If you are in the San Diego area,  San Diego Kayak Adventures is the place to go to take advantage of this opportunity.  For others not in the area,  Confluence has provided a list of participating dealers here.

I have had the opportunity to paddle a bunch of Confluence’s offerings over the summer,  and they have really taken a step forward in quality and design.  The Tarpon line of kayaks is at this point among the finest ocean fishing yaks on the market.

A few awesome water sports outfitters:

“Ocean Kayak, a renowned leader in paddlesports industry for years, is pleased to introduce the new Torque fishing kayak.  Crafted around the successful Prowler Trident Angler kayak platform, the new Torque seamlessly blends all the features anglers need on the water and includes a Minn Kota Maximizer trolling motor with infinite variable speed control and reverse.”

Calling this is a kayak is somewhat stretching it, as kayaks in the traditional sense should be human powered.  The $1999.00 price tag is incredibly steep, but it is the most nicely designed motor powered kayak I have seen.  The Trident series of kayaks, the kayak that the hull Torque is based on, paddle very well,  and are great fishing platforms.  I believe that Ocean Kayak will do well with this electric powered incarnation . I do encourage anyone thinking that they need an electric assist, to paddle a kayak for a while to realize some of the most attractive aspects of the sport.  There is nothing more satisfying that to come ashore after a day of paddling, muscles feeling the effort, knowing that your own mind and body were all the motor you needed.  The reality is paddling in its most basic form does not require the strength and stamina of an Olympic athlete, and most every able bodied person can reap the benefits of paddling.

A video Introduction of the Torque courtesy of Ocean Kayak:

Get Your Ocean Kayak at REI

While I have always been partial to the Tarpon’s paddling abilities (it is the fastest SOT in the water), the outfitting has left something to be desired. The new boats have addressed most of what has been lacking in the outfitting department. The old style tupperware hatches have been replaced with integrated hinged plastic hatches with cam locks for a good seal. The old miniature hatch in front of the seat has been replaced with a larger hatch hinged, and the rear hatch has been removed in favor of a larger tankwell.

Wilderness Systems has redesigned the lines of the boat, adding volume to the bow, cutting down on the current models tendency to knife through waves and chop. The added volume has raised the weight capacity of the boat to 400 lbs. They added the Phase 3 outfitting (the same system that is in their sit-inside yaks) to the Tarpon line. This raises the seating a bit above the newly integrated scupper holes in the bottom of the seat. I am curious how it affects the initial stability of the boat. Under the seat is a molded tray, that looks perfect to hold a small tackle box. This new seating system appears incredibly comfortable. The rails have an aluminum channel molded into them, allowing d-rings and other accessories to be mounted and slid along the rail. The front center features a long awaited cup holder, and flat panel are molded into the riser that used to be shaped to hold a bilge pump. This will allow for more mounting options. Eric also let me know that they were developing a raised crossbar that will slide into the channel and allow for a myriad of mounting options.

While I did not have the opportunity to paddle the boat, but I was assured that it paddled as well as the current boats. The lines are still sleek, and have that sea kayak pedigree that make the Tarpon a padlder’s Sit-On-Top. They are expecting to start shipping the new models in September, with stock arriving at San Diego Kayak Adventures sometime in October.

Acouple of places on the web with images of the new boat:

Confluence Watersport’s website

Austin Kayak

To tide me over, I have found some info on competitive Kayaking

US Olympic Canoe and Kayak

San Diego Canoe and Kayak Team

Team USA

This partnership will bring together Ocean Kayaks, and Wilderness Systems Kayaks under one roof,  and expand the selection of SD Kayak Adventures tremendously.  As you may know I paddle a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160i,  and I love it!  I did test paddle an Ocean Kayak Trident a short while back,  and was very impressed with it.

OEX was originally a dive shop, that had the foresight to see that the Kayak Fishing Market was poised to explode, and made moves that have positioned them as the leaders in the Kayak Fishing Market.  They now have shops in six different locations,  and now carry Hobie Kayaks, Malibu Kayaks, Ocean Kayaks, and Wilderness Systems Kayaks.  They also have a huge selection of accessories.  The Kayak fishing community website Big Waters Edge is also an entity of OEX.

OEX has thus far been a great asset to the kayak fishing community,  but I fear that as the local independent shops begin to consolidate, that we will lose the home grown feel of the San Diego kayak fishing community that has been so attractive to me for many years.  Kayak fishing and the community and the competitive circuit that surrounds it has been very accessible for anyone willing to embrace it.  I hope that OEX and the few independent shops still around step up  embrace and support the grassroots culture that kayak fishing has brought to it’s members.  I fear the advent the FLW Kayak Fishing Tour.

Anyone looking for the longest running and most fun tournament around, be sure to join me and 100’s of my kayak fishing friends at the Steve Moyer Memorial Tournament on September 6. 2008.  This tournament is the what I am describing when I mention the Southern California Kayak Fishing Culture.

I had a good time at the Kayak demo day yesterday. I paddled a great yak made by Perception called the Search 15.

One-Heel Drive has a great review on Dan White’s book called The Cactus Eaters

I finished a feature article about the trip for Adventure Trip Magazine. You can find it here: Kayak Fishing SoCal Style.

If you are looking for a trip of your own, contact Rick at San Diego Kayak Adventures to book yourself on the October trip.

Here is a short video I shot from my camera on the boiler rocks in the afternoon.

The weather was perfect for kayaking, despite the cooler overcast weather the day before, and the bay was fairly smooth with only a small breeze.  We paddled out from the sheltered cove, and my daughter was having some stability issues with her seat riding too high.   We worked this out, and she was off and going.

The smaller sized paddle was perfect for her, she was able to control it much easier, and did not tire as easily. We bopped around the bay for a while until the girls decided that relaxing on the beach looked good to them, so we landed and they spread out their blankets and pulled out the pails and shovels and prepared to enjoy a perfect so-cal Sunday.  I decided to get some exercise and paddled my Tarpon for an hour or so around the bay, burning out my paddling muscles that have not been used for a while.