I’ve paddled a Trak three times now.
First time was with a Trak pilot. Float bags were installed but no sea sock. It was winter and I was wearing a dry suit with insulated garments underneath. I wore a spray skirt too. Near the end of the paddle I wanted to see how it rolled (I roll everything I paddle, except the Quest). I did two beautiful rolls then the pilot asked if he could get one on video… So I obliged, waited for him to be ready then went under. I knew as soon as I was just about up that something was wrong and I was going back in. I took a breath and let it happen. Two more times and I was done. To this day I’m not sure what went wrong but the water was damn cold even with my hood. That’s what I’ll blame it on anyway. I was also being very stubborn (too much so) and didn’t want to exit. Let’s just say it was messy and I’ve dramatically improved my rolling since then because I’m not repeating that. After I extricated myself from the boat it turned into an assisted rescue, which went pretty textbook, given I was cold and probably a little shaken from almost drowning myself. There was more pumping than a hard shell with bulkheads, but it’s lower volume than most of the hard boats I’ve owned, so wasn’t outrageous.
I sincerely hope the video was deleted, but I suspect it exists somewhere out there. Not my finest moment.
Contrast this with the Quest… I’m afraid to try a standard re-entry because there’s no support for the deck. Perhaps with a float bag or a bunch of sturdy gear in there, but empty you’d either pull off the velcro or go right through it I suspect. I’m afraid to roll it because there’s no solid thigh braces, and I’d end up dragging it to shore because I’m afraid to try a re-entry…
Second time in the Trak was with a sea sock. I was warm, but my Dry suit and layering does that just fine too. I felt very constricted and limited in motion with the sock. Taking things apart later, there was still some water in the boat from my rolling session but there was a lot in the sock that didn’t go in the boat. The sock took a VERY long time to dry out, and dripped a few liters of water while doing so.
Third time, no sock. No rolling that day but lots of water draining off my drysuit from wandering around waist deep in water taking pictures. Sponging it out when done was pretty easy. I did most before removing the frames then arranged the skin so the water drained to the middle. You can’t reach into the bow very far, so some gadget might be worthwhile here. The good part is that all of the skin’s surfaces are polyurethane coated. They don’t wick moisture, so a wipe with a towel will essentially dry it.
Contrast to the Quest… The inside sides are uncoated fabric. Why? Weight savings perhaps? It -is- lighter than the Trak. But it wicks moisture quickly and takes a long time to dry out. Also the deck of the Quest, though coated, slowly wicks in water over a day paddle and also takes a long time to dry completely. Not to mention, I don’t know if it’s the coating or if due to moisture I have something growing, but it absolutely stinks. I haven’t noticed the same (or really any) from the Traks I’ve paddled.
Yes, there have been problems with slipping delivery schedules. Some have been pandemic related, others before that related to larger demand than they could deliver. I’ve been waiting a long time but in my many interactions with the people at Trak, I don’t believe they’re trying to pull a fast one and run away with your money.
They have been good to me in ways that are possible and reasonable. In return I’m being as patient as I can.