13 ft. prowler angler molded seat ?

[idive2]

I'm looking at some of the ocean kayak sit-on-tops and the angler has a bit more
room in front of the cockpit area then the trident. There is not much
difference in price between the two but the trident does include the seat and
the sliding footrests. In general I prefer no more gear or options than I require, and
I think I could do without the sliding footrests. Do the seats in these sit-on-tops
interfere with reboarding the kayak ? Also, on these models without seats are
people putting in their own seats or using without ?

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I have the Trident with the sliding foot rests. The foot rests are small and if you have sneakers or another hard shoe on, not an issue, but with booties, you are pressing on the foot rest only with the ball of the foot, not the whole foot. I think this leads to foot and leg fatigue faster. Not a big deal if only going a mile or so out, or if only leisurely paddling, but it was an issue when I did the Kayak for Cancer and it was a 6 mile ocean paddle. That is the only downside I see to the Trident. I wish I could take them out.

 

[idive2]

Hi Jenny. I had these adjustable footrests in some of the wilderness system rentals
I've been using. At first I thought I liked them but after a bit got tired of readjusting
them and wondered if I even needed them. I have not tried the other style with the
footrests molded in but this seems to be a simpler system. I'm trying to find a kayak
that will work well for everything but that's not going to happen. I have some ideas
on models that would be good for kayak diving but these same ideas may not be as
good for longer trips.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Exactly. Different kayaks for different needs. I have used a couple with the molded footrests. I like them better if only for the reason that there is less to fail. Didn't realize it at the time, but now know my feet and legs did not tire as easily. The advantage of the sliding footrest is you can make smaller adjustments.

 

[dkramer]

Mine has molded foot rest & I agree with Jenny, less to fail. I also have a detachable back rest for the seat, much like a stadium seat, for use when I'm just tooling around. When diving I just remove the seat.

 

[idive2]

Yeah, I'll probably end up with that style. The angler model also has a couple
rod holders behind the seat and it looks like there is a little extra room in the
front of the cockpit that may be enough room for a small dry bag. I could see
where removing the seat may be a bit easier reboarding the kayak.

 

[Aeropl]

I have a 13ft angler and love it. You don't need footrests but do need a seat... Go for the best one you can afford. You might have to take the seat off if you use a roof rack for transport but it really only takes 30 seconds (they usually have brass clips).

 

[Orlando Eric]

And I was sad I did not have the adjustable foot rest but Jenny cheered me up as I can see how they would be uncomfortable in my half day paddles. I am planning to dive the ocean in the noon to afternoon. Take a sandwich / hydrate break then fish till sunset / mosquito rise in the ICW. My Yak is kind heavy for loading ontop of my truck and I can see where a smaller person would have a bear of a time doing it after paddling all day. I could certainly dive from the smaller 13' and not loose a bit of used space.