Outback vs native slayer propel max

Appreciate any insight on the Native Slayer propel Max vs the hobie outback.  Have kayak fished for a few years out of a wilderness ride 135 and 115.  I am 6’3” about 280 and my brother is bigger around 6’5” 300.  Looking at for pedal kayaks, also considering the PA14.  We fish primarily in the bay for halibut and considering the ocean for salmon and rockfish.  Like the idea of a high weigh carrying capacity and stability.  Thanks!

Steve

Nothing really beats the PA in terms of carrying capacity.  However it’s also a tank out of water.  Not fun to load/unload and drag to launches nor easy with surf launches. 

A good friend of mine fishes out of a Slayer and I have an Outback.  We both do equally well fishing.  I have a little more space for gear in front of me, while his gear is mainly behind the seat.  The Outback is a little wider, making it a little easier to stand.  The slayer is a bit lighter than the OB. 

I don't own any of those, but I can't really see the PA being a reasonable choice for ocean salmon.

I have a 2016 Outback Old hull style), a 2019 Outback (new hull) and a Native Manta ray. I much prefer the outbacks mainly because of the differences in the drive. The 2019+ hull is much better for me than the older one because there is much more useable space. 

The Native propeller system gets seaweed stuck in it if there is any floating in the water. In Tomales I would have to stop every so often pull up the drive and get the eelgrass off. In the delta one time I had to keep doing this in a really strong current and I would lose much of my forward progress by the time I got the tules out of the drive. Once when going out of HMB my wife got stuck on someone's fishing line that was way out from the rocks with a float keeping it on the surface. Had to stop pull the drive and cut off the line while dealing with PBs going in and out. Kinda dangerous. Stuff rarely gets stuck in the Hobie drives because it can't wind stuff around a shaft. On the rare occasion that something does get tangled in it, all I have to do is lift the drive and whatever was stuck just falls off.

The Native drive is really big and heavy. This is potentially dangerous during surf launches because you could get hit by a big metal object sticking up in the middle of your kayak. If you do get a Native, be sure to strap the drive down and don't rely on the clips that hold it on to keep it in place if you flip. Don't ask me how I know. The size of the drive is also a pain if you are at all space limited in your car. It is really bulky in 3 dimensions.

The Outbacks are also faster than the Native, but that may be due to the odd hull shape of the Manta Ray so I don't know about the Slayer.

The Outback seat is much more adjustable and comfortable than the Native. The Native (at least mine) is fixed height so you can't lower it to get a lower center of gravity in rough water.

The only advantage for the Native is the instant reverse by just pedaling backwards. This really isn't important to me and I can reverse in the newer Outback because it has a 180 drive.

Thank you guys for the info!  Going to demo the outback and slayer.  In terms of weight capacity it appears the slayer carries more.  Do you all know if hobie doesn’t consider the weight of the kayak in the rating and maybe native does? 

I have a Slayer and a Mariner, love them both! The advantage in my book is instant reversal and if the peddle distance isn’t optimal fir you you can go online and order unicycle peddle crank arms and effectively shorten or lengthen your leg stroke (get your minds out of the gutter)
  I have arthritis and demoed a Hobie and it hurt my hip more where the circular motion does not. Best bet is try both fir at least an hour if peddling and let your body tell you what’s best for you, just give it several days between each or one could affect the other as for how they make you feel. Just my $0.04 worth (inflation sucks bro!)

Sorry to hijack the thread a little but are there there any taller kayakers(6'0"+) that use an Outback who might want to share their experiences with it? I'm 6'4" myself and have a hard time finding kayaks with adequate legroom. I' currently paddle an OK Big Game which fits great but I've been looking at upgrading to a pedal kayak. I haven't had a chance to try any out yet but I'm worried that the pedal position on most will be too cramped. Any recommendations as far as models to try that might accommodate a taller kayaker ?

My son is 6'4" and is very comfortable in his Outback.

Sorry to hijack the thread a little but are there there any taller kayakers(6'0"+) that use an Outback who might want to share their experiences with it? I'm 6'4" myself and have a hard time finding kayaks with adequate legroom. I' currently paddle an OK Big Game which fits great but I've been looking at upgrading to a pedal kayak. I haven't had a chance to try any out yet but I'm worried that the pedal position on most will be too cramped. Any recommendations as far as models to try that might accommodate a taller kayaker ?

The slayer seat slides back far enough that my wife and I can’t reach the peddles, but as stated lots of times before try one out, if you were up here I’d let you take a day in the water with me to try out the propel.

Mojo Jojo and jp52 - thank you both for the replies and info. I have just started the process of upgrading to a pedal kayak so this info is super helpful. Sounds like there are definitely pedal models out there that fit taller kayakers. Thanks for the kind offer as well, Mojo Jojo. Wish that I was close enough to take advantage.