Ocean Kayak Trident Review

I had the opportunity to try out the new Ocean Kayak Trident. It came with their top of the line fishing package complete with deck rigging, Comfort Seat, rudder, 3-rod holders (2 flush mounts and one Scotty Powerlock and Humminbird 383 C combo GPS/Mapping/Fishfinder.

When I first learned that Ocean Kayak was coming out with a 15' 7.5" kayak I thought it would be a kayak that was similar to the now discontinued Ocean Kayak Scupper which I still regard as one of the best Sit on Top Kayaks ever made. The Scupper was a great performing kayak that paddled more like a Sit-Inside and excelled in rough conditions. The Scupper did lack stability that most new kayakers demand and was a wet kayak - kayak companies are not looking to make kayaks that are super performance driven but instead opt for dry and stable with a good platform for fishing. The Trident tackles these areas pretty darn well.  The dimensions of the Trident 15' 7.5" X 29" seems very close to the Prowler 15" (15' 4.5" X 28.5), a kayak which has been one of the most popular fishing kayaks and a kayak I spent a lot of time fishing out of.  Don't let the similarities in size fool you - these 2 kayaks are very different. Trident at just ½" extra in width offers much more stability and you sit much higher, this is because the kayak has plenty of freeboard and I am sure it can handle even the biggest paddlers and any amount of gear one can bring. This freeboard also has another benefit, it allows that water will not enter up through the scupper holes and hence a dryer ride, this seems to be very important to new people entering the sport but I never give it much thought, kayak fishing is a water sport in my estimation. Ocean Kayak lists the Trident at 60lbs, and that is for the stock model with nothing extra, I weighed the angler package with rudder, seat, fish finder, battery and rod holders and it came in at 78lbs. I would say the basic (standard) model would come in about 68 lbs, not as bad as some other companies I have seen in the past that have called a 80 lbs kayak 62lbs.

While paddling it takes the Trident a bit to get going but when it does it moves pretty well for its size and tracks very straight, it is not as fast a Ocean Kayak Prowler 15' but it is close, I did get it up to 6.0MPH on one a full out burst. Over the long run a good tracking kayak like the Trident will conserve paddle strokes and you will spend less time correcting. I hung around the boat channel and tested the Trident in the wakes of some big power boats and the hull design and feel on the water reminds me of the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160, which also has been a very popular fishing kayak, the Trident is not as fast but does handle the chop like the 160, which tended to punch through waves where some kayaks with more rocker tend to skim over them. In general, all the Ocean Kayak models perform well in rough water and the Trident is no exception, even though it lacks some rocker, it does deflect the spray pretty well and hold steady even in waves that come in close intervals. For the kayak fisherman out there who like to stand up and fish, the Trident is not great, I was never able to get my feet feeling right and never got comfortable with going vertical.

The Ergonomics of the cockpit and seating area are exceptional, this is just a very comfortable kayak to be in and fish out of. The Rod Pod access area does take up room between your legs but its benefits outweigh the loss of space - more on the Rod Pod later.

For those who like to fish side saddle like myself you are going to be very happy, the Trident has a great seating area that allows you to sit sideways, level and very comfortable.

 Starting from the bow the Trident has a nice sized bow hatch that can fit most break down kayak carts. The strap hatch keeper set up appears to work pretty well, a new design of a single center buckle that can be undone with one hand is a nice feature.  The inside rim has a rubber gasket, I took a garden hose and sprayed the hatch area for about a minute and didn't notice any water getting through, some of the older Prowlers did have a problem with water working through the front hatch and it certainly appears that the Trident has this worked out.  Accessing the front hatch on the water seems very possible but there is really no reason to this with the Rod Pod hatch. The Angler Edition comes with the Scotty Rod Holder installed in the area below the hatch, this is not going to be an easy spot to reach for a rod that you are readily using but I did carry a fly rod not being used there. There are some flat areas that near the Solar Shield that I think will be better suited for additional rod holders.

Working our way down to the cockpit area we come to some of the standout features of the Trident. The Sonar Shield is a compartment for your Fishfinder, it not only protects the unit from spray while on the water, it also lends some shade and makes seeing the display much easier to see on brighter days.

The kayak is also made to work with the fish finder and transducer set up of Humminbird electronics (other units can be adapted to work as well). It is a very smart set up that enables you to have your transducer (mounts through the scupper hole) in the water and not shoot through the hull like many of us use currently. They have build a pocket into the hull of the kayak that recesses the transducer so it is protected and you don't have to worry about damaging it when you scrape bottom.  This direct signal will give you a much truer sonar image with less distortion. Another neat feature is that the Angler edition (Fish Finder Package) has a battery storage bag that is hung on the inside of the tank well, this keeps the battery nice and dry and not banging the around the kayak.

The Rod Pod is one of the things that just makes you wonder why it wasn't done before, this long center hatch will give you easy access to stow gear on the water. This will be particularly valuable to those who launch in the surf and want to get their outfit's stashed while punching through the breakers.

The picture above shows the rudder foot braces adjusted for me, I have a 33" inseam and you can see that there is plenty of legroom for even the longest legs. The foot braces are not standard with kayaks without rudders, you will have to rely on the molded in footrests to brace and I am not a big fan of this set up and if you fall between the molded channels it can be very uncomfortable. I think the solution is to get this kayak with a rudder; I have never met anybody who has ever second-guessed the decision of getting a rudder - especially on a 16' kayak.

The tank well is large and well laid out. It has scupper holes and it does stay dry. The bungee array can be easily taken off if needed. There is a section of the tank well that is made to fit a plano box. Swinging around and getting to stuff in the tank well is very easy and this very important as you are going to be doing many time during an outing.

I have always used less expensive fish finder units on my kayaks and felt that they give me enough bang for the buck to catch fish, but playing around with the Humminbird 383c is another world, with integrated mapping and GPS you really get the feel that this is a piece of electronics that can help you find fish! The unit has a very bright and easy to read display that looks great even in direct sunlight. This unit is packed full of features but is ready to go right out of the box, I didn't read the manual but was able to set up split screens with bottom contour, mapping and my tracking in like 30 seconds using the very intuitive menus. Another plus of having the transducer mounted on the outside of the kayak is that you get an accurate reading of the water temperature.  I think most people will buy the Trident without all bells and whistles and maybe upgrade later on but it is a very sweet package that is ready to catch fish.

If you are in the market for a kayak that is comfortable, stable and well designed for fishing this might be a good bet, the Trident is no speed demon but is not a slug either, it is a big kayak that is going to be able handle any sized kayak fisherman and offers some of the best innovations out there in a fishing kayak.