New Hobie Passport for $1299

Here's a video about the new Hobie Passport. What do you guys think? Does it fish? Saltworthy? Does it like to party? I'll have one out on the water soon to answer these questions and more!

putting on my Materials Scientist hat, the first thing I noticed was that it is the first Hobie Mirage kayak to be "Thermoformed" instead of "Rotomolded Polyethylene".  (Not saying one is necessarily better or worse than the other, just noting the change.)

I found a good and short description of the processes here:

https://eddyline.com/technology-innovation/thermoforming-the-new-kid-on-the-block

looks like it has a manual version of the "Twist and Stow" rudder, that would not be my choice for a rudder on a saltwater boat.   

They’re really trying to cover all niche market.  Saturation of so many models offering against competitors, it’ll make new buyers think twice about choosing other brand.  Was hoping REI carrying 2019 hobie outback but I heard they had gentlemen’s deal not to offer popular lineup so that it won’t compete against smaller outfit.

I believe this is their response - and a brilliant one -  to the new Pelican line that has the cloned older version of the mirage drive for which the patent expired.

For open water, it's too short at 10'5" and it doesn't appear to have much freeboard.  At 65# it's "light" only compared to other Hobie's.  There's a lot of plastic in the new "classic" Mirage drive compared to the original "classic" drives and I'd worry about the drive giving out on me when I need it most.

For smaller folks in lakes and bays, maybe.  For open water, I'll pass.

looks like it has a manual version of the "Twist and Stow" rudder, that would not be my choice for a rudder on a saltwater boat.   

+1.  Areas with abundant free-floating weeds or kelp could be an issue.  They say it's spring-loaded, so maybe it'll slide over the heavier kelp, but pesky eelgrass is likely to stick onto it and slow you down.  Same could be said for trying to navigate sparse lily pad fields in lakes. 

But like the guy in the video states, this looks like a solid entry-level pedal drive kayak.  Any scenario involving calm, weed-free waters would be amenable to this vessel.  Pick your days wisely, and you could totally scoot out into the ocean for some bottomfish.  If the Passport purchaser decides they really like kayak fishing, they'll probably upgrade to a larger and better Hobie soon enough.

The most common gripe I hear from non-kayak anglers when they ask about Hobies is the price.  It's cool to see Hobie addressing that gripe with this new addition to their fleet!

Wow!  That will get some newbs into this great sport with a good beginner's kayak.  For the price, I think you get a lot of goodies.  Geartrac, rod holders, a nice lawn-chair style seat.  I love competition in the market.  Its a win for us, the consumers. 

Will it fish?  Absolutely.  With the gear trac and rod holders, its made for it.

Is it salt-worthy?  Depends on your idea of salt.  Bay? Definitely.  Depoe Bay?  Probably (though, I don't know how far off-shore I'd venture).  Surf launches???  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I do like the low freeboard.  It will make re-entry a lot easier for folks who are just starting out and those like me who are center mass abundant (thick with 2 C's).

My only issue so far with it (just by looking at it online) is it is a little short.  I would have rather seen it about 2 feet longer then it would definitely been ocean worthy. 

You can see the Hobie Promo video here:

I see it as a far superior replacement for the Sport. 325# capacity versus 225# in the same length. 13# lighter, too. Way cheaper as well.

I did get a NOS 2015 Sport for my bitter half last year, for about what the Passport will go for, new. At 225# capacity, though, I can't use it as a spare boat or a guest boat.

I would have hoped for being a thermoformed rather than rotomolded hull it would be a bit lighter.  Seems like the thermoformed boats usually have a weight advantage (I.e. eddyline or the ultra light WS boats) It’s only 3lbs lighter than the compass which is 12 feet.  Quite the price point advantage though, even over the compass.

Is this the cheapest pedal drive boat?

I own a 2019 PA14 and for a value priced Hobie, I'm more interested in the 2019 Outback.  That's my personal opinion.

As far a value priced pedal drives, I've seen this boat retailing at under a $1000: 

Well, I got a chance to take it out on the water. It's a decent little boat, but certainly not a replacement for an Outback, or even a Compass. The hull design is much more similar to that of the original Hobie Mirage Classic than it is to the current lineup, and it performs similarly (reasonable primary & secondary stability, but not mind blowing). The seat is surprisingly comfortable and extremely lightweight, which I wasn't expecting. The drive also is more of a throwback to the original Mirage Drive, not as smooth as the GT, but still very functional and efficient.
Does it fish? Absolutely. Photo attached for evidence: Hooked into the infamous Blue Lake Great White, but it broke me off right at the boat so I didn't get any good fish pics. Darn.
Overall I'd say this; I wanted to hate it because I'm spoiled by getting to use the Outback, Pro Angler, and i11s all the time.. but at the end of the day it's actually an impressive little kayak, especially when you consider it's almost half the price (or in the case of the Outback and Pro Angler, less than half the price) of the rest of Hobie's Mirage lineup. It would be great as a guest yak for those who already have Hobies and want to bring friends & family along, as well as a solid option for anyone looking to get into the pedal drive game on a budget.