Stirring up the pot...

Well, you make completely outrageous claims like that, someone will call them out. You used the words, "almost everyone" which is just not true.  If you'd have said "a majority" or "the greatest percentage," or something, then the BS-ometer needle wouldn't have even twitched. Last time I was out in my Tarpon, there was another guy out in his Tarpon, and two Hobies. No OKs that day.

If you just want to talk brands you will just get honest feedback and find out that almost everyone either paddles an OK or pedals a Hobie.

I don't have the time to argue this point, but the needle on my BS-ometer just twisted itself off the end of the dial.

You really have a hard time making any useful contribution here don't you? What do you paddle? According to your last fishing report you just stand on the rocks and catch bait sized rock fish.
I would take a guess that 75%+ of the contributing members here are either on OKs or Hobies. I also don't recall anyone ever bashing a brand, and with the exception of a few salesmen talking heads no one really recommend something they don't use and own personally.

So I am kinda stumped why you bothered to make another useless post. If it is in an attempt to call me out for recommending a product I like or saying that I don't give my honest opinion you couldn't be further from the truth. If you want my opinion I'll give it to you and I'll try and not hold anything back ... weather it is warm and fuzzy or not.

I like the gator hatch, and yes you can access it on the water. you just have to straddle the boat and shimmy forward. It's pretty good at keeping the ocean out too for being such a big relatively loose hatch. Lee and I surfed our boats for a good 1.5 hours one day last year, and after taking hit after hit the lack of water in my hull continued to impress me. I'm not saying it was dry, but for the amount of time it spent hull side up I expected far more. I ended up turning the crotch hatch around 180. Made it far more user friendly while on the water. They just used phillips screws and a sort of nut plate behind them, so reorienting the hatch was no big deal.

As for standing... I do quite a bit of standing when fly fishing or bassing. The X-13 is a terrible platform for it though. It's a bit rocky when you get to your feet, and the grooves that help channel water from the seating area make it awkward and uncomfortable. My Coosa and Fish'n'Dive are my go to standing boats.

Sorry I should have said almost everyone who actually fishes and contributes useful information ... that eliminates one more tarpon.

Well, you make completely outrageous claims like that, someone will call them out. You used the words, "almost everyone" which is just not true.  If you'd have said "a majority" or "the greatest percentage," or something, then the BS-ometer needle wouldn't have even twitched. Last time I was out in my Tarpon, there was another guy out in his Tarpon, and two Hobies. No OKs that day.

If you just want to talk brands you will just get honest feedback and find out that almost everyone either paddles an OK or pedals a Hobie.

I don't have the time to argue this point, but the needle on my BS-ometer just twisted itself off the end of the dial.

You really have a hard time making any useful contribution here don't you? What do you paddle? According to your last fishing report you just stand on the rocks and catch bait sized rock fish.
I would take a guess that 75%+ of the contributing members here are either on OKs or Hobies. I also don't recall anyone ever bashing a brand, and with the exception of a few salesmen talking heads no one really recommend something they don't use and own personally.

So I am kinda stumped why you bothered to make another useless post. If it is in an attempt to call me out for recommending a product I like or saying that I don't give my honest opinion you couldn't be further from the truth. If you want my opinion I'll give it to you and I'll try and not hold anything back ... weather it is warm and fuzzy or not.

Being a Tarpon rider it seems that I am of the minority, those who are different, the freaks. Perfect.
Im also not sure if my opinions are useful or even considered contributions, but I do have some time in a few Malibu boats and the Hobie Quest and hopefully I can help.
It should be noted that my experiences with these boats were early models and I believe both companies products have evolved. They needed too.
The 2 Malibu boats that I have enough time in to reasonably comment on are the Mini-X and the M 4.4.
I really like that Mali has some outside the box designs that freaks like me find interesting.
I found the Mini-X to be a excellent stream and river boat. Explosive off the line and could even be considered agile with the right paddler at the helm with leg straps. It can play in minor hydrology and isnt a horrible surfing platform in small waves.  It is ridiculously stable and easy to climb back into after a swim. I found the deck layout to be friendly and functional. It was not easy for me to part with the Mini-X but with the SLF needing multiple boats/boards added to my own expanding quiver, we just didn't have the room.
The Mini-X negatives, in my experience, was that the hatches let in a lot of water. When playing in waves, I found that I needed to head in and drain the boat after only a few rides. Any more than that and there would be too much added water weight for me to be explosive enough to catch the wave.
Mali may have made improvements in their hatch seals since.
In streams the Mini-X has a very fast drift. I contributed this to the hard chines allowing the currents to get a grip on the boat. If you are running with a boat with softer chines like the OK T11, you will notice that the T11 will have a slower drift for fishing.
If you plan on using the Mini-X as a boat for the Mrs or a buddy boat? I would think again. On flat water the Mini is only really compatible with other mini like boats. The long boats will easily glide away from the mini paddler who will struggle all day to keep with the pack. NO FUN for her and you will soon find your lady in your boat while you struggle to keep up.
I recently gave my opinions on the 4.4 as a fishing platform in another thread so i wont get into it here but I wanted to share my opinion on Mali-plastic.
First, please dont think Im bashing Malibu or their products. This is just my opinion.
 Compared to other kayaks, I believe that the Maliboats are constructed from inferior plastics. I have had to make multiple repairs on their boats both at the scuppers and the usual hot spots. I believe that they are less resistant to sun damage and more susceptible to cracking at the pressure points. When welding the Maliboats I learned that it has a lower melting point than other mainstream plastics. When making repairs on boats its important to try and use the same plastic as the boat was made , but with malibu, I believe it is a must. I have tried to Frankenstein Maliboats before and it was VERY challenging trying to weld with a plastic that has a higher melting point than the boat you are trying to repair. Still both boats were superfun and that is the point of it all.
If I have offended any Malibu fans here please feel free to blast away.
I have a lot more pictures.
Please dont think that I am any kind of expert, but I do have a pretty solid eskimo roll.





