TRAK Kayak Overview - Helping a friend downsize their fleet - Kayak Hipster

[@JG-od3xy]

I have the 2024 black and silver; it's a great great kayak.

[@norm_badwolf_9119]

Wow, I am in love with this kayak! Such a cool design and setup!

[@recyclomagic]

Ahoy Kayak Hipster, I share your enthusiasm. The Trak is a fantastic kayak. For the packing up: Trak advises to put the carbon ribs in between the skin of the folded kayak so that they not touch anything hard. The bag is big enough to fit the kayak and some additional gear if you want to take it on a train or plane. On a plane check it in as sports luggage or a golf bag. If you tell airline personnel you are taking a kayak with you, they do not really get it ;-)

[@KayakHipster]

Fantastic, thanks for the tips!

[@LJ-jq8og]

Your thoughts advice on whether it is a good buy?

[@HeadwatersKayak]

How do you like this one long term? Really interested to test one out. Also love the Merch Shop!

[@thomascomber3241]

I've wanted one of these for a while living in an apartment. I'd love to find one second hand.

[@Dachdogoriginal]

😀 I LOVE IT!!! Wow. I definitely want one. I really need to know the weight. I recently had to move back to the US from Ecuador due to a significantneck and head injury. And my fiberglass kayak was sold in 2019. I am seriously thinking about converting a shuttle bus or a box or step truck to live in full-time. This would work great. Looking forward to any future videos on this. Thanks buddy. Was sorting the assembly of the structure too difficult? Or does it have a system you can follow easily.

[@KayakHipster]

Gotcha, will let you know! It was very straightforward. I hope you’re recovering well!

[@GLGolden55]

I tried out several Traks at a Trak Skills Camp in the Adirondacks last September (a complete blast camping and kayaking!). Bagged it's the size of a large golf bag, 53 lbs dry, 65 lbs wet if coming straight from a paddle. Very straightforward assembly process with the newer Traks: blue frame forward, red to stern; assemble frames; slide sections into the skin; use floor jack to push frames snugly into the skin, slip in other 2 jacks; put in combing and seat, zip up the stern keter, you’re done! 15 minutes for beginner, 10 minutes if not interrupted by curious bystanders. Just got my loaner, my red and silver beauty coming in July! See 'Unboxing My New Trak2' KZbin for a more thorough description. You. Will. Love. This. Boat.

[@LJ-jq8og]

ARE YOU going to do a review on the Trak !?

[@Fishaholicboy]

For your on water video, can you show some rolls and your thoughts on rolling on the Trak 2.0? Looking forward to the video on water!

[@KayakHipster]

Sounds good, I’ll give it a try! 👍

[@Fishaholicboy]

@@KayakHipster great!

[@HCWittenberg]

Hipster, would love to hear honestly what you think of this kayak in conditions...heard from several Trak Pilots unofficially it is great on a calm day but when weather gets dicey they suffer from no rudder or skeg...I have been eyeing the Nautiraid Grand Narak which can be a tandem/single kayak, with a rudder...has a skin bud wooden structure...try one sometime!! Let us know what you think of the Trak

[@KayakHipster]

Great point. I have heard from some friends that have tested it in rough conditions that they held up, but have heard from others they didn’t have as good a performance. I don’t have truly rough waters near me, but I will be testing it out in smaller waves and reporting back. Cheers!

[@DrWellBeing]

Could you please give me your feedback about 3 issues: 1) If Trak kayaks get flooded with expedition gear inside the floaters, will they still float and be navigable? Had this experience in an recent expedition, when I was at open sea with rather rough sea conditions. Due to a damaged spray skirt the cockpit got flooded, but the carbon-kevlar fiber sea kayak I own behaved really well. Since they do not have watertight compartments (bulkheads) and only floaters, could you please confirm if Trak kayaks perform well in such conditions? Question edited: is the TRAK Sea Sock able to solve this issue if its capacity is not exceeded (350LBS/159Kg)? 2) Talking about rough sea conditions, how well do Trak kayaks perform? Asking in a different way, what would be the maximum rough sea conditions Trak kayaks can handle, if the paddler is able to surf, roll and masters self-rescue techniques? 3) How about landing in rocky areas? Here my composite kayak raises lots of stressy concerns... would the skin of Trak kayaks resist landing in rocky areas with rough sea conditions? Thx

[@martin.feuchtwanger]

I paddle a TRAK. 1) Two methods help with improving buoyancy and reducing flooding: A. Using the two air/gear bags, fully inflated, both improves buoyancy and reduces flooding. B. Using the sea sock reduces flooding and helps keep mud/salt from the internal mechanism. I use both methods, nearly always. 2) They are very strong and can handle rough seas, much like any hard shell kayak. 3) They can handle rocks like any composite kayak, so try to avoid barnacles or any pointy rocks.

[@Zevastyam]

Excelente kayak. Podrías ver el tema de la carga y que se puede llevar en el kayak? Saludos

[@wavesoffun]

Hi Luke, have you had chance to play much with rescues with the Trak? Wondering how it performs when playing and practicing wetwork

[@KayakHipster]

Ian, great question. No, not yet, but I will be thoroughly testing all types of rescues and comparing its capabilities vs other types of kayaks

[@GLGolden55]

Hi, Luke. At our Trak Skills camp, we spent hours on rescues and rolls and it worked great. Wet escapes involve taking on water due to lack of bulkheads, that’s the major trade off for the portability. There are ways to offset water, but easily managed. Otherwise, works for assisted rescues, cowboy and other solo rescues, with/without paddle float, just manageable in general. Lack of skeg can be addressed by adding jack pressure on the windward side to make the boat naturally turn toward the wind. Bracing and other skills will also address this.

[@martin.feuchtwanger]

@@GLGolden55 You mean "...naturally turn downwind".

[@theopinson3851]

If anyone needs help downsizing their fleet, I’m happy to help! 😂

[@wisenber]

I wouldn't leave one in a trunk or vehicle when it's warm. The adhesives can delaminate.I would have thought that he would take that one as it's more portable than most others.

[@KayakHipster]

Great point, thanks for the tip. I believe he traveled there super light and they were providing gear there.

[@behrensf84]

Did they fix the rolling issue with the comb? It would always come off when I rolled…

[@martin.feuchtwanger]

Your cockpit coaming came off the rest of the boat?! Or do you mean your skirt came off the coaming? I cannot imagine the former. The latter is common with all kayaks any time there is a poor match between skirt and cockpit.

[@88kayak]

I had one and sank and lost it because I did not put the airbag well. When it capsize, water pushes out the airbag.

[@LJ-jq8og]

Would you buy it again ? I am considering one but so expensive.

[@88kayak]

@@LJ-jq8og just bought another one

[@LJ-jq8og]

@@88kayak How long did it take to get one ? Or are you on order now ?

[@88kayak]

@@LJ-jq8og I gotvsecond hand for the second one

[@rebeccasteffenson7009]

This company is an absolute nightmare to deal with- I bought a brand new boat that was faulty and they have refused to honor the warranty.

[@JakkeLehtonen-Jagster]

At least one years waiting time, and nowadays most have to wait two years. Not very appealing.

[@GLGolden55]

Yep, it’s a specialty kayak produced overseas, hit hard by the COVID supply chain problems with plants shutting down and transport issues. They are doubling production slots this year so wait time should be decreasing.