hobie, Jackson dilemma

 So up here in my igloo I've made a pretty strong decision and I believe I'll be going with a hobie outback. The only thing I'm concerned about is the space. should I be concerned?  I sat in it at the store today but up here its hard to do demos. It feels like it'll be no problem for my 230 frame but any information would be great from you yakers.
 The next two runners up were the Cuda and big tuna, I did have a Predator XL on order but cancelled as it want the pedal power.

Cheers
Daniel

At 230, the Outback will be fine and you will love it.  Here is testament to its weight capacity.  There has to be at least 600-800 pounds on here.

Ha......the angler in the front seat alone looks 380+

Hobie all the way!! You won't regret your decision! !!

Jammer...that's not nice....Langston can't weigh more than 220#'s 

I'm in the same dilemma, except I am looking at the Jackson Kraken vs the REVO13. I have peddled the REVO and its nice, but the Kraken is a epic pure fishing design. Ultimately the ONLY reason I would consider the Hobie is simply the Mirage drive. Everything else about the Kraken is better in My opinion.

It's much cheaper, and comes ready to fish right out of the box. Rod holders, Crates, Fish boxes, mounts, rails, all have been installed ahead. A fish finder and some extras you might want but it seems like a pretty awesome boat for the price.

But I am going to be fishing the Puget Sound a lot and probably Trolling for Salmon. What will be truly giving up if I do not go with the Hobie/Mirage drive system.. is a steeper learning curve and some extra juggling skills out way a pretty good $$$ savings an a really really well designed fishing boat?

It may seem like my mind is made up but that is why I am posting I need some "ReeL" advice from my fellow anglers who peddle/paddle.

I do a lot of trolling using the mirage drive on my adventure island with a dowrigger and a 5 or 7 lb ball. I'm usually good for 3-4 hours in a moderate or light tide, more if there is a breeze to help push the sail. I know my old arms couldn't do that if I was paddling.
T2

I love my baby g tuna and can keep up with the fins as long as there not pushing it for me it was a tandem solo easy transition and it's like having an aircraft carrier for deck space... Could probably install a sink to clean fish with on the spot

I started my life on a 9ft mini-x.  Didn't know a thing about kayak fishing or length vs width.  Besides at the time, it was likely the only sit on top for sale in Alaska retail or craigslist.  So I bought it.

I caught dozens of halibut and king salmon in Saltwater...Cook Inlet no less.  The Inlet has 30 ft (vertical) tidal exchanges and 5 to 6 knots of current on big tides.  heck I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. 

Then I started to do some research and fished with folks in better suited kayaks and they just blew me out of the water.  I upgraded to Hobie Outbacks and I haven't looked back.  I'd say trolling salmon is what I do the most.

So point number one.  Any safe kayak will allow you to access more water and catch more fish. So feel good you can't go wrong.

BUT what do you get from the mirage drive (and Native Propel)? 

In places of faster current, it allows you to hold your position and fish.  You can't do that with hands on paddle effectively.  Important for me halibut fishing to emulate anchoring (the preferred set up for the guides) and fishing rivers where I can slowly slip down stream casting to the bank with my fly rod or jig and float.  I suppose you could back troll a plug with a paddle but you'll be 100 yards downstream of where you started deploying where the guy in a mirage drive kayak will still be holding their position.

It allows for deployment of a down rigger or regular trolling gear without thinking too much about the current or the wind.  That means FAR fewer tangles while deploying.  It's not a huge issue until you spend 30 minutes trolling gear that wasn't fishing on a 2 hour tide window. 

If I am trolling on the water at Noon and get off at 6pm, I get 5hours and 55 minutes of fishing with my Hobie.  One maybe two pee break on the water.  Without the mirage drive, every time I adjust gear, tie a leader, drink, eat a candy bar, call a buddy for fishing reports, smoke a cigarette, take a picture or check Facebook lol. I am NOT trolling.  And I hate to admit it, but trolling without a strike is BORING so I do a LOT of the things I listed above while on the water.  Without the Mirage drive, I am easily fishing one hour less or sucking it up through boring times.  My ability to fish for long periods of time continuously is a key factor to my success.  I used to say "I'm not a better fisherman, I just fish harder."  With the mirage drives, its not so much I fish harder since its actually easier using larger leg muscles, but its easier to fish longer and constantly because I can be doing other things to pass the time. 

I cannot imagine fishing out of something other than a Hobie for my primary kayak. 

One big disclaimer.  I abuse my gear.  And in the fourth year of owning my outback things are starting to break. couple of fins.  Idler cable.  One of the arms.   It concerns me greatly as I have tried paddling the outback and it does NOT paddle at ALL against current or wind....at least with my strength and technique. On long trips I carry a spare drive.  On all trips I carry a repair kit.   I am almost considering a near total replacement of my drives.  they still work great, but they are starting to fail one spot at a time.  I have for a moment or two considered moving back to a paddle kayak because I kayak alone most of the time and the simplicity and the odds of a paddle breaking or drive breaking is VERY different. 

