proof that holds my battery and will soon have a yak light on it.  It sits behind the seat ahead of the crate.  that way the light is not blocked form the front when out at night for cat fish. 

Love the work. Very nice setup....I'm jealous