Kayaking, Diving, Skiing, & Surfing Forum. - Getting ready to pull the trigger - Hobie Kayak

I am getting ready to pull the trigger and buy a new kayak. A little over 3 years ago, my wife allowed me to buy an entry level SOT yak, E Motion CoMotion. My allowance was limited then because she thought it would be a passing phase and I would not use it after the first few times. Well, she has the opposite problem now with me looking for every opportunity to get out and fish and crab. In short, I have earned the right to UPGRADE.

After extensive research I am on verge of pulling the trigger on a new Hobie Revolution. Prior to investing the $2,000 plus, however, I though I would make a last inquiry: Has anyone purchase a Mirage Drive Hobie and be disappointed for any reason?

I am well aware of the usually kayak feedback regarding getting the right boat for you and what you will be using it for. Therefore, I am only asking about personal experiences with Mirage yaks and/or Hobie as a company.

Greatly appreciate any info you may be able to pass along.

BTW - Primary use is for fishing and crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.

Thanks,

JHJ

Got a revolution about one month ago. My first kayak and I love it. I fish and do photography so i needed to be relatively hands free and this is it. Love the pedal drive for fishing or just tooling around. Let me know if u got specific questions.
tom

I can only say this .. BUY IT .. BUY IT .. BUY IT! you won't be disappointed.
I love my revo and I tour, fish, exercise and sail with it. Only one complaint .. the paddle sucks .. so you will want to get a decent paddle for when you do paddle it. I use a Bending Branches 230 cm since I am 6 ' 2". I have used my wife's BB 210 cm and it worked equally as well. I recommend reading the Hobie forums as well. A great bunch of people and very helpful and full of ingenuity for home modifications and rigging tips. A good answer to your question if people are unhappy with the Hobie Mirage Drive kayaks just look for one used .. it is a very, very hard thing to find and if you do you will see they hold their value well.

Here is the link for the Hobie kayaking forum:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/index.php?c=3

pull the trigger!

Thanks for input, I will definetly follow-up on the Hobie forum.

JJ

Lots of Revo love here too! Great Yaks.

Hi Bud, I am disappointed that I haven't lost any of my gut yet but my Revo is awesome. I have upgraded to larger drive fins and also to the larger sailing rudder and could not be happier. It's a great boat for exercise, fishing and sailing. Rob

Robrobs - Did you upgrade to the largest turbos. How much more difficult is the peddling with the bigger finns.

Thx,

JJ

jhj21030,

I also have the larger turbo fins and sailing rudder. Both add a great deal of performance to the Revolution kayak. You can feel the difference in the fins similar to riding a bike uphill when you really pedal hard, otherwise they move you along very well under normal pedaling. The sailing rudder reallly adds additional maneuverability and the yak actually edges up on a fast hard turn. Turning is quicker with the larger rudder and a tighter turning radius as well. I would not say the speed difference from the original fins is astronomical but there is an improvement. You can adjust the amount of resistance with the turbo fins.
Both are worth the investment.

Revo

I have the normal fins on my Revolution Outback. They power the boat adequately. I borrowed a friend's turbo fins. They were faster but wore my legs out quickly because I am not in top shape. The turbo fins are extra $$. I suggest having the normal fins also to use while your legs get in shape.

Hi JJ, I tried both upgrade fins and like the middle size best. Rob

I am one of the original dealers from when the Hobie footdrive first came on the market. You will never be sorry getting a Hobie but you should reconsider the model. An outback would be the best choice for crabbing and fishing. The revo is the second best seller. We sell close to a hundred every year and consistantly the Outback is most popular with fishermen. The revo does sell to fishermen but is more popular with the yuppie crowd for recreation.

Hi barrell,

Though I can see and agree with you where the revolution most likely is a yuppie rec yak but unless you plan only to fish and crab the maybe the outback is a good choice but if you want any tourability and teh speed to keep up with others in 15' or 16' yaks then the revo is the better choice. The revo fishes great as well and is quite stable though sidekick amas are recommended for both stand up fishing and sailing.

Before buying I would look at the Native Ultimate Propel, really great drive system and the most stable Kayak I've seen.

Thanks. I looked at the Native on the web. It appears to be designed and better suited for calm inland water. I do all of my kayaking either on the Chesapeake Bay or the Atlantic.

JHJ2103

Is there a huge difference in stability between the revo and outback?

