OT Predator PDL versus Hobie Mirage

Has anyone had the chance to the Old Town Predator PDL against any of the Hobie kayaks with the Mirage drives? I have read several reviews on the Predator and overall it seems like a good boat. Just curious how it stacks up in a head to head competition....

I would be interested to hear from those that are currently using peddle drives from any of the manufacture to learn the pros and cons for each. It seems like they are a plagued with a weight issue and come in over the 100lbs mark.

Looking forward to any info you are willing to share.

DG

I've used both, and will say the PDL is awesome. But it's a different beast, one that's tough to compare.

 I've tried all of the new pedal drives from confluence/native as well, and they all have their pros and cons. all of this of course, in my humble, and biased opinion.

The PDL is a BIG boat, most comparable to a PA in size and stability, while the radar and pilot are more in Outback territory. I will say the PDL, Radar, and Pilot all PADDLE 10000x better than any hobie, if I had to pull a drive out and surf launch or go through shallows, I'd rather be in any of the new options, with the Radar performing the best as a stand alone boat sans drive.

The radar is also unique in that you buy the boat and drive system on their own, allowing you to get your boat and add the pedal drive option down the road if you want it, it seems like a solid boat either way.

The Perception Pilot might be my personal favorite just because of sheer simplicity and MSRP. For less than 2K you get a killer boat that's fully rigged and ready to fish with drive unit, and options ready to go. Grab a rod, pfd, and go fish. With the way the market is going, no one else can come close in that respect.

The PDL might have one of the cooler new drive units, the ratio feels solid, IT FLOATS, and everything just felt really well laid out. All of the new options are sluggish off the line compared to a Hobie, the torque the mirage drive creates just doesn't feel comparable to a prop unit from Native, Wildy, Perception, or Old Town.
That being said, once you get going, the PDL feels solid and smooth, I can see trolling being efficient but I see this boat shining in the bass fishing world most of all, The biggest benefit of the Prop being the easy reverse and maintaining position. Holding a spot over fish was easy, that being said I was fishing for small moth and trout in a mellow lake.

Stability wise I would say the PDL is close to the PAs, standing and fly casting was a breeze and it felt like the rest of the Predator series in that respect. I will say the rudder system is awesome as well, simple, clean, and easy to use.

I've tried the 180 mirage drive and it performs for the most part like every other mirage drive, to be completely honest though the unit I tried was a little tricky to get to go between forward and reverse, and it was really hard to tell which direction I was going in until I started pedaling.  That being said, these boats and drives were all prototypes, and I think after a full day on the water it would be relatively easy to get comfortable with any of them.  What is the most off putting to me about the 180 and all of the new drive units coming out from all of the manufacturers is how complicated the drives have become. Hobie will encourage everyone to send broken drives back for repair, and with the sealed units from the other manufacturers that will be the only option. The most innovative and impressive part of the  Mirage drive to me is the ease of use and repair. I feel totally confident taking a V1/V2/GT drive completely apart and reassembling it, that is not the case with any of the 2017 pedal drive units, from Hobie, Old Town, or Confluence.

I wrote a full review on the PDL  http://nextadventure.net/blog/brand-new-gear-review-2016-old-town-predator-pdl-pedal-driven-kayak/
feel free to ask me any questions on the new boats, they are all unique and have their own pros and cons, just depends on what you want to do with them. And again, just my personal opinion.