Hobie performance upgrades

I've been talking with a lot of people about what they can do to make their Hobie perform to it's best capability and thought I'd throw out a few tips for discussion.

First is the turbo fins. Now some people say that an $80 upgrade is a lot so it'd better be worth it right? I don't quite agree with that argument. New fins for a Hobie Mirage drive are like a new paddle for a conventional kayak. And when you compare the high end turbo fins ($80) to a high end paddle ($400+) it's not even comparable. And most importantly the difference between standard and turbo fins is very noticeable.

As the name goes you'd guess that you go faster and it's true. The turbo fins will give you a few more miles per hour. From short sprints chasing boils or rising fish it can't be beat. I can push my Big A to 7-9 mph.. When you're pedaling over a long distance your cruising speed gets bumped up a few mph's and you'll really notice it. But one plus that is overlooked is that it takes less effort to keep your yak cruising speed. Sticking to 2-3 mph for a long troll is what I love the turbo's for. You just slowly pedals back and forth and get speeds that you'd normally really be pumping you legs for w/ the standard fins. That extends your time on the water and hopefully the amount of fish in the boat.



Next really good upgrade, the sailing rudder. Now it's pretty evident what this'll do for you and it's worth the $23 IMO. Obviously it'll make your kayak more responsive since you have more surface area. Which in itself doesn't sound like such a big deal but it really is. You don't have to move your rudder so much and that let's you pay more attention to fishing. Next, it gives you great control in messy conditions. When we're bouncing up and down over waves and wake our steering power is diminished since there may be times when the standard rudder will be more than halfway out of the water. And since we need the rudder to steer it can make rough conditions not so fun. With the sailing rudder, even through big bumps, it'll stay in the water and keep better control. Overall, that difficult time in rough conditions will change for the better. And lastly about the rudder, it gives you better resistance to any type of side pulling due to drag from trolling or wind. It's amazing at how just changing the rudder could make the yak perform so much better but it really does.



Anyhow, those are my opinions and hopefully they can lend some insight. If you want to try out the upgrades you're welcome to give my yak a spin when we meet up fishing. And if you decide to buy make sure to see the good people at Hobiecats NW!

Z
 

What Zee said and,,,

Counterweights for the pedals. I glued/screwed 4 oz flat round fishing weights near the bottom on the backs of pedals. It keeps them from flipping over away from you (especially if you leave the foot straps on). I'm sure Hobie is going to do something like this on their next revision but until then.....

I ordered the Turbo fins, can't wait to get them and give em a spin. Haven't ordered the larger rudder yet, but looks like a good upgrade.
 
I removed the straps after the first trip, i have bad circulation in my feet and they cause my feet to go numb. Without the straps i can move my feet around put the pressure in different spots and it's alot better, i even peddle on the bottom of the pedal sometimes.

Counterweights for the pedals. I glued/screwed 4 oz flat round fishing weights near the bottom on the backs of pedals. It keeps them from flipping over away from you (especially if you leave the foot straps on). I'm sure Hobie is going to do something like this on their next revision but until then.....

Yep, same mod for me as well. I gooped some big egg sinkers to the bottom of the pedals. You can see 'em on the top right pedal.

I ordered the Turbo fins, can't wait to get them and give em a spin.

I removed the straps after the first trip.

You gonna love those turbo's CBY! Yeah, for some reason it feels better to me w/o the straps too. I mean the only reason you'd have straps is if you could have a pull stroke. But the way the MD pedals work, I've never felt I could. Efficient enough already..

Z

You guy are making me envious!!  Guess I'll have to get the turbos for the Revo....and then will be able to zip up to Point Beals from KVI....

Got my Turbo fins, installed them  , now if this incessent wind would give me a break so i can go out  and try 'em out. They are cool looking.

I could keep up a steady 3 mile an hour pace with the stock fins and crank it up to 4 for a short distance. From the pic , it looks like you got yours cranked all the way tight for max speed Z ? that's the way i'm gonna start with mine. Hopefully get up to 6 MPH !! I'm really gonna throw a wake now.

From the pic , it looks like you got yours cranked all the way tight for max speed Z ? that's the way i'm gonna start with mine.

Yeah they're tightened up. I really haven't messed with them since they are still nice to pedal but if it seems to hard to peddle it may be a good idea to try and fine tune it. Enjoy the speed!

