I’ve been shopping for a true offshore capable kayak for more than a year. The ideal kayak would need to be stable in surf and chop, paddle or peddle efficiently, have easily accessible gear and fish storage, and still be car top-able. It came down to the Hobie Revolution 13 and the Ocean Kayak Trident series.

In the end I purchased one of the last Ocean Kayak Trident Ultra 4.3s Go Bananas in Kapahulu had been socking away, since the Ultras have been discontinued. I opted for the Ultra, closely modeled after the New Zealand version of the Trident, because of the large center hatch and large rear tank well that the current Tridents lack. The “Revo 13”, which my fishing partner Frank has, could probably out distance the Trident Ultra with its peddling ability, but I wanted to keep moving parts to a minimum and use the required paddling to get much needed total body exercise.

I sea trialed the Ultra with Frank on a day after a massive full moon and cold wind. As expected, the bite was really slow. The Ultra was roomy, comfortable and much more stable than the Scupper Pro I’ve been paddling, and it was easy to open the center hatch to get to gear and bait. On flat water with no wind, it required more paddling energy to get it moving than the lighter, thinner Scupper Pro, but the Ultra punched through a head wind and choppy seas better than the Pro, because of the sharp upturned bow.

Can’t wait to fight a good sized fish on it, and store said fish safely on board. Stay tuned for walk around video where John from Go Bananas talks about the merits of the Ultra and all the mods he made to my boat to make it safer to use.