NorthWest Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing => The Kayak Shack => Topic started by: rogerdodger on May 13, 2021, 10:55:43 AM
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any guesses, serious or otherwise, what Hobies big "Whole New Breed" announcement on Friday might be?
here are mine:
Revo is due for a new hull design, so that is sort of a boring guess.
adding to the hulls designed for the 360 drive, perhaps an Outback360 or new design Revo360?
change to new manufacturing process and/or materials set? perhaps one that reduces weight?
long shot that would definitely be a whole new breed: addition of board lifting wings that raise the kayak out of the water at speed: https://liftfoils.com/
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Gonna guess a motor to keep up with Old Town's Sportsman line. Hoping so, so I can finally join the 360 drive crowd after-market. Still have the original drive so I only go forward 💨
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I've been seeing a lot of videos about the inflatables including a 4-person beast.
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I've been seeing a lot of videos about the inflatables including a 4-person beast.
yeah, there is a whole new inflatable line called 'iTrek' but they have been out for like 6months, I think.
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A mid-line kayak to compete with Old Town. I think the Sportsman is killing Hobie right now.
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A mid-line kayak to compete with Old Town. I think the Sportsman is killing Hobie right now.
The compass sort of does that now, but its less of a full featured boat.
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so it's a new (to Hobie) solid core manufacturing technology called Ace-Tec.
The new Lynx 11 looks like a rigid but lightweight version of the old i11s (now called the iTrek 11). 45# hull sounds good.
Ace-Tec is a board/SUP technology that has a solid core with layers molded around it, this sure takes care of those pesky leaking gasket concerns...
(https://i.imgur.com/eQZEIZ0.jpg)
here is the video I grabbed that image from:
https://youtu.be/9WR-nlj_40Q
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Hmmmm. On one hand lighter is nice to see. Would be nice to have something that light for hopping down unimproved launches, but have more durability than the inflatables. On the other hand...they want 2600 for this...which is more than a compass but less than an outback. A revo 11 is around the same price but is considerably narrower and still almost 20 lbs heavier. Passports much cheaper but also pushign over 70 lbs. Guess it will depend on how much you value light weight.
Hull shape looks interesting and just seems like it may slap and not cut through chop at all (though promo videos show a quick shot in an ocean)? Kind of seems targeted more to the rec crowd than the fishing crowd...but man that price...I feel like if someone just wants to dink around/tour in a Mirage kayak they would get a Revo or a Passport. Would make a good small water bass boat I suppose.
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Or a SE USA Flats boat like they show a lot of the footage on in their promo videos.
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Man Looking at this more...just not sure what to think about it. On one hand light is really good to see, fishing kayaks have gotten ridiculously heavy. This thing is lighter than my rec sit insides. I certainly bought my compass because I wanted pedal drive but also a lighter hull. At the same time it kind of seems like the fishing kayak market has said "we dont care" and just bought up the heavy boats anyways and the trailers to go with it.
On the other hand, not sure where the place in the line is for this thing when its functionality is just so similar to the inflatables but with a bit higher durability.
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I think some people avoid inflatables due to concerns about long-term durability and resale value and also short term "I could get a leak and sink" concerns.
This Lynx 11 is interesting, it should be easy to walk around on and it's solid like a surf board; it can't sink. Bungie down a full featured fishing box on the back, like I did on my i11s, with storage, rod holders, sonar battery...and you would have a nice fishing board.
They might also find a market for it from resorts and rental places, especially if they are willing to sell them cheaper with just the GT drive.
This video does a good job of covering everything Hobie put into this new boat:
https://youtu.be/4W0YzHc0ZJs
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I think some people avoid inflatables due to concerns about long-term durability and resale value and also short term "I could get a leak and sink" concerns.
This Lynx 11 is interesting, it should be easy to walk around on and it's solid like a surf board; it can't sink. Bungie down a full featured fishing box on the back, like I did on my i11s, with storage, rod holders, sonar battery...and you would have a nice fishing board.
They might also find a market for it from resorts and rental places, especially if they are willing to sell them cheaper with just the GT drive.
