Pedal VS Paddle

I guess when I am really old and can't paddle I will get one.
Scott

Hey, I resemble that remark. 
Thanks for passing it on to me Scott. That's something I will never forget.

I have a Hobie Revo as well as an OK Prowler 13 and I find uses for both boats.  The Hobie is a better platform to fish from, IMO.  Having both hands free lets you do so much more.  I have not had too many problems with kelp and weeds either.  The drive does hang up in thick kelp but it's easy to keep clear by watching for thick paddies and "gliding" over them instead of peddaling through them.  It's generally pretty easy to clear the kelp from the drive when it does hang up.

My only problem with my Hobie is reliability/durability.  In the 3 years I have had the Hobie I have broken many of it's parts and accessories.  Most recently the mirage drive is starting to warp and lean off to one side.  I have also broken the cart, the seat and the rudder.  Someday soon the mirage drive will fail OTW and I will have to paddle back in.  I have paddled the Revo and whoever said "it paddles like a regular kayak" needs to get out and paddle some regular kayaks!   If your regular kayak is a bathtub then, yes, you will see some similarities.  Anybody used to a kayak that can actually track itself will be frustrated using all thier energy to keep from going in circles.  Paddling the Revo for a full day of fishing would be a real bummer. 
 
Lots of my trips are mulltiple day trips out in locations where getting new parts or something repaired is difficult or impossible so my #1 choice is the Prowler.  For single day trips, though, I tend to take the Hobie.  If I could only have one I would choose the Prowler.

This is more related to the Prowler than "paddle vs pedal" but I have to say that the Prowler is my least favorite choice for the dirty water we have in our bays down here in So Cal since it's a wet ride and my goal is not to let any bay water touch my skin.  That wasn't a problem for me up North but I didn't spend much time in the bays.

I know there are a lot of Hobie/Mirage drives out there, but there are also pedal drive yaks that use bike cranks driving bevel gears/shaft/prop assemblies that are substantially more efficient. Not cheap not light but quick and easy to cover long distances. I own two Wavewalkers (www.wavewalker.us) and fish them everywhere but open ocean off the beach as  I can't imagine a yard sale in one.

 Also check VERY CLOSELY the Native Craft drive system. Same as the Wavewalkers but  utilizing components from 2009 hung in an intersting yak/canoe style hull. http://www.nativewatercraft.com/ult_14_propel.cfm

I have done several Spicer trips on the Wavewalkers with 150#'s gear (read beer) trolling all the way hands free and best of all RECUMBENT. My back is happy.  My wife who is 5'4" and 110#'s pedals these for 8-10 hrs at a stretch!The company is temporarily defunct but I am in contact with the owner.

So unless you are a beach launch kelp tying off hardcore I vote pedal all the way.

oh yeah, that is my other problem with hobies, i dont like their hull designs much.

Both the Wavewalkers and the native craft utilize a "pontoon" style hull.

I never thought I would own a pedal kayak. I have absolutely no regrets purchasing the Revo.
To each his own. I think the mirage drive doesn't take up as much space as the other drives do. That makes it a lot easier to pack when going on a road trip.
Since I do love to fish the ocean and kelp will always be a factor for me I will stick with the fins since they can lay flat against the hull. I am not saying it doesn't get caught, it does, but I am guessing not as much as some of the other drive units out there.
Every kayak will have it's down side and everyone will run into some kind of PITA with some portion of their kayak whether it is catching a hook on the bow or stern handle, a wet ride, sitting too high, too tippy, too much of a barge, too short, too long, too heavy, whatever the reason there will NEVER be a perfect kayak.
If there was then pimping would be a thing of the past and that would take a big chunk of the fun out of it.

  After spending on a Revo for her and an Outback for me I am not contemplating bringing a spare drive unit with me for the baja trip!  I would hate to have to find parts for one of them in Mulege!