But that "moment" has always just lasted a minute max before I come to my senses and realize there is no way I am giving up the hands free advantage!!!!!!

great insights, and that is where I'm at right now. Mirage drive works well for a lot of fishing. My advantage I consider with that is that I used to River Kayak and even been the the beach to surf with them a lot. So I have some decent paddling & boat handling skills. Truth is before I fished out of a Yak last summer, I had every intention of investing in a nice touring kayak, but since then I figure if I'm gonna do all that paddling I might as well bring home something besides driftwood. And As Mentioned before there is a huge gap in the value of what I would be getting if choose the Hobie over the Jackson. It's a good puzzle over those trade offs. At least I have a little time to decide. But I do love hearing other peoples perspectives on the matter, as throwing down a fishing Kayak and all the gear is a big purchase, and you want to get at least halfway right on the first try.

As I have told others if they want to paddle my big green tuna for a test ride let me know and come to Tillamook Bay area.

I have thirty years of whitewater kayaking experience.  When I started kayak fishing, I bought a 13' Ocean Kayak Trident, and paddled it for a few years.  There are few Mirage Drive kayaks out here in Montana, but a friend bought an Outback.  I was very impressed with the kayak, and immediately recognized the advantages of the Mirage Drive.  I borrowed the Outback for a day, and was totally sold.  Within a week I bought a 13' Revolution, and have been very happy with it.  I do all my lake fishing from it, and only use my Trident for river fishing and spearfishing. 

I think the advantages of a pedal kayak are as follows:

1.  I can fish, eat lunch, and do any number of other things with both hands while pedaling my kayak.  I can also face into the wind and pedal to hold myself stationary with respect to the bottom while jigging, which is pretty hard to do in a paddle kayak.

2.  Even though I'm an experienced kayaker and spend many days a year whitewater kayaking, I can go a lot faster, a lot farther, and get less tired in my Revolution than I can when paddling because I'm using the big muscles in my legs rather than my arm muscles, and because Mirage Drive kayaks are fast and efficient.

3.  Mirage Drive kayaks are very agile, and turn rapidly.  It's sort of like being in a pedal powered jet ski.

I agree that Hobie kayaks haven't kept up with the design features and innovations which some other kayak manufacturers have incorporated into their kayaks.  But it's the Mirage Drive which make Hobie kayaks great fishing machines.

If you're an experienced kayaker, you may be happier with a 13' or 16' Revolution than with an Outback, which is a bit wide and tubby for my tastes.

I'm in the same dilemma, except I am looking at the Jackson Kraken vs the REVO13. I have peddled the REVO and its nice, but the Kraken is a epic pure fishing design. Ultimately the ONLY reason I would consider the Hobie is simply the Mirage drive. Everything else about the Kraken is better in My opinion.

It's much cheaper, and comes ready to fish right out of the box. Rod holders, Crates, Fish boxes, mounts, rails, all have been installed ahead. A fish finder and some extras you might want but it seems like a pretty awesome boat for the price.

But I am going to be fishing the Puget Sound a lot and probably Trolling for Salmon. What will be truly giving up if I do not go with the Hobie/Mirage drive system.. is a steeper learning curve and some extra juggling skills out way a pretty good $$$ savings an a really really well designed fishing boat?

It may seem like my mind is made up but that is why I am posting I need some "ReeL" advice from my fellow anglers who peddle/paddle.

I think my favorite fishing is trolling for salmon, which is why I loved my recently departed Hobie Adventure.  I can fit all the gear I take with me into one of these orange "water resistant" boxes which I bungie in the tank well.  The bungies are strong enough to survive an inadvertent roll through the surf.


The only things that don't get transported to the launch in that (obviously all too long) are my little soft purple beer/bait cooler, rods, rod holder/extensions, net, and my insulated kill bag.  IMHO, if you are trolling for salmon, you really don't need an aircraft carrier's worth of deck space.  Same with rockfish fishing.  It seems like the only time I bring a lot of gear is bass fishing because there are so many different techniques and its warmer so you need more beer storage. That is what a lot of those other boats were designed for.

I'm in the same dilemma, except I am looking at the Jackson Kraken vs the REVO13. I have peddled the REVO and its nice, but the Kraken is a epic pure fishing design. Ultimately the ONLY reason I would consider the Hobie is simply the Mirage drive. Everything else about the Kraken is better in My opinion.

It's much cheaper, and comes ready to fish right out of the box. Rod holders, Crates, Fish boxes, mounts, rails, all have been installed ahead. A fish finder and some extras you might want but it seems like a pretty awesome boat for the price.

But I am going to be fishing the Puget Sound a lot and probably Trolling for Salmon. What will be truly giving up if I do not go with the Hobie/Mirage drive system.. is a steeper learning curve and some extra juggling skills out way a pretty good $$$ savings an a really really well designed fishing boat?

It may seem like my mind is made up but that is why I am posting I need some "ReeL" advice from my fellow anglers who peddle/paddle.

If you're going to be doing a lot of trolling I'd say go with the Hobie. Especially trolling in the Sound. There's some spots that rip with current and you'll have to be a very fit paddler to deal with it. Also if you're trolling deep (30' +) you're going to tire much faster than a pedaler.

BUT if you're mooching, which I think really is best way to kayak fish for salmon in the sound, and you're down for adventure I say Kraken all the way!