Hello all, I read that sidekick amas are recommended for sailing the Revo and wonder if they are necessary for sailing on the Outback as well. Thanks, Rob

Hello all, I read that sidekick amas are recommended for sailing the Revo and wonder if they are necessary for sailing on the Outback as well. Thanks, Rob

No they're not "required" the outriggers (now come on that's what they are) will allow you to sail in a bit higher winds but not by much as the mast socket has it's own limitations.

Without the floats you're limited to about 10mph winds max. With the floats I believe 15mph is still the recommended max.

It doesn't take much wind to get one of these yaks moving at hull speed and much over that makes them hard to control.

I have a Pro Angler which is a wide, heavy near tunnel hull yak (actually it's a boat.... I think Hobie stopped calling it a Yak themselves. and due to the width, hull shape and weight it handles the sail a bit better.

The thing is a beast but I love it.... no need for accessories to be able to stand up, turn around or anything else. This thing was designed as a fishing craft to begin with not some other hull with a bunch of accessories added to it.

Here's my sport, a great little fishing machine! Not sure if you are worried about wrestling it on and off a vehicle, but the small size of the sport makes it easy.

http://www.dolnik.com/images/blog/p1010004.jpg

We bought and imported a Hobie Mirage i14T inflatable tandem several months ago, with two mirage drives. We bought it for exercise, to explore areas in these islands, and as rehab for my knee replacement. It's been great for all of that.

I doubt if the inflatable is what you are looking for, playing with sharp hooks, etc. but it's far and away the most stable kayak around. We went for the Turbo fins up front, and I replaced the standard ones with the Turbos before we even put it in the water so we have no idea what the little fins are like. We got the sail kit, and the larger sail rudder as well.

We love the boat. We deflate it and put it in the back of a Land Rover to transport it to remote areas. We could easily carry it deflated in our Contender to another island. It is rated for 600 lb capacity, and it's stable enough to stand up in.

The Mirage drives are magic. Unlike paddles, you can peddle all day without getting tired. It's like easy bike cruising. It's a great way to sneak up on some wildlife, too. Quiet.

There are plenty photos of us using the Hobie on our blogsite. Some videos, too.

And Hobie has been a good company to work with. We bought ours from a dealer in Florida, and they have been great. I ordered the screw in Turbo fins instead of the set screw ones ( my mistake. The screw-ins are a later mod) and they sent me two new sets Fed Ex on their nickle, free. Great dealership. Fantastic service.

I actually wanted the Adventure Island, but buying two of those, and transporting them, etc. at that cost, was just too much. Now we are glad we went for the inflatable. It's like pedalling a comfy chair around. Except you can do 4-5 knots hour after hour.

have you looked at the Hobie Pro Angler? if you want to fish take a look.

Hello all, I read that sidekick amas are recommended for sailing the Revo and wonder if they are necessary for sailing on the Outback as well. Thanks, Rob

I have an Outback that I sail all the time with no almas, it works great to about 15 knots of wind. Great fun.

I have an Outback . I am Biased to the Outback for fishing. I recommend it for those who weigh less than about 240-250. If you weigh more than 250 the Pro Angler is the Yak you need. (The Pro Angler weigh "a metric but ton") (150# rigged out)

In selecting a kayak look for a Yak that fits your needs. If you plan to travel long distances you will need a longer Kayak. Longer Yaks tend to have a narrower beam. This is all based on weight. Until the Pro Angler came out, most Sit On Top kayaks weighed between 60 and 65 pounds. Which means to the consumer if you buy a 12 foot kayak it will be wider and slower than a 16 footer.

I guess it boils down to a couple of questions. First, the need for speed. And the second is the need for stability.

Being an old fart I have opted for stability over speed. I bought an Outback. To improve my speed, I installed the long Turbo Fins. I fish with REVOs and ADVENTURES and don't have trouble keeping up with them. Unless the Adventure is peddling "Hell Bent for Leather" (No Kayak can stay up with an ADVENTURE)

The other consideration is where are you going to with all your equipment. From Rods to tackle and even your bait. I think if you sit in a Revo then an Outback, it will become clear that the outback is a superb fishing kayak.

Is there a way to stow, fold or remove the fins when in shallow water or beaching?

Can you remove the whole Mirage drive system and somehow plug the hole?

I read a review online that said the pro angler wasn't rigid enough and would fold or distort under its own weight when transporting or laying on uneven ground. The reviewer stated that additional longitudinal structural support was necessary. Anyone heard of this problem or if the company has addressed it?