a few Hobie Adventure questions

I am very interesting in buying a Hobie Adventure and have been looking at one at the local marina's kayak shop. I'm practically drooling over it thinking about taking it offshore limiting lingcod and rockfish and trying for other species etc.... I am tempted to sell my sea kayak (Eddyline Fathom 16.5') to buy an Adventure.

After spending some time in the revolution last summer, I liked the drive but hated the seat. The recumbent nature wasn't the problem, the damn pegs always slipped out and made for an uncomfortable ride. Is there an aftermarket seat or something that works well for you guys?

My other concern is draining ability in rougher seas if the boat gets swamped, that is one advantage of sit-inside kayaks that shed water. But its a double edged sword IMHO because if you get swamped, its much harder to drain a SIK than a SOT....So I donno

This will be my third year fishing an Adventure.  I had the same gripe about the seat pegs until I solved the problem by roughing up the holes and the pegs with some 60grit sandpaper.  The cockpit of the Adventure drains as fast as any yak I have fished out of.  In fact it's shallower cockpit and the big hole for the mirage drive really doesn't let it hold onto much water compared to say the Fish n Dive I used to paddle.  90% of my launches are surf launches and I have never had any problems with water not draining away quickly enough.  Barring intentionally opening a hatch and letting the hull fill with water you can't "swamp" a yak like an Adventure, or most other SOT's for that matter, and in that lays the appeal of this platform for offshore kayak fishing.

PP has it right, the Adventure is an excellent ocean boat. I've had mine (actually I've had 3 of them) for about 5 years. I'm pretty sure I had the first one in Oregon as I had to import it from the East coast  because all the shops I talked with said it would be a few months before they could get one (which was kinda bizarre as they are made on the West coast)

That said, I've spent a fair amount of time with the deck awash and if your scuppers are clear the cockpit and tankwell drain very quickly.

The slipping seat plugs have been addressed with a screw in plug that keeps it from coming out. The newer seats also have better padding. (PP you can get those screw in seat plugs from a dealer for ~$10) It still helps to roughen the hole a bit too.

Although I have not paddled your boat and the BigA is pretty fast (efficient) as SOT's go, you'll probably be giving away some speed. But for fishing, the Adventure is my hands-down favorite.

On my Hobie I used a 90 degree angled pick to make vertical scratches in each of the seat mount holes.  And then roughed up the pegs with 60 grit.  Sticks great and allows for very secure mounting.

On my Hobie I used a 90 degree angled pick to make vertical scratches in each of the seat mount holes.  And then roughed up the pegs with 60 grit.  Sticks great and allows for very secure mounting.

has nothing to do with this thread, but every time I see your avatar, I laugh. 

I'm buying an adventure ASAP and putting turbo fins on it. What an awesome boat. I've been looking around for possessions to sell to save up for an adventure, no joke!

My local marina is going to be selling their rental adventure in couple of months hopefully for 1500 or less. Having looked around on the forum I'm going to inspect the drive well inside the hatch to make sure its all good.

I love my adventure, never once a regret. I am glad I saved up for a year to get the newer model with all the upgraded features. The possibility to upgrade to the Island adventure is an added plus. Its an awesome fishing machine.

The adventure is great, but the Revolution has some pretty significant features, too, and is not really a slower boat that I can tell.  Or else my wife has stronger legs than mine!! 

I found a good deal and bought a Red Adventure. I think its a 2010 model, it was demoed a few times and was priced a couple hundred bucks cheaper than retail. Plus I didn't need to pay 99$ for shipping etc.

My only complaint so far is the lack of centrally located handles. Its really awkward to carry the boat by ones self. I actually dropped the boat on the boat ramp as I lost grip, but there was barely a scratch on the boat. Its really built like a tank!  I have seen wheels that fit on the boat and I'll look into something in that department.

I am also planning on getting the ST turbo fins and a mirage drive leash.

I just got a 2011 model and they added those nifty handles. Those grab divots on the older models did kinda suck. I carried my old Adventure with my hand through the drive bay, that made it a lot easier.

 You will LOVE the turbo fins and a leash is a very good idea (especially if you connect it to the boat)  damhik

Save up some more pennies (dollars) and get the big wheelze beach cart. It's worth every nickle of its king's ransom.

... My only complaint so far is the lack of centrally located handles. Its really awkward to carry the boat by ones self. I actually dropped the boat on the boat ramp as I lost grip, but there was barely a scratch on the boat. Its really built like a tank!  I have seen wheels that fit on the boat and I'll look into something in that department.

I recommend the Wheelez full size:

http://www.wheeleez.com/kayak-cart-beach.php