 

My apologies. I went on and on about Malibu and did not share my opinions on the Hobie Quest.
Zee is right. These were the most comfortable foot pegs I have used.
The boats layout was very smart and functional. I also enjoyed the boats speed and glide in flat water. It was a tad challenging in choppy waters since it seemed to want to slice into waves rather than climb over them.
The problem was that the boat did not survive the hydrospider experience.
I was through the hull in just a few months. Even worse was that we were just a few days into an extended trip. Shoe Goo and duct tape saved that adventure.
At that time I believe that Hobie was having some difficulty with the plastics that were mixed with a granite coloration. Since that time I have checked out a few Hobie products and their plastic seems to be made of very sturdy stock.
I would recommend the Quest to those who were interested in a nice, smart, comfortable boat for minor adventures.
Again, Im no expert, just the dude with a lot of time in little plastic boats.
I do hope this helped and good luck in your search.

Great write ups spidey! Since spidey is relatively new and not always on here let me just say that he may be the most knowledgable paddling kayak fisherman I know. He comes from a paddling background and paddles every type of water and most any type of paddling watercraft. I've known him for about 6 years and will give honest feedback on a watercraft.. Oh and he puts a hurt on LMBs like no other. He's like the ultra cool, nice version of Nanook that actually fishes. What? Oh, I mean, I think most would agree he's made great assessments of the yaks mentioned.

I think some folks need to have a group hug at ORC.

I love my tarpon and miss fishing from it after converting over to an older hobie. If I could merge the two together I would do it in a heart beat. I still use it for my river drift boat but Langcod had been filling it with fish blood again

Great info, Spidey!  Great pic of surfing the Mini-X!  I miss that - it sure is a blast in the surf.

Big respect right backatcha friend Zee. Just trying to give some back after getting so much inspiration and education from this site.

I miss surfing the Mini-x too Rawkfish. Im way overdue for one of those days of just playing in waves.
Still hoping that Spots waterman's day comes together.

Malibu makes some great boats, they just haven't put the effort in to get a foot hold in the Northwest market.  I paddled an X-Factor for a while and completely agree with everything Zee said.  They also have some nice medium-sized yaks that I've noticed, like the Stealth 12 and X-13.  I still have my Mini-X in its size class of paddle kayaks I think it's hard to beat.  Last time I drove through Brookings a couple years ago I thought I saw a Malibu dealer on the main drag so that might be worth looking into.

yes, there is a dealer for the Malibu's here, on Railroad Ave two blocks from my house.  He used to sell the OK's but I believe they dropped him, as he was selling blems as new. My buddy got one from him and I sent a letter to OK about it, they were not happy to hear this. Not sure if that is the reason he switched or not. I travelled to Ashland from Brookings to purchase my last Yak , cuz I don't trust or like that man here in town. It's my money and I will spend it where I want to!

Thanks for the feedback guys...and the lovers quarrel...

Everything...(OK, MOST everything) I read was really informative...and much to my surprise, not the "Brand Bash" that I expected.  I gained a good deal of info that I had not come across anywhere else...So again, Thanks

Now, I'm further away from a decision than before...
I like (and dislike) certain aspects of all the kayaks I've looked at...I want one that takes all the "good stuff" (kinda like an Oreo middle) and crams it into one Kayak...all good...no bad...

The nutty part of it is that I'd probably be happy/content with ANY of them!...Just as long as I don't sink and I get to fish, I'm cool...

So, the epic journey continues...

The X-13 is a terrible platform for it though. It's a bit rocky when you get to your feet, and the grooves that help channel water from the seating area make it awkward and uncomfortable. My Coosa and Fish'n'Dive are my go to standing boats.

That Coosa looks sweet!  Would it handle the salt and surf launches?  Looks like it would work great.

If you want to demo the Coosa call Derek at the Kayak Shed in Hood River. I may be able to get a demo here in Portlandia if you don't want to make the drive.

That Coosa looks sweet!  Would it handle the salt and surf launches?  Looks like it would work great.

Hopefully Bill aka Fungunnin can chime in as he's taken this sucker to the extreme. He a surf launching madman and know of one time he really put it to the test.

That Coosa looks sweet!  Would it handle the salt and surf launches?  Looks like it would work great.

Hopefully Bill aka Fungunnin can chime in as he's taken this sucker to the extreme. He a surf launching madman and know of one time he really put it to the test.

I heard he got his ass handed to him! 

-Allen