Question for Hobie Mirage owners

Hi All,

While reading the recent LK Trip thread (and drooling uncontrollably) I was wondering if I would have been able to pull off a launch/landing in those conditions in my Outback.  (The fact that I was questioning myself is probably a good indicator that the answer is "no")  I don't have a lot of surf experience in the yak yet, even though it's been two years now since I JoInEd The MaDneSs.  (nod to FisHunter)

My question is, for conditions like those at LK, would you Hobie guys pull your Mirage drive first and paddle like hell on the landing, or peddle in and push the wings flat as you hit the beach?  I'm assuming the drive would be out on launch...although I guess one could put it in and lift/drag the kayak to the water, and then use the peddles to help clear the wash zone. Thoughts?  I'd like to actually try Limekiln one day, but I know I need surf practice first.

Thanks!

Pete

I've done LK couple times in the Adventure, only ate it once.  Hate being short on a steep beach with heavy shore dump   Last time I didn't pull the drive, either for launch or landing and I made it in/out relatively ok.  Usually do a "drive-in" launch and landing for couple reasons.

1) propulsion.  Want to get in/out of wash zone asap and i'll paddle and peddle like hell.  Of course, the rudder is flipped up so paddling helps with nav also.  When I hit sand, I'll just throw my right foot forward and leash the left peddle to keep flippers flat.  Gotta lash that one peddle flat, otherwise, they'll both go straight on you.

2) backwash up through-hull drivewell.  I don't like lugging around the cartridge to plug the drivewell so the hole will be open and it sloshes around too much making for really slow going.

3) storing the drive is a hassle.  crawling to the bow and putting the drive in the hatch is just too much of a pain.

ChuckE has a really innovative use for elastic cord and an arrow shaft used to secure his drive down in the drivewell without having to camlock it in place. 

Since the outback is such a barge, I'm not sure I'd do a complicated launch/ landing like LK without turbo fins and a massive pair of quads. Even then, it'd be sketchy - LK is no joke.

Thanks for the tips Yakuza!  I've only been out in surf twice, and on very mild days, so I don't have a lot to offer on this thread, but, the first time that I landed with the fins installed (locked horizontal) the mechanism got full of those pesky little pebbles (at Van Damme) and I had to take them apart to clean them.  The next time I was out, I pulled the fins (I use the intermediate "ST" fins) for launch and landing.  It was a slow and hard launch, even in mild surf, I guess because I have home made pontoons, and that shortens the paddle stroke.  (I loved the stability with the pontoons once out on the water though.  Made for easy diving on and off, but remember, I've only been out once so far.)  To each their own.  This is a Sport though, not an Outback. 
Just my 02.  Thanks again for the tips.  -Matt

the first time that I landed with the fins installed (locked horizontal) the mechanism got full of those pesky little pebbles (at Van Damme) and I had to take them apart to clean them. 

Very true. You will get sand in there and your drive will go crunchy.  It takes forever to clear the sand out of all the nooks and crannies.  That is one huge plus for those who launch without drives in place.

Hey yakuza, do you leash your drive in?  If you did, I dont think you would have to stow it in the front hatch.  Just leash it, and let it sit in the footwell, uninstalled, and paddle out past the breakers before actually locking it in.  Of course that is just theoretical, never tried it.  I have gotten pebbles in my drive and that really sucks... (really crappy day at china camp)  I got my outback at Windtoys, and they gave me a drive leash... It is a good thing to have.

Just an aside; Windtoys is good.  My neighbor/Hobie buddy got an '07 Revo there at the end of lastyear, a demo in perfect condition for $1,300.    When he had trouble with the rudder control lever, two folks at Windtoys spent two hours fixing it, and didn't charge him a penny.  Wish I had bought my Sport there, but I bought from KFS, which was fine, before I joined NCKA.  I buy from Windtoys now, but if I bought my yak there I would be getting 10% off for Hobie gadgets.

Yeah, the guys there are really cool, and the owner as it turns out (i didnt even know when I was buying) is dating my cousin...  Got a free PFD outta that deal!

Hi Pete,

I take my Adventure to Limekiln and I always remove the drive before landing. I have designed a system where I put the main pin of the drive in the mast hole and have bungees from Hook1 installed. I have landed in rough conditions with the Mirage Drive in and found when things start to go bad the first thing you do is forget to put a peddle forward and lift the rudder. It's hard enough just to control a yak in bad conditions. I would hate to try and surf in with the drive down. I also always have my drive leashed. Drives just cost too much to destroy when you don't have to. I just got back from a Catalina trip where an angler was bragging up always leaving his drive in right before he destroyed it on the beach and had to paddle 4 miles back. Besides, an Adventure is a great yak in the surf with the drive out.

Ed









PS   Big Al and I will be at Limekiln from July 22 through the 28 if you'd like some company on your first attempt at LK. Later

Thanks to those who have posted their thoughts so far! 

Yakuza, I'm not certain I'd take the Outback to Limekiln either.  I have the quads (thanks to 28 years in karate) but not the turbo fins.  And you're right; the Outback is a barge...a big, fat, letsholdadancepartyondeck barge.    It was my first-ever kayak purchase though, and I was concerned about staying on top of my sit-on-top.  In hindsight I almost wish I'd trusted my balance and gone with something skinnier.  I do like the Mirage drive, but my next yak will most certainly be a paddler.  I don't carry the cartridge for the drivewell either...mainly because I seem to have lost it.     You're right though; the water sloshing through the yakgina makes for some sloppy paddling.

Ed, I like your idea about strapping down the drive while using the mast hole!  I have my drive leashed with a super-heavy bungee from Shockles http://www.shockles.com/products06/shocklesf3.cfm but I usually just lay it out in the front of the yak.  That won't fly well in the surf though, which was one of the reasons I started this thread.  I think I'll go with a setup like yours from now on.   

Thanks for the ideas guys...keep 'em coming!

Pete