This weekend I put my TRAK together so I could get the thigh braces set in the position that I needed.
Assembly is easy and for this first assembly it took about 18 minutes. I took it apart an had it bagged in about 12 minutes.
I did not fully tighten the the frame in the skin since I was just sitting in it on the ground. I recommend to just pump it until it is snug. About 6 to 8 pumps after the jack is in place.
When you are in the kayak you can add a pump or two to one side then the other to see how the bow will move off the center line. Then adjust the center jack and see the rocker change. This will give you a good idea of the movement of the kayak based on the amount of pumps you add to the jacks.
Be sure not to over pump the jacks. I release them and then add couple pumps to tighten it back. Do this a few times to get an idea of how many pumps it takes to get the frame set in the kayak. Then you can adjust the tightness and the rocker once the kayak is in the water. The jacks put out a lot of force so you want to be careful not to over pump the jacks. You may notice that when you first tighten the frame you can have negative rocker in the kayak. I have found that this works best when sliding the keder into place.
Also be careful with the carbon ribs they are strong but you can easily chip and scratch the clear coat. You also want to avoid dropping the carbon rib. They are not like the plastic rib you could just toss on the ground. If you take a care of the ribs they should last a long time and perform for many years. I place my weight over the rib behind the set when getting in and out of the kayak.
The thigh braces have many adjustment positions and can easily be dialed in to fit almost anyone comfortably.
Now I am ready to get it in the water. Hopefully the weather will cooperate soon. Wind and storms have kept me off the water the past couple weekends. I promise to post video of rolling and doing self rescues and maybe even standing in the seat. It will be a couple months before I get it into the waves.
#TRAKeverywhere
