Should I buy this Adventure 16?

Congrats. Long narrow kayaks, nothing better. Have a new 16' headed my way soon, just not a Hobie.

Congrats. Long narrow kayaks, nothing better. Have a new 16' headed my way soon, just not a Hobie.

Thresher 155?

Congrats. Long narrow kayaks, nothing better. Have a new 16' headed my way soon, just not a Hobie.

Thresher 155?

No.

Congrats. Long narrow kayaks, nothing better. Have a new 16' headed my way soon, just not a Hobie.

Thresher 155?

No.

Ah 

Finally got it in the water today! Launched in the bay near Coyote Point to practice falling out and getting back in. Here are my first impressions:

The mirage drive is just as awesome as promised. Needing to constantly adjust the rudder with my hand to stay on course was mildly annoying, but maybe that is just because my upper body was otherwise so spoiled by the mirage drive.

This kayak may be narrow by fishing standards, but it is a full 4 inches wider than the SIK I was using, so it seemed stable to me. I felt comfortable standing up, sitting side-saddle, and climbing into the rear cargo area. I'm sure I'll capsize at some point though. 

Hobie's claimed "hull weight" of 62 lbs. for this model year is misleading. With just basic stuff like the seat and hatches it weighs about 78 pounds by my scale, so carrying it to the water by myself is a workout. I don't get much exercise these days so maybe that's good.   

Overall I am VERY excited about the future this boat and I will have together.


Here are some questions, since you have all been so helpful thus far:

1) I presume you should remove the mirage drive for surf landings? Do you stow it in the rear cargo area or somewhere else? On the coast I've been launching from a spot that requires shooting a narrow channel through the rocks with breakers on both sides, and it would be nice to use the mirage drive for this, especially since I won't be able to paddle and control the rudder at the same time. Should I be paranoid about the fins hitting submerged rocks and stow the drive instead?

2) Fit-wise, I can have the seat in the rear position and the mirage drive set to a low number, or the seat forward and the drive at a mid-number. Any reason to prefer one or the other? I'm guessing the answer is "whichever you like".

3) Any accessories or modifications you consider a must-have for a stock boat like this? I'm thinking of making my own "rocket launcher" rod holders out of 1.25" PVC, the sailing rudder looks like a low-cost upgrade, and of course I need pool noodles for the hull.

Congrats on the Adv and for the maiden voyage.
1) I haven't figured it out yet. Hobie forums say its ok to leave the drives in and bungied, but NCKA consensus say to pull 'em and stow. I tend to listen to our guys.

2) The rear position makes more sense since the seat will eventually start to collapse as you pedal and fish. The straps aren't that great in helping the seat provide back support.

3) I'm pretty sure the Adv came with the sailing rudder. Measure yours and compare with the dimensions online, but fairly certain it's already there.  Single best modification is tossing the stock Hobe seat for a Surf to Summit GTS Expedition seat.

Enjoy!

I launch with the drive in and fins held against the hull but land with the drive out and in the hull in that landings are not as controllable as a launch ad I don't want the fins, even if flat against the hull, to scrape rock, gravel, or sand when yak is weighted down. You can "flutter" the fins in very shallow water and make decent progress forward so if you have 18 inches of water or so you are good to use them.

I stow mine on both launch and return to keep them out of the sand and rocks as much as possible.  I also leave the rudder up until I drop the drive in so that my steering is all from the paddle.  That said I have only launched in low surf and protected coves at this point.

I have also found it is easier to remove the drive while still in the water, than on the beach.  I do worry about dropping the drive in the water though!

I have also found it is easier to remove the drive while still in the water, than on the beach.  I do worry about dropping the drive in the water though!

I always leash my mirage drive to the hull.  Always.

Duh!  Why didn't I think of that! 

I always leash my mirage drive to the hull.  Always.

+1 Yeap, it's a must!

I launch with the drive in and fins held against the hull but land with the drive out and in the hull in that landings are not as controllable as a launch ad I don't want the fins, even if flat against the hull, to scrape rock, gravel, or sand when yak is weighted down. You can "flutter" the fins in very shallow water and make decent progress forward so if you have 18 inches of water or so you are good to use them.

+1 and well said!  On my AI I use the bungee straps and slip the drive fins underneath.  On my Outback I have a FF in the mast hole, so I sort of just slide it between the FF mount and lean it off to one side.

Hope you enjoy your new ride!  Sounds like a great fit for you!  You will go farther and faster for sure! 

congrats on the new ride.  Seriously watch the weight, especially when hoisting atop the car.  really easy way to slip a disk or other injury.  Definitely warm up before you lift.

I'd recommend kid glove treatment of the mirage drive.  While rugged, its also complicated.  Always bring an allen wrench to adjust the set screw for your version of mirage drive.  I've had the mast leg pull out of the drive body a few times on the water = fuqt!!

After much struggle my hoist system appears to be a success. I bought this ( http://amzn.com/B001EUL2DO ) $24 hoist from Amazon, but mounting it to the sloped rafters was tricky. I had to rip a 2x4 at a diagonal to get a horizontal surface to bolt to, and it only barely gave me enough vertical space to lift the kayak high enough to clear the garage door.

Now I want to add two backup straps that I can connect after raising the boat. An 80lb object dangling overhead makes me nervous.

I had a great time with the boat out at HMB yesterday. Crabbing from a sit-on-top is a lot easier than crabbing from a sit-in kayak.  Being able to pedal while fishing when the drift is too slow or too fast is just great. Unfortunately my chronic knee issue isn't completely happy with the Mirage drive, but hopefully I can work that out.

Thank you again for all the help. 

(Removed and re-posted in an attempt to fix pictures).

I did similar to you for rooftop mounting. I used chain as a backup instead of straps though. Just felt safer.