Prowler 13 vs. 15

Hello,
This is my first post. I recently picked up a Prowler 13 for work. I work on non-native plants, specifically hydrilla and Purple Loosestrife. I had been using a Bic for my survey and control work but talked my boss into getting a bigger boat for myself as my 270 lbs. alone really made the Bic interesting. Add a sprayer and a bunch of GPS and Camera equipment and you can imagine. I am interested in buying a boat for my self to start fishing out of. I'm 6'2" and really like the leg room in the Prowler 13 but it seemed like a ton of water filled the foot/leg channels. I'm looking into buying scupper plugs to stay a little drier up front. My question is what are the advantages of the 13 vs. the 15. They are rated at the same weight capacity which is surprising to me. It seems the 15 footer would be able to handle more weight. I'm interested in doing some rock fishing as well as using it on rivers and in the Delta. Would the extra two feet be a hindrance in smaller waters? It seems like the longer boat might be nicer in the ocean.

Considering your size and all the rigging you are talking about I recomend taking a look at the x-factor or maybee the mariner.  My x-factor is a very dry ride , I have no water sitting in my cockpit.  It has tons of leg and foot room with adjustable foot rests.  There is plenty of room in it for a guy your size and I stay compterable in it all day long.  The negatives- It is heavy and   can be a pain to move around.  It isn't real fast but plenty fast for me.  I don't know much about the prowlers but there are a lot of guys here that do and I am sure they will chime in.  I would recomend trying out different yaks before you buy so you know what you like.  Just my 02 cents.  Welcome to the forum.
Travis

Welcome to the "madness"  

IMO:The P15 will do better if you plan to paddle the distance but the foot well collects more water than the P13. The P13 has a nice drain channel and I have no clue to why they(Ocean Kayak) did not do this with the P15 (lack of attention to detail).

 Both boats would be a more "user friendly" kayak for fishermen,photographers,campers and hunters IF:

- the had a raised center hatch to store equipment into. The current center hatch is on the water line - not a good thing - especially if you load more weight into the yak.
- a larger center hatch to fit bigger and longer stuff would have been nice - just like the Cobra Fish&Dive and the new Mariner.

other than that - I like my P15  

Test ride more yaks if you can before you buy - bring all your gear and stuff it to whatever kayak you plan to buy and see how it handles in the conditions / locations you're planning to explore. Good luck and be safe!

Joel  

If you can you definitely need to check out some of Seans kayaks!

He has some awesome kayaks and I think some designed for 270lbs folks...

www.gwkc.com

here are some of my modifications on my P15:

you can also rig your gps on the opposite side of the fish finder.....


I also added a bungee strap in front of my deck to hold water bottles - rain gear or a first aid kit....



all the additional hard wear - you can get from Sean at:
http://www.gwkc.com/rigging.htm

this is Al's P15 - nicely rigged - note the crate has a cover to it...

Thanks for all the responses. I guess my real question is why are the weight ratings the same between the two boats? It sounds like perhaps it is normal for water to collect in the foot channels. I was pretty surprised when I got in and the the water started to rise up my legs. In the Bics I always got a little bit wet but they seem to ride much higher out of the water. They also feel much "tippier". I was just worried that they 350-400lbs. ratings on the Prowler was being generous. I was afraid my dreams of loading myself and perhaps 100lbs. of gear for an occasional long camping/fishing trip were out of the question. I guess I will go try out a 15 and see how it compares. Thanks

I've got an older drifter and it's cockpit rides about 4" deeper than the waterline, I've even used it as a livewell with mackeral off la jolla.  Up here it's cold though, so I got rubber stoppers from ACE and plugged the scupper holes.  I'm not sure what the advantage of 'self bailing scupper holes' are when they fail to completely bail the cockpit.  Rather I just carry a dixie cup and use it to bail any water that gets into the cockpit over the sides, and I haven't removed the scupper plugs in, oh, 2 years.  Unless it's really windy, I have no problem with water slopping into the cockpit over the sides.  Some surf launches will fill the cockpit to the top, but between the bailer and 'kicking' the water out, it's empty again in under a minute and the wave would've wet me anyway.  I'd highly reccomend a drifter for a big guy (my 300lb dad was fine in it) although it is slow it is wider and more stable than a prowler (more comfy cockpit too).  I see drifters in sportmarts for about 2/3 of what a prowler costs, mine was only $400 new.

Weight capacity is really the weight where a kayak reaches a certain level of instability.  It's a combination of hull volume, width, and how the volume is distributed in the hull.  Generally, stability and speed trade off on eachother.

I currently have both the 15 and the 13. I paddle the 15 and my girlfriend paddles the 13. She was paddling my Tarpon 16, but got a great deal on the 13. Personally I like the 15 a lot better. It paddles easier because it tracks a lot better. The cockpit on the 13 is larger by 4 inches, which might make a difference if you have long legs. I thought the channel in the foot wells would make a big difference, but it really doesn't that much. The water stays in the foot wells in both while on the water, but drains out of the 13 when you take it out f the water instead of having to dump it out like on the 15. The 13 does turn easier, but not enuf for me to like it better. You can hold more and do more to the deck of a 15 than you can a 13 too.

The prowler has a huge following.  I was just wandering what things you guys like about the prowlers.  They are a nice looking yak but I have never paddled one.

With the 15 (and probably most other longer boats) you're also gonna lose some manueverability.  Its not really an issue in the ocean but fishing the delta is different.  Most of the time I had no problems but there were a few times that the wind kicked up mid-day, combo'ed with the tides and blew me off alot of spots. Getting turned around and keeping your boat positioned may take a bit of effort.  This may affect your work.  I'd definitely rent one and test it out on the waters you'll spend the majority of the time on.  I still haven't paddled the 13 but from what I've read the cockpit is also bigger than that of the 15 so that may also be a factor.  Also as mentioned...the footwells flood and don't have a drain channel (I have scupper plugs but water always makes its way in).   They're most likely still using the original molds and now that there newer boat (13) has a channel and there's a few other options on the market they'll have to upgrade them for next years model.

i am 6'3" and 290lbs, i have been paddling a perception bimini, but i just ordered a new x-factor from sean and leah today. 600lbs capacity-room to grow!

The prowler has a huge following.  I was just wandering what things you guys like about the prowlers.  They are a nice looking yak but I have never paddled one.

IMO: the deck lay out provides a lot of room to "decorate"  (mount stuff like FF,GPS,rod holders, rice cooker...... )

Besides that, I like how it handles the big swells of Linda Mar and the choppy waters of the Bay.

just my two cents.....

Travis - you are more than welcome to test ride mine next time  

i am 6'3" and 290lbs, i have been paddling a perception bimini, but i just ordered a new x-factor from sean and leah today. 600lbs capacity-room to grow!

 Acctually I think it is 650 lbs.   I have had two adults in my x-factor and it was okay.  It was rather uncomfortable though.

The prowler has a huge following.  I was just wandering what things you guys like about the prowlers.  They are a nice looking yak but I have never paddled one.

IMO: the deck lay out provides a lot of room to "decorate"  (mount stuff like FF,GPS,rod holders, rice cooker...... )

Besides that, I like how it handles the big swells of Linda Mar and the choppy waters of the Bay.

just my two cents.....

Travis - you are more than welcome to test ride mine next time  

 I am learning the importance of having a lot of flat spots to mount stuff.   That is a big plus.