This video does a good job of covering everything Hobie put into this new boat:
https://youtu.be/4W0YzHc0ZJs
They stole my idea. Whenever I get time to build again, my next build is going to be this
https://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/surf_boats/kaholo-stand-up-paddleboard.html
with a mirage drive.
Although I still need to build that surf kayak. If only I had more time.
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Based on the description here I was completely uninterested, but after watching the walkthrough video I feel like I misjudged it. Even though it lacks the convenience (or lack thereof, depending on your perspective) of an inflatable, it is still has a lot of advantages and looks like a really fun fishing platform. It looks like it would be fun to stand on for fly fishing and sight-casting. I'd be curious how well that plastic shell holds up to abuse compared to the HDPE of our heavy SOTs. I'd enjoy demoing one.
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The inflatables have always kind been off putting to me in that they arent going to last forever when compared to a hard shell kayak. Seams will fail eventually and really the more you roll it up and deflate it the faster that is likely to happen. They have looked like good fishing platforms though with all that space. So I can see now more that they are targeting it to be like a more durable inflatable its got a bit more going for it. I still think the price is kind of bonkers.
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The inflatables have always kind been off putting to me in that they arent going to last forever when compared to a hard shell kayak.
I hear you, although the modern inflatables are kind of amazing. The BOTE SUPs I bought last year have been bulletproof so far. We'll see in the long run - like you said, after 3-4 years I might not be so happy.
I still think the price is kind of bonkers.
Yeah, well, I just assume if it has the Hobie logo then I'm going to choke on the price. I think there's a pretty good argument to be made that maybe Hobie should ease up on the R&D budget for a year and get back to actually having stock of the things that people already want. Consumer sentiment can be fickle for top-price brands. Hobie: take care of your customers! People are waiting for kayaks they ordered 6 months ago.
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Yeah. I have to imagine things have improved with modern manufacturing, but at least when I was looking at inflatable boats, the seams are always the weak point and inflate/deflate cycles plus rolling them up can accelerate it. Hobie on their forum seems to think 5-6 years is probably reasonable from the offhand comments I have read. I guess most of us seem to cycle through boats around 5-6 years, but it would suck to end up with a seat/drive and not have a hull to put it on. At least with your Bote boards they were probably under 1000 each?
I always conjectured that the Hobie tax comes from them being a sailboat company originally and anythign sailboat always has a mark up. That being said, I do feel like Hobie tends to use pretty top shelf materials. You really don't hear about the small plastics breaking and everything is saltwater rated with the use of high quality stainless throughout. There have been some hull failures though (especially drivewell and seat risers).
Good point about getting back on production. From what I gather its a mix of high demand, but also delays on raw materials as well as completed parts coming from overseas. I would assume the R&D team is probably pretty separate from the manufacturing side of the house. On the flip side here, this is not a rotomolded hull so in theory doesn't take away capacity from the main lines.
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That being said, I do feel like Hobie tends to use pretty top shelf materials. You really don't hear about the small plastics breaking and everything is saltwater rated with the use of high quality stainless throughout.
I completely agree! I actually don't think Hobie gets enough credit for this. And if you put in the slightest effort to maintain and not abuse your drive and metal hardware it seems to last forever. It reminds me of the software axiom: Cheap, fast or good - pick 2.
Good point about getting back on production. From what I gather its a mix of high demand, but also delays on raw materials as well as completed parts coming from overseas.
Yeah, it's a complicated situation, that they're getting paid $3000 per kayak to figure out.
...this is not a rotomolded hull so in theory doesn't take away capacity from the main lines.
Fair point, but if nothing else it looks bad for the people who are still waiting on their orders, hence my point about consumer sentiment regarding premium brands.
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(without derailing this thread too much...) Yeah Hobie needs to figure out the inventory situation. Curious if the ownership change had anything to do with it... but all the other companies faced same sorts of supply chain issues, shutdowns that prevented factories from working etc. yet Hobie can't be accurate at all on their delivery dates.
