New Guy

Hello all...been looking around this site for quite a while and made to decision to finally buy a kayak. Gonna pick one out Thursday.  In the process of deciding between a 2010 WS Tarpon 120 or the OK Trident 13.  I'm about 6'3 and 260#.  I believe the specs show the Trident as being just a little wider than the Tarpon, but the Tarpon seemed much more comfortable, especially its seat.  Any thoughts on the two would certainly be appreciated.  I'll probably be mostly on lakes or the San Joaquin delta area.  Not a lot of experience w/ venturing out into the ocean, so that will probably be few and far between.   Look forward to learning this sport......

You can't argue with comfort, especially when you're gonna be sitting in the thing for hours on end. At 6'3 260 you might also wanna take a look at the weight capacities and how much gear you'll be taking with you, that stuff adds up poundage wise and loaded down yaks don't paddle or handle the same as bare boats.

I would definitely paddle both kayaks before pulling the trigger. If they allow,
bring all your gears to load onto the kayaks and see how each behave when
loaded down. Just my .02 BTW, welcome aboard.

Jedmo

Think about trying a Malibu X-Factor too.

Welcome.   

Get the T140 instead of the 120.

Ya was gonna say go with the T140 instead
Also paddle both I think the T13 can hold your weight better would be my guess. You can alway buy a really great seat for the t13

Your pretty tall and I think you would want a longer boat.  Take a look at the T140 and T160, or the T15.  The others you listed just sound a little small for ya... 

Lighter dudes have sunk the T13 after water seeped into the hull through the rodpod hatch  The only thing that's better about the T13 is the scupper transducer and FF shield. Otherwise, the Tarpon is superior in every other way. Especially if your talkin about the newer models (2009 and up). But that's just 1 person's opinion.

Your pretty tall and I think you would want a longer boat.  Take a look at the T140 and T160, or the T15.  The others you listed just sound a little small for ya...  

+1

Think about trying a Malibu X-Factor too.

Welcome.

at 6' 3" and weighing 260, a longer, wider craft than a T13 will be a good choice, particularly if you are going to hunt Abalone for it as well.

Getting ready to go pick up a kayak......after reading the replies, I broadened my search to include the Tarpon 140 and the Malibu X Factor.  In fact, there's a good deal on CL out of Orange County on a well outfitted X Factor.  I just don't have time to make the drive.  Tried to con my wife into taking the kids to Disneyland for the weekend and pick it up while she was there, but that was a no go.  After reading quite a few reviews, even though the OK Trident 15 sounds like a great boat, and after paddling it, I think it's a bit narrow for me in the leg well area.  Hopefully I'll have some photos of a new kayak later.  Then the rigging will begin!

New guy, you need a 15' kayak with your size! My top 3 choices and have owned/paddled all:
OK Prowler 15, big weight capacity, handles BIG water very well, stable as heck, and decent weight to carry. New ones are around, try Sierra Trading Post and hit their 50% off sale..killer deals, but buy locally if available.
Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160, one of the fastest, less stability than the P15, excellent glide, seat and hatches on 2008 and earlier models were a joke..plastic seat height adjuster was crap and would never hold position (think Fisher-Price) and the front hatch seal leaked badly with even small splashes of water over the bow..if flipped, guaranteed to fill the hull. Also did not like the way it "pearled" in big waves..meaning it would not rise over them (like the P15) but would punch through a wave resulting in waves of water washing over the deck. NOTE: new model years, 2009 and up, have completely new front hatch and seat..thank goodness.
Perception Search 15, my current and favorite: comfortable as heck, driest ride compared to P15/Tarpon 160, feels fast as the Tarpon 160, excellent glide, comfortable deck layout, water tight hatches, stability somewhere between the other two, and a joy to paddle as it turns well. Harder to find locally, but you are welcome to paddle mine, I live in Sacramento. Really outstanding kayak that has everything I need. Even came with rod holders installed that the photo on STPost did not show. Let me know if you want photos.

Some good deals @ MBK right now!
http://www.montereybaykayaks.com/

I think all the others have given you good advice, but wanted to chime in just in case there were some others about to make the same jump. The one aspect that I think most kayak buyers overlook (I'm a good example of this) is the type of fishing you plan on doing. First and foremost you should get a kayak that you feel comfortable with, will handle all of your gear and fit your physical dimensions, but if you are not familiar with the method you will use to attack your prey then you would be wise to take that into consideration. 

I just started the sport in April and my first kayak was a WS Tarpon 120 Ultralight. I purchased it because of its weight and thought I was going to be hauling it over the sand and thought less weight was better. I had never gone ocean fishing other than off the piers and only read about halibut, lingcod and the others I'm now targeting. After using the WS 120 for about 3 months, I realized that trying to manage my line (I use 2 rods) while bumping my bait along the bottom and paddling at the same time was very inefficient at best, so I purchased a Hobie Revolution. Now my hands are free to adjust my line depth as I troll and I spend more time fishing and less time fighting snags. Don't get me wrong I am in no way trying to tell you to purchase a Hobie, but wanted to have you look at the purchase from all angles to avoid buying another kayak like I did.

Good luck,
Dean

Think about trying a Malibu X-Factor too.

Welcome.   

Ditto all the above. I wanted to chime in too because it was just bout 7mos ago that I began seriously looking at purchasing a kayak to kayak fish from. Sort of like you I began making purchasing decisions based on what I thought might be the best bang for the buck; what others were riding on. After trying my buds OK P15 I realized that I needed to study the specs of the yaks more so that I could get one that was 1) comfortable, stable and 2) could support my weight, my gear, and fish. Not only consider the length, but pay attention to the beam (width) as well for stability as well as area to mount your electronics, rod holders. You'll realized that these are important as well. good luck; Cya OTW
Don

Well after paddling a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 and 140, Ocean Kayak Prowler Trident 13 and 15, and a Malibu X Factor, I decided the Malibu X Factor was the one for  me.  I found one at what I thought was a pretty reasonable price and jumped on it.  Came with a fish finder, Malibu's bait well system, Surf to Summit seat, paddle, two batteries w/ pelican cases, one of Malibu's red hatch bags, gaff, and wheels.  I think I'm ready to get at it.....took it to Lake Natoma yesterday and paddled around w/ the family.  Flipped it over and righted it, got back in, etc.  Fishing is next.   Thanks for all the input from everyone.