Z

Finally got out to try the new turbo fins and they are awesome!! Actually feel like your peddling something now. Just a walking pace peddle and im cruising along at  1.5 miles per hour, cranked up to over 5 miles an hour(Outback is such a tank). Too bad the fishing was horrible and it was way rougher then expected. fished for 2 1/2 hours and nary a bit, very rare for sunset. Hope friday is better, will be going out with a florence Kayak fisher.

Actually feel like your peddling something now.

 That's it exactly CBY! Pedaling the stock fins felt like pedaling a bike with the back wheel off the ground. No resistance. The turbo's feel like they have some bite and the slower cadence feels a lot better than the wild spinning (stomping) I did to maintain any speed with the stock fins.
 I've only been out in the Hobie once since I got back. Man! I did'nt know how much I missed pedaling instead of paddling.

Finally got out to try the new turbo fins and they are awesome!! Actually feel like your peddling something now. Just a walking pace peddle and im cruising along at  1.5 miles per hour, cranked up to over 5 miles an hour(Outback is such a tank). Too bad the fishing was horrible and it was way rougher then expected. fished for 2 1/2 hours and nary a bit, very rare for sunset. Hope friday is better, will be going out with a florence Kayak fisher.

Welcome to the land of TURBO CBY!! It's great ain't it?

And FFTW... PEDAL!!!!

Z

      I am new to the forum and I am going to pull the trigger on kayak fishing. I normally fish out of a 21 ft North River Seahawk in the south sound area, so I am more or less spoiled when it comes to comfortable fishing. I also really like to hit the lakes for Walleye and Bass.
      I have been watching this post carefully and really appreciate everybody’s opinions. I am 6’ 1” and 250lbs. For Zeelander and Coosbayyaker or anybody else for that matter…… Now that you have the Turbo Fins and both of you have been in the Outback, do you think that the Turbo Fins and larger Rudder have transformed the Outback into a more Puget Sound saltwater worthy kayak?  I will be fishing 80% fresh VS 20% salt in a kayak and I am concerned about stability with my size.
      I am also anticipating the use of the kayak in salt a little more in the event that I fall in love with the sport. I know that people seem to favor the Revo, but I favor stability and possibly more speed with the Turbos on the Outback if I can get away with it.
      I was leaning toward the Revo but the new information on the Turbo Fins in the Outback has intrigued me even more. I hope that I didn’t ramble too much but I am pretty psyched about this new fishing prospect.             Thanks for any replies, Skonebone

Welcome to NWKA skone. I fish 80% salt-20% fresh and really love the stability of the outback. I've been out in some pretty bumpy conditions and have never felt in danger of capsizing. A speed demon it isn't but i'm not racing anyone anyway.I prefer stability over speed. The turbo fins makes it a great boat and i plan to get the larger rudder in the near future. But the outback is a ocean or puget sound worthy Yak stock INHO. I have never peddled a revo so i can't compare it to it. One thing is the outback is not all that fun to paddle as it doesn't turn too good when paddling, but maybe i just suck at it.

Welcome to the board Skonebone!

My nickels worth says go for the Rev if you can. I've pedaled it and its initial stability was rock solid compared to my Adventure and paddling happens (reverse, shallow water, rocks, broken drive ). Having a boat that paddles well is not a wasted asset and the length and hull shape will make it more comfortable in bumpy (ie big) water.

 Speed really is a kind of misnomer in this context. Efficiency is a much better term. You get more distance for your stroke in a "faster" boat instead of pushing more water. Those turbo fins will get you going faster than the standard fins, but whats more important to me is that comfortable cruising speed at a much lower cadence.

 One of the things that beginners tend to go overboard with the idea of stability. Compared to your big boat, kayaks are not stable. If you reach over the gunwale like in your North River, you will be swimming. (Revo or the Outback) The cure for that is,,don't do that It takes a minute to get the balance and feel of a kayak. Its sort of like riding a bike but WAAAAY easier and faster to learn (like within the first hour).  Kayaking is a lot more in the water than on it. If you come at it from that perspective you are going to have a PHENOMENAL time fishing. If not, yakfishing might be a bit disappointing.  That said, go pedal both of them if possible.

As a former Hobie owner I will speak heresy and suggest paddling an OK Big Game and OK Trident as well, just for comparison.  Very different vessels, but the Big Game combines super stability with sea worthiness (and barge-like speed), while the Trident is a straight up saltwater designed vessel intended to cover long distances.

I had an older Outback, which I also liked a lot, but paddle boats have some strengths worth considering as well.

Welcome SB. FFTW nailed it. Good job buddy.

Z