Seems to be a wide latitude in what dealers are doing too. Seems like some people are paying full price to hold their boat, but in my case with ordering a tandem island, I just put down 20% to hold it. Ordered in Nov. with an estimated arrival date of Jan. Boat randomly showed up late feb/early march and the dealer had no idea when it was coming in, it just happened to be in that shipment. On top of that they were telling me Hobie forgot drives and other accessories for certain boats in that same shipment...but the paperwork didnt reflect that...not a good situation.
They need to figure it out. They had the pedal fishing market cornered for such a long time, slowly there was some competition but it wasnt necessarily a threat. Old town seems to be really kicking it into gear with competitive products and a full range of models.
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I still think the price is kind of bonkers.
I thought that also until I watched the video and saw all the attachment points and trax and standing pad and removable rudder...plus they are selling it with the highest cost Mirage drive.
Having spent lots of time on CoosBay and the ocean on an i11s, an 11' long, 36" wide platform is extremely stable. It's going to get kicked around good in washing machine conditions...
What if this is the future and the next Lynx kayak using Ace-Tec is like 13' long and maybe 27" wide....little more of a wave cutting shape in the front...50 pound hull weight...
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Uh, guys... Hobie was originally in the surfboard business. The Hobie catamarans came quite a bit later.
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Uh, guys... Hobie was originally in the surfboard business. The Hobie catamarans came quite a bit later.
exactly, 'boards' go right back to their roots. going forward, just add one of those lift-foil wing things with electric thruster and you could lift one of these up and skim the surface at hi speed...
1-- for low speed/trolling sitting down- Mirage drive.
2-- cover water fast- stand up and hit the lift-foil button.
(https://i.imgur.com/NC6imLv.jpg)
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I know this is an older thread...but I did buy a Mirage Lynx from Next Adventure, and generally I'm happy with it. I'm new to kayak angling, and I've only had it out on a few lakes. Here's what I like and don't like so far:
Like
#1 - It's light. I can put it up on my car by myself, despite the fact that the handles are almost worthless
#2 - It's fast and nimble. I can almost kick up a mini wake when I'm really pounding the pedals and it turns like at a 90 degree angle
#3 - It's quiet...but I assume most kayaks are quiet.
#4 - It's not a drift boat...which is what I used to use to fish. I hate boat ramps.
#5 - The free scupper hole cart that someone made/gave me fits perfectly
#6 - The track mounts make it really easy to add accessories
Don't like
#1 - Per the manual, it says to transport it flat...I'd prefer to put it into a cradle on the top of my car, but am sticking with the manual
#2 - You do miss not having hatches
#3 - It's DELICATE....Despite being EXTREMELY careful, I have lots of little bumps and nicks in the shell, and the decals are not going to be long for this world.
#4 - Although the seat is comfortable...I recall a couple of other Hobie's that I demo'd having more comfortable seats
I likely will never go ocean kayaking...I want to be able to fish lakes, tidewater, maybe the Columbia in the right conditions...basically the same things I did with my drift boat, just without boat ramp stress. I think this is going to be a good fit.
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I really appreciate the review. Every once in a while I watch a new video on these and am intrigued. Having some real-world feedback is really useful.
It's too bad the shell is so fragile; that's definitely a minus compared to other options.
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I really appreciate the review. Every once in a while I watch a new video on these and am intrigued. Having some real-world feedback is really useful.
It's too bad the shell is so fragile; that's definitely a minus compared to other options.
...and that could be just me because it's new and I'm trying to take care of it. Perhaps I'm just over-thinking it. I understand that there will be wear and tear...I bought some marine grade wax and waxed the sh*t out of it and I hope that this helps. I know, though, just from reading the Hobie forums that if you puncture the skin it will need to be repaired so I'm being very careful.
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With how tough (and rigid) the inflatables are these days having to baby the shell at all seems like a pretty big minus. I have a BOTE inflatable SUP and that thing is tough as nails.
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I thought about the i11 inflatable, but with only a 2 year warranty and my track record for over-inflating air mattresses and splitting their seams, I thought I'd better not.