hobie or ocean kayak?

ive read reviews on both. ...before jumping in on a wonderful investment of joy....which one would you choose and why?. ....offshore is the goal, but ocasional river and lakes also...

Hobie Mirage Revolution.  'course, I'm biased    Why?  Can use legs on Mirage drive (trolling rocks in a Hobie), paddles well when you want to go without the Mirage Drive, not too long for relatively quiet rivers, fast,  can be outfit nicely.

My 0.02

Try 'em both before you buy.  I think you'll find the population here split down the middle.  It comes down to personal preference.

-Allen

I recently fixed that dilema, I am now rolling with both.   

I too have two, an OK T13A and an Hobie Revolution.  The Hobie Mirage drive is a jewel of engineering.  Nearly everyone disagrees with me, but I think the OK is a higher quality product, and if the Hobie was of the same quality and similar hull design as the OK I would most heartily recommend it.  There are lots of reviews and opinions on this site. 

It comes down to whether you want to propel by paddle or pedal.  After paddling for a year my old elbow injury resurfaced and I was forced into the Mirage drive.  It is twice as fast and very, very helpful for fishing, but you pay a price in more limited deck space.  On the T13 I can carry fishing gear and crabbing gear.  I have yet to figure out how to do that on the Revo, however the Mirage drive makes a trip out to drop the crab traps and a return trip to pick up the fishing gear not such a big deal. 

dont sell yourself short, tho. also look into wilderness and native. then theres also i

I'd demo as many as possible, from all of the different manufacturers.

That said, I went with the Hobie Outback, and will probably upgrade to the Adventure once I scrape the funds together.

The primary reason that I went with the Mirage drive is the fact that I can move and have my hands free.  Speed is a secondary consideration, although now that I have spent a year on the Outback, I want something a little racier.  Stability on the Outback is pretty good.  With the sailing rudder installed on the Outback, maneuvering is nice and tight.

The downside(s) - you need to make sure you have a good tether system for the drive unit if you launch and land through surf, and maintaining the drive is just one more thing you have to do when you get home.  The Outback doesn't paddle well.  The drive takes up alot of space, and if I use a landing net, half of the time getting the fish out of the net is actually spent getting the net untangled from the pedals.

The drive takes up alot of space, and if I use a landing net, half of the time getting the fish out of the net is actually spent getting the net untangled from the pedals.

What's the feasability of having a sack or drybag with you to throw over the drive?  Nets can't get tangled in something like that.

  hey brandon


   i found a hobie outback on or coast craigslist posted yesterday for $1000 looks loaded and good condition
sometimes a good deal helps make up the mind.   mines jammers T13

To answer you question simply... yes!

Z

yeah...just get both

thank you ALL for the info and honest opinions! ....i will rent many differnt kinds before taking the plunge...im leaning twards the o.k. based on what ive researched so far.....I LOVE THIS P
LACE!!!....its hard to find people that have the same interest i do!.....when i rent one mabey if anyone wants to hit the ocean with me would be cool!....ive only kayaked at lake havasu and lake powell.....im still green lol.

Hobie dude! You wont regret it. Are you someone who posted often on the Oregon fishing forum? Welcome to the site. Go to next adventure and ask for Bryon(manager). Just go demo the boats. Tell him your from NWKA and would like to demo some boats. Tell him Michael (Jammer) sent you. Give it a shot. He owes me. who know, he might tell me to cruise out with you.

.ive only kayaked at lake havasu and lake powell.....im still green lol.

Did you live in Havasu or just visit? Just curious, I moved up here from there.

-Craig

Yes i am a member on oregon fishing forum!..where is next adventure located anyways? im a greenhorn lol...i was raised in so-cal but oregon born...went to college in tucson az for automotive technology, and Yes there is extensive modules in cars these days. have to use a laptop to fix them mostly...my buddys and i would all pitch in for a house boat and "live it up" spent a week on havasu one summer and a week on powell another!...the jet skis were a blast....but i was in heaven in the yaks!...we had sinks included on the houseboat in powell...Now that lake is awesome!...it has soo many little inlets and fingers, they say it has more coastline than california....im up to learn!...im like a sponge lol!