Hobie ? Safety at sea questions.

 I live in Capitola Village.  I like the thought of rolling a Yak 3 blocks to the beach and launching by the pier.  I could see my self ranging from the Cement ship to Santa Cruz light house point, fishing the in-close reefs along the way.   I thought I was set on a WS Tarpon 140, til I saw a couple powering along in separate Hobies.  I had to trot along the shore line to keep up with them.  That's when I decided to look at a Hobie.

 I view speed as safety.  Powering from the outside to safety to stay ahead of the wind makes sense to me .  I trust my legs to this more than my arms.

  How is the Hobie for the bay?    I've read some accounts of people flipping them over when the chop was too high. How are they in a following or beam seas.   Perhaps flipping happens on regular yaks as well.   How is it to right a Hobie and remount in deep water?  I imagine you would want to keep your rod tubes and hatches sealed.

  Since I'm talking about beach launching, I would encounter a small shore break.  Any comment on technique for getting through the surf.(?)

  I'm 6'01"  275 lbs.  Fairly athletic for 51 years.  I value stability, fishability and comfort, but not if safety is compromised. Any comments about the model difference would be useful.  Any comments on the pro angler, Outback or Revo for inshore salt would be great.

  Thanks for you time.

  Craig
  

A lot of people use Hobies for ocean and bay fishing. I will let others speak about them that have more direct experience but for surf launching you will use your paddle to get out before deploying your fins and peddling. I think all Hobies come with a paddle.

I think there is a Hobie dealer in Santa Cruz Harbor, the only way to tell which model is right for you is to go test drive them.

Any comments on the pro angler, Outback or Revo for inshore salt would be great.

Craig, you've got to do something seriously off kilter to flip a hobie outback.  That is one wide and stable rig.  I spent a few years in an outback.  I think Danglin has put more miles on his than just about anyone, and he still loves his.

I primarily use my Adventure with turbo fins.  Very fast and comfortable, but I do get a little wet in the wind and chop.  Have never flipped though.  14-15 mile days trolling for salmon (back in '06) were no problem with nice conditions.  You could do the same in a Revo, but covering that distance in an outback would be a real chore.

For your height and weight and desire to cover distance with some speed, i'm thinking you'd prefer the Revo.

It really doesn't matter if you are in 10 FOW or 1000 FOW when it comes to getting back on your kayak. If your feet don't touch bottom they don't touch bottom plain and simple.
I did some recent study on the very topic you have mentioned.
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,18817.msg188164.html#msg188164
The Revo is no harder to make right than any other kayak. I grabbed the handles when I was sitting upright and rolled it upside down. It wasn't that hard but I really had to lean over for it to go. I did this with the turbo fins on too.
When looking at the kayak in the water upside down the fins don't look all that big. They easily lay flat against the hull if they were first pointing up in the air so that is no big deal.
What I like the most isn't so much staying ahead of the wind as much as how well the Hobie performs going into the wind. I think this is the greatest advantage over paddling.

Not to be chicken little but it seems I have read posts from other paddlers that there is some anecdotal evidence that the pedaling Hobies attract Great Whites. The fisherman hit by a shark a few years ago at Bean Hollow was on a pedal Hobie, he uses a conventional Yak now because he thought the pedaling apparatus was an attractant.

Personally I would stick to the paddle variety of yak if you are going to use it North of Santa Cruz.

Pesca

I view speed as safety.  Powering from the outside to safety to stay ahead of the wind makes sense to me .  I trust my legs to this more than my arms.

That's how I convinced the missus to let me get a Revo! 

I've had my revo for less than three months, but I haven't had any problems with it. Haven't tipped yet (tap wood), even in 5-7ft swells clambering to the rear hatch. I typically launch from SC harbor and make my way down to Capitola and then always end up working against the wind on the return trip. The peddle option certainly increases my range of travel, and is convenient when trolling. I too have the turbo fins, as well as a sailing rudder, both of which enhance speed and maneuverability.

You might be interested in checking out this Aussie site:

http://yakabout.com.au/

They really put hobies through their paces down under.

he uses a conventional Yak now because he thought the pedaling apparatus was an attractant.

How do you know this????

Hobies?  Shark Bait???  Baa Hum-Bug!!!!

 No-more than others, If the Landlord is that close, hungry and curious,
it's just your time...

 Back to the matter at hand,  The Outback is like having your easy chair out on the Ocean,

Dry and High,  and maneuvers about just as well, but gets you there...  I especially like the trays on the side that give you a feeling of more stability/storage, as well as keeping the rudder at a very comfortable reach, where as the Revo/Adventure kinda have it under your behind, but a much more maneuverable and faster yak..

 I have flipped in the Ocean, but with Great Effort... I was trying to break free a snag and a swell took me over,

 still, I was able to jump out, Yak, righted itself, jumped back in...
 ( side note) bonked my knees good on pedals getting back into yak...

snag freed in process... All was well....

 I have also practice self rescue and had no problems flipping the yak back over...

Other than that, I have been in Big swells with no problem and felt I had a greater advantage than most using my legs for power...

 Here is the bummer, if any,  surf launching and landing, especially if your new at it...

 those pedals are a $500 replacement part,  best to tie them off for launching and landing,

 Tote has come up with a Great way to do this, maybe he will chime back in on that...

 travel light, especially at first,  as far as rods for storage, another setback for the 3 Hobies we are talking about,  the mold to accommodate the drive system can make it difficult to store rods in the hull on the water ( OTW )...

another easy way to secure rods for landing is to bungee them down on the deck, pretty easy to do...

 and as Papa Bill said,  definitely a try before ya buy...

 and try a paddle yak, one thing you can't get away from on deck is those pedals, when I borrowed Polepole's Prowler and fished Vancover Island...

I could not get over how nice it was to have a open deck in front of me, makes life a bit simpler...

 but, I still pedal for a reason, it's Pro vrs Con, and I see the yak as a means to fish...

 not a romance with a Paddle.  I like having my hands free,  holding over a pinnacle in the

wind and current, hanging onto my Rod.........

I have no experience with the Pro-Angler,

  it is Big and Heavy, consider it more of a small boat.  Lots of Kool options though...

I have the Adventure and take it on the ocean regularly. I have been in big swell and chop that was over the bow.The only time I rolled out on the ocean wasn't because of the water. It was because I was fighting with a big Ling and a big red in my lap (I left my subduer and game clip in my truck because I was in a hurry). I had never rolled it before and so I was being careless thanking I wouldn't roll. I righted it and was back in withing 5-10 seconds. I miss the deck space that the mirage drive takes but it sure is nice when I want to pedal, talk on my radio, get a drink and check my gps all at the same time. The boat is effortless into the wind or current.

If I didn't have a bad neck I would be on a Tarpon 160.