Rigged Hobie Revolution

+1 on the video!

Under what conditions do you see yourself wanting carry your Mirage Drive strapped to your bow, for long periods of time?

Under what conditions do you see yourself wanting carry your Mirage Drive strapped to your bow, for long periods of time?

It wouldn't be strapped there for long periods of time, but when landing or launching it makes for a very convenient place to store it. That was were I would store mine on my old outback.

After a while you will find when launching, walking the yak into the water and dropping the rudder and mirage drive by hand is easier than paddling out, stowing the paddle, then dropping the drive and rudder.

Also, after a while you will find when landing, loosening the rudder hold down cable, charging the shoreline, pulling up the mirage drive and just laying in the drive well and coasting, until you can hop out in shallow water is easier than paddling in.

I use my paddle on about 1 out of 10 trips.

Not to get off subject...I am considering the revo as my second boat. I like the deck space on my Outback but the sleekness of the revo is attractive. It might be nice to not feel so sluggish in the water. The Outback proves to be pretty 'tanky'. Don't get me wrong I love my boat! But the grass is always greener...

To add to what demonick said about launching and landing. I agree it's easier and it also adds a cool factor. Every time I come in from fishing there's always someone waiting to ask questions about the mirage drive. I should be a Hobie sales rep...I'm always promoting their boats anyway.

Not to get off subject...I am considering the revo as my second boat. I like the deck space on my Outback but the sleekness of the revo is attractive. It might be nice to not feel so sluggish in the water. The Outback proves to be pretty 'tanky'. Don't get me wrong I love my boat! But the grass is always greener...

To add to what demonick said about launching and landing. I agree it's easier and it also adds a cool factor. Every time I come in from fishing there's always someone waiting to ask questions about the mirage drive. I should be a Hobie sales rep...I'm always promoting their boats anyway.

  +1   Everytime I go out.

I had a couple of reasons for storing the mirage drive on the bow.

First, I wanted somewhere to put the mirage drive while going out and coming back in through the surf if I wanted to paddle.  I find that while I use the mirage drive in the surf a majority of the time, there are still times when I will want to stow the drive and paddle in.  I like to try and surf waves on the way back in sometimes and having the drive locked in and the rudder down makes it more difficult to control the kayak in the surf.  Of course, you can put one pedal forward and one back and that works ok, but it's still in the way of your legs and when you go to hop out, the weight of the kayak can sometimes be resting on the posts of the fins, which ends up bending them.  I recommend pulling the rudder all the way up if you think you will be picked up by a wave and want to try to brace the wave and stay upright though.  In my experience if your rudder is down, you pretty much have little to no chance of controlling yourself if a wave picks you up. 

The second reason I wanted to stow my drive on the bow is so that I have a place to put big fish (under my legs) since my rear gear well is usually taken up by the Hobie Livewell.  That way I can do the happy paddle back in.   

The bungees also work nicely as a place to keep my kill bag while out on the water or a quick place to stow my paddle.

I've never done a surf launch. 

The bungee looks like a tight, secure place to stow the drive on the way out and the way in.