Newbie looking for advice

[CoreyD]

Hi all,
I am new to the forum & fairly new to Kayaking. I live in Phoenix, AZ & plan to fish local lakes, Colorado river, Rocky Point Mexico, & also CA salt.
I am in the process of planning the purchase of a new boat. It will most likely be an Ocean Kayak Prowler 15.
I have a couple of questions.
First, I am considering a rudder. If price is not a factor, is the rudder a good choice. I understand that a rudder is used basically for tracking and didn't know if it was a worthwhile addition or is just something else to get in the way? I will probably install some sort of anchor trolley, will the rudder interfere with this?
Second, I am a little lost on what to look for in a paddle for this boat, again I am not afraid to spend the money on a high quality paddle.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated!
Great forum, thanks for sharing all the info!

[ems_yakker]

Welcome To the boards,

The prowler 15 is a great choice in boat. I tried the prowler 15 and the prowler 13, decided to go with the prowler 13. I am not that tall and my weight is under 180LBS. I have not seen the need for a rudder and most people that I know that own Prowler 15's or 13's do not have a rudder on their boats, I guess it is a matter of personal choice.

when it comes to selecting a paddle, you may want to go to the warner paddle website, they have a paddle selection guide to help you choose the paddle that is best for you. I know some people talk about Ono paddles and swear by them, I had a warner paddle until I left it behind, now someone is enjoying my paddle. Anyways good luck with your boat and which ever paddle you coose to purchase.

[Robert]

It would be hard to go wrong with either the Prowler 13 or 15. Try them both on the water and see witch one fits your style. A good paddle is worth its weight in gold. By that I mean the lighter the better. Those cheap aluminum and plastic paddles are worthless for anything but a backup. Onno makes a fantastic paddle. Getting one can be a pain because the guy that makes them has only a 1 man shop. But it can be worth the weight once you have the paddle in your hands. Warner makes some great paddles. I recently picked up a paddle from a company called Aquabound. It is a excellent paddle made in Canada that is both light and very efficient. Good luck with your new kayak. Looking forward to some fishing reports from the places you mentioned.

Robert

[PerryC]

CoreyD,
Welcome to the forums.

Both the prowler 13 and 15 are excellent kayaks, and both are very easy to convert to a fishing platform. You're right about the rudder mainly aiding you in tracking. When you get out into open water more, there is often a breeze. Sometimes it's stronger and is a good wind. That's when a rudder can really come into play. As a general rule, kayaks turn into the wind varying degrees, and it's called wind-cocking. Some kayaks are better than others. My OK M2-XL is cool for paddling solo, but it wind cocks very bad, and I have had to stroke 3 times on one side per one time on the opposite side to track straight. When you get hit by a side wind, you really notice it. Most don't use a rudder, but if more kayaks came with rudders as standard items, they would be a lot more on the water and used a whole bunch more.
I think it's one of those things where a few key people say they never saw a need for a rudder or use one, and the rest follow suit without really trying one.

For a anchor trolley getting in the way, I always just ran my trolly line from the bow to the side right by where my seat is, so it never really goes behind me much. Some anglers install them the entire length of their kayaks, but I never did and they always worked for me. I think it's a personal preference type of thing.

Paddles are where you can really make your day more enjoyable. I like the glass ones over the carbon ones, mainly because that's what I started with and have used ever since. I use the Werner Camano and it's is very light and strong for using it to push off something if you have to. Some guys really like the ONO's and Cannons as well. All are quality paddles, but I chose the Werner because I have heard of very few problems with them, and you can call them up or email them and they are good about responding. Hope this helps,
Perry