2022 Hobie Outback Bow Weight

Hello!

Lately, I've noticed that my bow is a lot heavier compared to a couple of my buddies' 2019 Hobie Outbacks. On the water I sit a lot lower compared to them and when on land, lifting the bow up is significantly heavier compared to theirs. Has anyone else experienced this issue? Or is it something that is common with the models in 2022 compared to the earlier models?

2019 was their 1st year in that shape so could be different afterwards. I had the 2019 also.

So first the obvious questions are did you check for water inside? And did somebody hide a bunch of rocks in there?

Otherwise the newer gen (2019+) outback’s are designed to sit level with a loaded rear, so empty they sit higher in the back than front.

When on wheels and pulling around it is all about weight distribution. You can put the wheels toward the front to make it easier to lift the front. Or if you use the rear scuppers for wheels put as much weight as possible over or behind the wheels. It will make the front easier to lift.

Maybe you are thinking of the 2018 model the front sits a lot higher in the water and is little lighter


.

So first the obvious questions are did you check for water inside? And did somebody hide a bunch of rocks in there?

Otherwise the newer gen (2019+) outback’s are designed to sit level with a loaded rear, so empty they sit higher in the back than front.

When on wheels and pulling around it is all about weight distribution. You can put the wheels toward the front to make it easier to lift the front. Or if you use the rear scuppers for wheels put as much weight as possible over or behind the wheels. It will make the front easier to lift.

Nothing inside aside from the small battery I use for the fish finder. Even with fully empty barebone kayaks, the weight comparison of the two is noticeably different. Regardless of whether there are wheels in it or not.

So first the obvious questions are did you check for water inside? And did somebody hide a bunch of rocks in there?

Otherwise the newer gen (2019+) outback’s are designed to sit level with a loaded rear, so empty they sit higher in the back than front.

When on wheels and pulling around it is all about weight distribution. You can put the wheels toward the front to make it easier to lift the front. Or if you use the rear scuppers for wheels put as much weight as possible over or behind the wheels. It will make the front easier to lift.

Nothing inside aside from the small battery I use for the fish finder. Even with fully empty barebone kayaks, the weight comparison of the two is noticeably different. Regardless of whether there are wheels in it or not.

Try to lift the bow with a portable scale and see if you can see the difference in weight.

I have a pre-2018 and a 2019 Outback and the older one is definitely a bit lighter. However, in every way the newer one is better for me. I especially like the way it is more level on the water. The rear of the older one is too low for my liking and when my 6'4" son uses it the rear is nearly submerged.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that my 2023 hull is heavier then my 2019. Maybe a different mold, reinforced differently?

I also added a crapton of jbweld to my boat but it was only around 3lbs of material. I can hardly drag that thing across the beach these days, maybe just early season out of shapeness though.

It would be cool if they changed the mold a bit since there were all of the cracking issues w the new design when it came out.

When it comes to the weight of Hobie kayaks, I'd prefer to see some serious shrinkflation, rather than inflation.