Hobie drive owners opinions wanted

Hey guys,
I'm really considering getting one of the hobie drive yaks in the near future. Spoke to a few guys at Elk about it and most were positive. Anyone willing to pipe up with their opinions good or bad. Which model you'd recommend, any problems or things to be aware of would all be appreciated. I'm leaning towards the mid sized 13'6"er. Thoughts? They looked like they performed great in the wind at Elk.
Thanks, Jonesz

I have the Adventure now because I have a bad neck. Paddling hard into the wind or current for long bothers my neck. I like my Adventure but if I didn't have a bad neck I would be using a Tarpon 160. The Tarpon costs much less and doesn't have the moving/breakable parts of the mirage system.

I have a Hobie Sport that has served me well over the years. The next upgrade I would get would be the Revolution as it is a nice cross between sea going and ocean kayak. Also it would be easier to portage and store.
Fishing in a Hobie allows you to fish with the rod in your hands a major advantage in keeping in touch with lure and live baits. You know somethings afoot when your bait starts jumping around. Fishing with swimbaits, you can keep in touch with the bottom and hover over structure rather depending on setting up proper drifts, thus multiplying the amount of time the business end stays in the "zone". Not only useful for windy days, but also for currents.
Speaking of wind, the revolution can be sailed with blow up out riggers and the standard sail. Not a true sailing machine like the Hobie Islander, but when heading out to sea, it would be a great way to get back.
As for costs, I believe that for all the advantages you get over traditional SOTs, the price is well worth it.

I very recently got the Revo because of a bad shoulder. Never REALLY used it until the Elk tournament. I did upgrade to the turbo fins and larger sail rudder. There is definitely a learning curve if you have never pedaled or had a rudder before.
I was able to cover more area than ever before. There are definite advantages over paddling. Dealing with a fast drift is the most noticeable so far. I like it.

I love it.  Great in wind/current.  I have a Hobie Sport, with turbo fins.  If I wanted to do saltwater fishing, I would have gotten a larger yak.

HobieBlue

Hey Mr. Tote how much of a difference did you notice between the turbo and regular fins?

Hey Mr. Tote how much of a difference did you notice between the turbo and regular fins?

TONS!!!!!!!!!

Turbo fins are definitely stiffer and a little harder to pedal. That is because they displace more water obviously. You can adjust the turbo fins looser to pedal easier. The just won't displace quite as much water.
I had them as tight as can be and I covered more distance in one day of fishing than ever before.

The manual that came with my Adventure said the turbos give 10% increase. It doesn't sound like much but I hear people say it is noticeable. Is yours pimped yet? I have my stuff coming in the mail and need to get to work. I'm going back up to mendocino coast in Sept.

The Turbo ST fins seems like they provide a lot more the 10%.  I've been on the water 2x since upgrading and I'm fired up. 

Does anyone have any opinions on the sailing rudder vs the std rudder?  I'm interested to see if it improves the turn radius.

If your going to have a all around Hobie Mirage drive Yak,, I Like the OutBack,

It's more Stable, has more room, I like the rudder control up where it is comfortable to use rather than under your butt. It's a bit a tank, but you should really try them all. It's easy enough to do down at CC&k

Jack London Square,  Being you have a Quest Already, the revolution might feel more comfortable to you,

 but, I would make sure you try the OutBack before you Buy.


  

The Turbo ST fins seems like they provide a lot more the 10%.  I've been on the water 2x since upgrading and I'm fired up. 

Does anyone have any opinions on the sailing rudder vs the std rudder?  I'm interested to see if it improves the turn radius.

HUGE Difference!!!!
Tracks better with a lot less adjusting, turning response is immediate. I feel like I can do a Brodie with my Revo.

Been riding a Hobie since day one and still to this day. They have their advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional SOT yaks. You will cover more ground more easily with a Hobie and hands free fishing can be very advantageous for certain kinds of fishing.

As to which to buy? Outback for lakes only, Revolution for lakes, bays, and coastal waters, and the Adventure for bays and coastal waters. It's not to say that any of these couldn't do any of these water types, just that some are better fit to certain kinds of water. Test 'em and see which fits best.

About the turbo fins and sailing rudder, the advice from Tote is dead on. Turbo is a lot faster. Cruising speed on the Adventure averages about 5mph now. The rudder will do wonders in making your Hobie track like a train. I recently had my Hobie on the sound with a 10mph wind to my back and w/o pedaling I could control my direction in the drift.

Z

Jonesz, it's not a bad idea to demo all 3 (Outback, Revo, and Adventure) if you get an opportunity.  Like Danglin said, California Canoe & Kayak (CCK) at Oakland's Jack London Square usually has all 3 models for you to demo on site free of charge.

Regardless of which kayak model, the ST Turbo fin is a must for me.  I just need to jump on the bandwagon and upgrade to the bigger rudder.

I'm new to kayaking but bought a Hobie Outfitter fishing model a few months back.  It's a tandem model.  I really can't compare it to anything since this is a new activity for me but so far it has worked out great.  Having both hands free for fishing helps a lot for a newbie like me.  Other than spraying the drives with WD-40 before I put them away, there really doesn't seem to be a lot of required maintenance.  I recently purchased the sail kit.  This is a great addition when you have fished all day and want an easy ride home (providing the winds are right).  I use the peddles most of the time but occasionally use a paddle.  The peddles only go one direction so sometimes a paddle is nice for maneuvering around when in the weeds and such.  The mirage drives are great when fighting wind or currents.  The effort required to move along at pretty good speed is  minimal.

I've had my Adventure now for 3 years and love it. Nothing has broken yet. I like the Adventure because if my drive ever does fail way offshore, I can simply paddle in.  I think the best part of the Turbo fins is that I can cruise all day with a really short peddle stroke. It's more like a strolling walk than riding a bike. The thing I have noticed about people who switch to Hobies is,  they never switch back.

Ed