Excited about Hobie Kayaks for fishing

My name is Corey and I've been interested in getting a small boat for lake fishing, bay fishing/crabbing, river fishing, and potentially sea fishing.  I will be primarily fishing by myself so I wanted a boat that is very portable.   I did buy a small boat (and later sold it), but it didn't seem to make sense for just one person and it wasn't as portable as I would like.   I was excited when I ran across a video a someone crabbing in the ocean with a Hobie Kayak.  After more research, I realized a kayak might be the perfect solution for my needs.   

I went to the Scappoose paddling center and tried out a Hobie Outback and Pro Angler 12.  I really like the pedal drive with the Hobie Kayaks. After further reading on these forums, it sounds like I should strongly consider the revolution 13 since it's lighter than the Oasis and handles current better.  Also, the Kayak is lighter and I plan to transport it on the roof of my Passat wagon.

I was ready to purchase the Hobie Outback, but on Wednesday of last week Hobie announced the new "mirage drive 180". My current delima is whether to wait for mid October for the 2017 Hobie models or just purchase a 2016 model.  I plan to go back and "demo" a revolution 13 soon.

I'm seeking advice from all angles since I'm new to Kayaks.  That is what brought me here.

Hey Corey,
Welcome to the forums!! I was in the same boat as you, looking at powerboats and realizing that it would be just me fishing 90% of the time, the cost, space, and all the other hassles of a powerboat had me looking at other options, which is how I landed on getting a kayak.

There's a lot of great info here, and asking which kayak people prefer is going to bring a BUNCH of different opinions from folks.. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. A few things to keep in mind, while the Revo is sleeker and lighter, it's also more narrow, meaning you sacrifice a certain amount of stability there. For people hitting the ocean frequently they are willing to sacrifice the small amount of stability difference in exchange for a faster, sleeker vessel. Ultimately it's up to you with what you feel comfortable with, but I would definitely demo the Revolution if you're thinking of going that route. There's a difference between an outback and a Revo from a stability standpoint for sure, and that you mention the Pro angler, there's a HUGE difference in stability from the revo.... Regardless, there's folks that successfully crab from outbacks, revo's, and many other pedal and non-pedal kayaks, so it's simply a matter of what you feel the most comfortable in, keep in mind that in order to crab from your kayak you will be transporting, dropping, and lifting a crab pot all from your kayak... in the ocean.You need to be completely comfortable with things in order to do that safely.

As far as the weight of the kayak is concerned the Revo is only 11lbs lighter than the outback, but it is also narrower meaning you can more easily use "J Racks" with the kayak if you are so inclined, where the outback is simply too big for most racks like that. I transport my outback on the roof racks of my Kia Sportage SUV and load and unload it myself, it's a big of a bear sometimes, but after several trips you'll get a routine down on doing it fairly easily.

In regards to the 180 mirage drive, I definitely can see value in it, but will not likely be purchasing a brand new drive for my existing kayak. More than likely I will wait another couple of years and will replace the whole kayak with a new one with a 180 drive. If you think you want the 180 drive and were planning on buying new anyways then it's likely worth waiting for the 2017's to be released. If you're NOT sold on brand new then I am certain there will be a good amount of folks that have to have the new drive and I am sure you can pick up a 2014, 2014, or even 2016 model at a nice discount.

Regardless of what you choose welcome to the group!

-Matt

There are a few kinds of fishing where it might be nice to have a Mirage Drive which can reverse, such as if you fish a lot next to docks or weed beds, and would like to be able to back away from them if the wind is blowing you into them.  But I rarely find myself in situations where a reverse might be handy.  And I wouldn't buy a 2017 Hobie with the new reversible drive due to concerns about its design and reliability.  I'd wait a year or so, let other kayakers experience the problems which often arise with a new product, and let Hobie fix any problems which arise.  So if you want a Hobie kayak, after doing some demoing, I suggest that you go ahead and get a new or used Hobie.

If you'd rather buy a used Hobie to save money, keep in mind that the lawn chair style seat, which some prefer to the earlier stiffened nylon seat, came out with the 2015 models, and the transducer pocket came out a couple years earlier.  I think the transducer pocket is a valuable feature.  Before you buy a kayak which doesn't have a transducer pocket, figure out exactly how you are going to mount the transducer for a fish finder on the kayak.  I have no objections to the stiffened nylon seat, but because some people find it less comfortable than the lawn chair style nylon seat, I suggest that you demo any used kayaks with the old style seats.  When checking out a used kayak, look for cracks, but don't worry about abrasion on the bottom.  In general, Hobie kayaks only get a fraction of the abrasion and beating that whitewater kayaks receive for years on end without any problems, and abrasion is only a cosmetic issue, not a functional one.

If you decide to wait until next spring to buy a kayak, keep in mind that there will probably be some people who just have to have the newest model, and will sell their current Hobie and get a new one with the reverse drive.  So there may be a few extra used Hobies on the market this fall and winter.

Since the drives will be backwards compatible, I don't agree that there will be lots of deals on them. The only folks that will be selling their kayak at that point were already thinking about upgrading to a newer kayak - not because of the drive.

You can buy your kayak now and upgrade the drive later if you decide you have to have reverse. Or, since some people advocate having a second drive as a backup (which is a spendy proposition but not a terrible idea) you can simply put off the purchase of the backup drive a few months until they make them available as an accessory purchase.

