Excited about Hobie Kayaks for fishing

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?

my first Hobie was a PA12, loved it.  then we bought an Oasis.  after I got the Oasis configured for fishing and started using it solo to fish and crab, I loved it so much that I sold the PA12.  when I don't have my 75# dog in front, I do make sure and put all the extra weight (sonar battery, extra water and emergency stuff) in the very front hold, that is all it takes to balance the boat solo.  my Oasis is easy to move around on, I normally fight and net large fish from a kneeling position sort of over the Mirage drive.  this video is my second ocean outing in my Oasis and includes landing and releasing a large cabby-



trolling for trout and playing tug on an Oasis:

Hi RogerDodger.

Thanks for the video. Where were you fishing?

Do you normally sit in the front or back seat?

How do you transport your Oasis?  Roof rack?

Hi RogerDodger.

Thanks for the video. Where were you fishing?

Do you normally sit in the front or back seat?

How do you transport your Oasis?  Roof rack?

I was fishing out of Sunset Bay (just south of CoosBay mouth) at Simpson Reef...

I always run the Oasis solo from the rear seat...the PVC rod/gear holder behind the rear seat was easy to build.

I transport it hanging out the back of my small SUV (Saturn Vue) using a hitch carrier to support it 2' back from the bumper, I can't find a picture with the Oasis but here is the PA12, the Oasis hangs out 4' total:

Public Forum guys!  Could you talk location by PM, please?

Public Forum guys!  Could you talk location by PM, please?

who made you boss of the forum?   

Public Forum guys!  Could you talk location by PM, please?

Since when was that a rule

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Public Forum guys!  Could you talk location by PM, please?

I really wish these guys would quit telling people that there catching the fish in the "water" on the public part of the forum rather then pm'ing it sheesh tell them you hooked that monster ling at Mt. Hood national forest off a hiking trail,  now everyone knows the fish are in the water

Do you normally sit in the front or back seat?

How do you transport your Oasis?  Roof rack?

You'll likely find various opinions in fishing the oasis solo from the front vs the rear.  With mine, I went back and forth before settling on the front cockpit.  With ballast in the far back, and the rear cockpit used as gear storage, I found it the most convenient, and definitely handled the best for most conditions.

The oasis is pretty beastly, not a lot of fun hoisting up to a roof rack.  I found a trailer to be the best solution.  Actually, the better best solution was buying an Outback for my solo trips!

Good luck!

Sam

Hi Sam.

How would you describe the difference in how an Outback vs. an Oasis performs on solo outings? 

I like the idea of getting the Oasis because my 8 year old son likes to fish with me but he is not quite ready for a kayak of his own.   I plan on using the Kayak at least 50% of the time solo in the bays and the ocean. I will probably use the Kayak to fish in rivers and lakes with my son.

Based on your experience with the Oasis, does this sound like a good game plan?

In terms of transporting the kayak, somehow I got stuck on the idea using a roof rack.  I will seriously consider a trailer now.  It sounds like with the trailer I don't need to lift the boat as high.

Corey

I think your plan is perfectly reasonable.  That's what I did for 3 years with my wife/kids - the Oasis is great as a tandem fishing kayak.  It performs adequately in most conditions when solo.

I guess to compare...  the Oasis is designed as a tandem Hobie with cockpits to the front and rear.  I believe that some other tandem kayaks have the ability to solo from a more balanced middle position, which isn't possible with the Hobie drive wells.  This results in compromises - and handling becomes very specific depending on current/wind/etc conditions. 

I still use the Oasis when my son and I go out - he uses the Outback.  When I go back to the Outback, the tighter turns and being able to better navigate in tight areas is very apparent.

Big suggestion - keeping demoing and trying different configurations until you are certain what's going to work for you. 

Hope this helps,
Sam

Let me know if you want to try out the big tuna, let me know. It's not foot powered but is a good boat for tandem/ solo configuration.

I just bought a used 2015 revolution 13.  After much thought, I decided to start small(ish) and forgo the Oasis for now.  Once I get more experience in a Kayak, I will consider getting another if I find I like fishing from a Kayak.

My roof rack with some foam pads and straps worked well.  The kayak fits nicely on my car.  I haven't try a self load yet, but the unload went smoothly.

I stopped by re-rack in Portland today and looked at all the fancy boat load assist options.  I decided to go with the Yakama Boat loader. It's inexpensive, designed for my rack, and I think it will do the trick since my car is short.    I'll explore other options if that setup gets too cumbersome.

 

I just bought a used 2015 revolution 13.  After much thought, I decided to start small(ish) and forgo the Oasis for now.  Once I get more experience in a Kayak, I will consider getting another if I find I like fishing from a Kayak.

Congrats!!

Just so you know... kayaks breed like rabbits!  [emoji38]

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excellent!

Public Forum guys!  Could you talk location by PM, please?

Since when was that a rule

It's not a rule and I'm not Ms. Manners.  It was meant as a simple request - hence the "please" part - to not kiss-and-tell in an open-to-anyone section.