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Topic: Why are pedal kayaks so heavy?  (Read 2604 times)

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pmmpete

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Why are kayak manufacturers making so many of their pedal fishing kayaks so heavy?  The weight makes it harder to get them on top of your vehicle, and harder to move them from your vehicle to the water.  Here are the weights of the hulls, not including seats, drives, and where applicable the big battery for the trolling motor, of some Hobie Old Town, and Native pedal kayaks:

Hobie Lynx – 45 pounds
Hobie Revolution 13 – 70.5 pounds
Hobie Outback – 85 pounds
Sportsman Salty PDL 120 – 89 pounds
Sportsman Bigwater PDL 132 – 95 pounds
Native Slayer Propel Max 12.5 – 95 pounds
Sportsman PDL 120 – 101 pounds
Hobie Pro Angler 12 – 105 pounds
Native Titan Propel 12 - 109 pounds
Hobie Pro Angler 12 360 – 109.5 pounds
Hobie Pro Angler 14 – 120.5 pounds
Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 120 – 122 pounds
Hobie Pro Angler 14 360 – 124.5 pounds
Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 136 – 128 pounds
Native Titan Propel 13.5 – 154 pounds

I wish there were more light pedal kayaks.  In particular, I wish there was a lighter Hobie kayak with a 360 drive, or a lighter Old Town kayak with a spot lock trolling motor.  The hull of an Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 136 is 57.5 pounds heavier than the hull of my 13' Revolution! I keep hearing that the Outback can't handle the sideways torque of a 360 drive, but the Outback is only two inches narrower than a Pro Angler.  Another product I wish was available is a trolling motor with GPS spot lock capability which I could drop into the drive hole of a Hobie kayak.  Yoo Hoo, kayak manufacturers, are you listening?

I suspect that Hobie will sell a lot of Lynx kayaks because they're so light.  However, the Lynx doesn't look suitable for ocean and big lake fishing.  It looks like waves would constantly be breaking over the kayak
« Last Edit: October 01, 2021, 09:54:26 AM by pmmpete »


AlsHobieOutback

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What about the Santa Cruz Kayak G2:  https://santacruzkayaks.com/raptor-g2/

WEIGHT: 76 lbs ( excluding seat )
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Loebs

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Sounds like you need to hit the gym more  :smt044 I car top an outback no problem but it  took time to get used to. I get your point though, people want stability and usually need to make them heavy for that to happen.

The biggest issue I’ve had with my outback is reliability with the drive and boat. 360 drive is overrated unless you fish lakes bass etc…


LilBlue

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Did you checkout the Hobie Compass & Passport? The Compass is only 68lbs but it doesn't come with the 360 turbo find. The Passport is 73lbs and doesn't come with the 360.
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This is a great thread!

IMHO, now that we have so many pedal drive options, weight is the final frontier in kayak fishing. I keep expecting some manufacturer to come out with a plastic kayak that can compete with carbon fiber, weight-wise Perhaps some sort of sandwich construction with plastic over something lightweight, like what is often done with CF or fiberglass, but rotomold-able….
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This is a great thread!

IMHO, now that we have so many pedal drive options, weight is the final frontier in kayak fishing. I keep expecting some manufacturer to come out with a plastic kayak that can compete with carbon fiber, weight-wise Perhaps some sort of sandwich construction with plastic over something lightweight, like what is often done with CF or fiberglass, but rotomold-able….


Seems like it could be done if Eddyline can do it.  They use a ABS/Acrylic composite and their 14' Carribbean comes in at 50lbs. I'm surprised they haven't done a pedal drive yet because I'd be all over that.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2021, 07:48:48 PM by HazardousCliff »
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Papa Al

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I've been staying with my Eddyline C12 for years because it's around 45lbs. I would buy a pedal kayak if they made one.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2021, 06:52:04 PM by Papa Al »


Gollywomper

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One of the things is max capacity. How much weight can those C12s carry? Have you seen the amount crap we take out these days? I wouldn’t expect for any manufacturers  to change much. They can’t even keep up with orders as it is. Just have to have a good cart I guess.
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Sheesh tinker you left out the native propels?!


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Fishing kayaks are all about the accessories and gear...
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SaltyTherapy

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However, the Lynx doesn't look suitable for ocean and big lake fishing.  It looks like waves would constantly be breaking over the kayak

I agree with you on Ocean. If Shasta or Whiskey fit your definition of "big" lake, then I'll veto on those grounds. Lynx seems to handle great in lower sac river rapids and upstream, can stand-up paddleboard in moving water.
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pmmpete

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However, the Lynx doesn't look suitable for ocean and big lake fishing.  It looks like waves would constantly be breaking over the kayak

I agree with you on Ocean. If Shasta or Whiskey fit your definition of "big" lake, then I'll veto on those grounds. Lynx seems to handle great in lower sac river rapids and upstream, can stand-up paddleboard in moving water.
By big lakes, I mean lakes a lot bigger than Whiskey (5.4 square miles) and Shasta (46.8 square miles).  For example, Flathead Lake in Montana, which has 197 square miles, is 29 miles from north to south, and can brew up bad weather and big waves real fast. In half an hour it can go from pretty calm to waves with a two second period crashing over the nose of your kayak and back into its cockpit. I suspect that routine whitecaps on a lake that big would break over a Lynx. But I haven't pedaled one, so that's just my guess.

On a totally different subject: SaltyTherapy, how close are you to the Fawn Fire? My sister and niece live in Redding, and sent me the evacuation map for that fire, which looks pretty scary.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2021, 11:34:25 PM by pmmpete »


YoungBlood

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I have been super interested in the lynx as well. The price is the only thing keeping me back. I think that it would work fine on the ocean on nice days. It might not handle rough water as well as my revo but reentry looks like it would be a breeze!


Tinker

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Sheesh tinker you left out the native propels?!

Hey!  It wasn't me!  I know why they're so heavy - they're all designed to be bass boats.  That's the fastest growing market segment.


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Native's affiliate Hurricane had a thermoform pedal drive boat a couple years back. Problem was the flex from the drive made it so the drivewell needed to be reinforced with a poly insert and it added weight so it ended up only being a few lbs lighter.  To handle the stress from a pedal drive you really need a fairly thick poly hull, and there's really a minimum weight that you can come up with with the materials we currently use in kayak manufacturing.  There's just no such thing as being able to build a 50lb 12foot long kayak with a certain minimum hull thickness. 

My manta ray is probably right on the threshold for the lowest weight a 12' kayak can go. These days more guys are truck bed or trailering a kayak so the manufacturers dont really see the need to invest in that cartop market - simply they don't really sell as much as the bigger ones do.