Bit the Bullet - Stealth Questions. help please!

Sold my Outback and getting into a Stealth Fusion 480 Fisha 460 500.  I am curious as to how you guys like to mount your accessories? Particularly the sounder.  I currently use an elite7 ti2 and I know that's a larger unit.  I have the HDI xducer, not the 3-in-1 so I should be able to fit it into the scupper recess on the new hull.


Im also curious if you can fit 8' rods in the hull?

Thanks

edit: doesnt look like an 8' will go into the 460, what about the 500?

Why did you decide to get rid of the outback?  I am considering getting an outback, what should I know?  I know it is heavier. Thanks.

I don't think anyone here in the states has a Fusion yet. First shipment is probably coming soon

Beautiful boat,

Why did you decide to get rid of the outback?  I am considering getting an outback, what should I know?  I know it is heavier. Thanks.

Sort of like trading in an SUV for a sports car.  Sometimes a guy just wants the sports car.

Beautiful boat,

Hey that's my new boat on the rack behind him! The gray one with the green tips

Why did you decide to get rid of the outback?  I am considering getting an outback, what should I know?  I know it is heavier. Thanks.

Preference. These things look awesome. One of the coolest features - a livewell in the center (if you want that).

The biggest downside for me; paddling. The ability to propel the boat and actively fish at the same time is pretty critical.

Why did you decide to get rid of the outback?  I am considering getting an outback, what should I know?  I know it is heavier. Thanks.

This is going to be very subjective to my priorities when kayaking/fishing but here is a list of my reasons.

1. The outback was heavy, and slow.  Coming from a trident 13, and 15, i just felt like I was always crawling even with the md180 turbo fins i would average maybe 2-3mph and f i really got on it i could get up to 5moh but i was sprinting at that point.  glide is virtually 0 with the OB.  when you stop kicking, you stop moving.

2. it also had so much stuff to go with it when I wanted to go fishing.  It took me 45 mins to get loaded to go out and an hour to get loaded up to go home.

here is everything I needed to take. 
kayak (about 100#)
drive
paddle (just in case)
fish bag
live well
batteries for electronics
seat
kayak crate because internal storage was terrible.
hobie beach cart

I can eliminate the drive, the bag, the live well, the seat, the cart, and the crate by using the stealth

3.  Durability/peace of mind.  I bought the kayak brand new, and the first day I had it out the drive broke.  The shop I bought it from made it right immediately by exchanging it no questions asked, but it was always in the back of my mind that its a mechanical device and can fail. I had my outback about 6 miles offshore on a couple of occasions.  More than once I went up the coast on a 19 mile round trip, at the furthest point i was probably 9 miles away, and even tho I was only a couple miles to the shore in a straight line, I don't know how I would have got back to my launch point if I would have had a drive failure (this is not OB specific, i would worry about this with any mechanized method of propulsion).  additionally hobie used spectra for their rudder lines.  this fails pretty often after frequent use.  I was lucky, but in the last year ive seen 2 of my buddies lose rudder control on the water and have to use the paddle as a rudder on the way back into shore, since it effectively ended their fishing day.

4.  Surf Launching.  I never yard saled on the OB but i came close a few times, and there was no way to keep my rods protected from breaking or my reels from getting sand in them.  I owned a trident 13 when i got into kayak fishing and I loved that I could store everything inside the hull and it would keep it safe and mostly dry.  On the OB you gotta tie everything down on top of the deck, which SHOULD protect it, but if one of the rod tips digs into the sand as you go over, its gonna be a bad time.

5. Im pretty into fitness and the workout aspect of kayaking is what drew me in initially, and i enjoyed paddling and the workout I got from it.  additionally from years of sports and training my knees and hips have some mobility issues, and after a long 10 hour day on the water my knees/hips would be pretty uncomfortable from the back and forth kicking.  i think in this regaurd a recumbent style drive would have suited me better.

6.  I like to be different.  I don't appreciate the "hobie army" vibe i get from other hobie owners.  its kind of snobby and i never could get on board with that.  additionally everything with a hobie logo costs about 3x as much as it should.  the "when are you going to upgrade to a hobie" question is insulting imo and it irks me when I hear people ask others that.

7. Economics.  Given the factors above, I had been dancing around with selling it since about a month after I got it, but didnt want to take the depreciation hit, the supply and demand right now provided me with a logical time to sell it and I was even able to turn a profit on it.  as a double win, i am expecting my first child any day now, so I will be off the water for a month or two while my wife and I adjust to parent life, so it was just going to sit in my garage for the next couple of months anyways.  My stars just alligned.

On another note, i have decided to forgo the fusion in favor of a custom fisha 460 because, as mentioned above, I want a sports car, and even tho the fusion looks great and is relatively light, i dont think any plastic kayak is going to match the performance of the glass boats. 

Again, im not in a rush to get a new kayak so im going to wait and hopefully I will see it in the next container in the spring.

sorry for the TL:DR post

Beautiful boat,

Thanks Dale!

Thank you very much for the thorough answer.
Alan

@herefishy Hope it helps!

For anyone who has had a 460, can you fit 8' rods in the hatch?  Im a so cal guy and we like to fish the iron down here, and I like an 8' rod minimum for that.

I can still swap to a fisha 500 if needed, but I think the 460 fits me a little better.

Til’ death do us paddle, maybe we should suggest “hey, when you gonna downgrade?”

the "when are you going to upgrade to a hobie" question is insulting imo and it irks me when I hear people ask others that.

Dude, this is even prevalent when you have a Hobie.  I can't blame ya one bit.  I have a Passport and I've had two folks ask me when I'm upgrading to a real Hobie.  Run what ya brung and as long as you're happy, that's all that should matter.

Hey Aespo90,

Enjoyed your explanations of going back to a paddling kayak, as I like to explore lakes, rivers and deltas just to paddle when I'm not fishing. The reason I won't upgrade to a peddle driven kayak (or apprehension) is the its heavy, slow,  the cost, not maneuverable, and I've seen a lot of yard sales in the surf zone. My next kayak will be another paddle one, maybe longer. I've seen to many inexperienced people in peddle drive kayaks that think that will keep them safe.

Moken 14

Eddie, I wont give any unsolicited advice about what one should paddle, pedal, drive, or ride.  Some guys want to pedal, some want to paddle, some want a sleek narrow kayak and others want a john boat.  As long as they are happy with it who am I to rain on their parade.

@Tedski, yea thats not cool

Anthony, cool man.  I haven't ever had any of my kayaks in freshwater.  Maybe one day I'll give it a shot.  Wouldn't mind a big catfish on the deck