Hobie Outback Questions

So i finally got enough money saved up to replace my tarpon 140 with a Hobie outback. But before I pull the trigger, I'm curious if anyone has really loaded down their Hobie. Me and some buddies do a 4 day/3 night trip every year but I'm worried about Hobie storage space. Anyone with an outback could you give me your 2 cents? Also water levels I'm mainly in go from 20ft deep down to 6 inches. Think I will have mirage drive problems?

There is plenty of room in an Outback for the gear for multi-day trips, particularly if you pack like a backpacker, not like a rafter.  Doing multi-day trips in an Outback is much easier than doing multi-day trips in a whitewater kayak.

An Outback will only sit a couple of inches lower in the water when loaded with you and overnight gear than it does with just you in it.  If you hit your fins on something in moving water, you could disable your Mirage Drive, so if the water looks like it might get less than about two feet deep, you should pull up the drive and paddle the kayak.

I did a 4 day camping, fishing, drinking trip last Summer in my Outback. It did really well. You can fit a lot of stuff inside the yaks storage compartments. There is also a large area behind the seat that is a good for a cooler. Just be careful not to make it too top heavy. Shallow water with current is no problem. And it is nice to have the mirage in the frog water when the wind is blowing upstream.

I have seen to fullgrown men plus gear on one outback in the ocean. I would say it was about 500 pounds.

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it.

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it.

The one thing I would look out for when loading a outback is the balance.  With the pedal drives, you tend to concetnrate everything in back.  I put a 105 pound halibut on the back with my fishing gear (maybe 20 pound and I'm about 200lbs with gear clothes and such.  ) and it carried it fine for about 3 miles back in to shore.  Now having said that, I had a TON of water in the hull and after checking around, that sort of weight pushed the rudder control line holes underwater.  Made it! But be aware the kayak will float and pedal fine while taking on water.  I am sure it slows ya down, but by then I am thinking it's just the extra weight. 

If you scroll down to the August 11 posting  from this link    http://kayakshed.blogspot.com/
It shows Langston and Nate in Langston's Outback.......mind you, these are two "healthy guys" 

Oh my.... well that answers that question.

If you scroll down to the August 11 posting  from this link    http://kayakshed.blogspot.com/
It shows Langston and Nate in Langston's Outback.......mind you, these are two "healthy guys" 

Sure, Langston borrows weights from me and then steals my sturgeon only to crop me out of the photo. Dick.