I think when the drives are available for purchase, many will want to sell their old drive and not have a backup. So that's another way to go - wait for the '17 model, then buy someone's old drive as your backup. THOSE are where you'll see some deals.

Thanks for the welcome everyone.  All your opinions and experience is invaluable. 

I'm planning to crab in the Nehalum and Tillamookin bays in my Hobie.  From what I have heard, the best strategy is to head into the bay at low tide and crab until high tide.  That way there isn't a lot of current to fight getting back to the docks and the chance of getting swept out to sea is minimal. Any thoughts on this?   Is it possible to make progress against the current in these two bays in a Hobie?

Tillymuck tide is stronger than Nehalem. I have not tried to fight the tide in TM. Have paddled against it in Nehalem and made slow progress.

Whether to launch on the inbound or outbound depends on which direction you go. TM to the Ghost Hole ride the inbound from Garibaldi, outbound or slack back. TM to the jetty ride the outbound to the jetty and return on the inbound.


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Hello everyone.

I rented a Hobie Revo 13 at the Scappoose paddling center for about 2 hours today since that Kayak seems to be a favorite of many people.  I was surprised about how stable it was.  I used it primarily in the Bay where the wind was low and the swells were non-existent.   I did get a chance to take it into the middle of the Columbia river where the winds were going at about 5 mph and the swells were about 1' for about 10 minutes or so.  I'm heavily leaning towards a Revo 13 now.

You can buy your kayak now and upgrade the drive later if you decide you have to have reverse. Or, since some people advocate having a second drive as a backup (which is a spendy proposition but not a terrible idea) you can simply put off the purchase of the backup drive a few months until they make them available as an accessory purchase.

I think when the drives are available for purchase, many will want to sell their old drive and not have a backup. So that's another way to go - wait for the '17 model, then buy someone's old drive as your backup. THOSE are where you'll see some deals.

just for clarity, V2 and GT drives cannot be 'upgraded' to have reverse. 

a great way to get a back-up drive is just buy a second Hobie..and if one is a tandem, you end up with 3 drives!   

cheers, roger 

What is the difference between the gt and gtt drives?  Do the gtt drives come with new Hobies?  Which year did they start shipping the gtt drive?

GT is the new style drive GTT is the new style drive with turbo fins

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What is the difference between the gt and gtt drives?  Do the gtt drives come with new Hobies?  Which year did they start shipping the gtt drive?

for the rest of 2016 model year, GT drive should come with boats that come with normal ST fins; GTT drives should be standard on boats that come with Turbo fins (PA series for sure, not sure which others...).

I took the family on a "Hobie outing" today at the Scappoose paddling center. I have an 8 year old son, and 11 and 13 year old daughters. We rented an Oasis, an Outback, a Rev 11, and a Rev 13.  My kids and wife loved it.  My 8 year old son was riding with me in the Oasis.  I thought he might have trouble reaching the pedals, but we was able to move us along even when I wasn't peddling or paddling.

Now I'm debating getting an Oasis instead of a Rev 13 since I can go out with my 8 year old son or another friend.  How managable is a Oasis by a single person for mounting on the roof of a car compared to the rev 13?

Now I'm debating getting an Oasis instead of a Rev 13 since I can go out with my 8 year old son or another friend.  How managable is a Oasis by a single person for mounting on the roof of a car compared to the rev 13?

Just save yourself the trouble and get the Oasis and the Revo 13. Trust me, been there 

The Oasis weighs roughly the same as an Outback. It is easily manageable. What you need to do is figure out a system where you are lifting only one end at a time. The pull out extender bars on Yakima or Thule racks work well. I have a lumber rack on my truck so I can lift the bow up on to it and then go back and lift the stern. I'll tell you that if you get used to handling an Oasis, the Revo will feel like a toy...

Thanks for the welcome everyone.  All your opinions and experience is invaluable. 

I'm planning to crab in the Nehalum and Tillamookin bays in my Hobie.  From what I have heard, the best strategy is to head into the bay at low tide and crab until high tide.  That way there isn't a lot of current to fight getting back to the docks and the chance of getting swept out to sea is minimal. Any thoughts on this?   Is it possible to make progress against the current in these two bays in a Hobie?

Must have missed this, I don't think you can progress through the narrowest part of the channel headed out to the jetty, typically we drop in 2-3 hrs before low tide and are pulling gear an hour or so after low tide. 

You can buy your kayak now and upgrade the drive later if you decide you have to have reverse. Or, since some people advocate having a second drive as a backup (which is a spendy proposition but not a terrible idea) you can simply put off the purchase of the backup drive a few months until they make them available as an accessory purchase.

I think when the drives are available for purchase, many will want to sell their old drive and not have a backup. So that's another way to go - wait for the '17 model, then buy someone's old drive as your backup. THOSE are where you'll see some deals.

just for clarity, V2 and GT drives cannot be 'upgraded' to have reverse. 

a great way to get a back-up drive is just buy a second Hobie..and if one is a tandem, you end up with 3 drives!   

cheers, roger

Just for clarity, when I said "upgrade the drive", I meant buy the new drive and put it your old kayak. That's upgrading the drive of the kayak. I didn't suggest a conversion of the drive.