hobie sport vs hobie revo 11

Im looking to purchase a hobie soon and im not finding much information searching here or the internet in regards to my future purchase.  Im specifically looking at the hobie sport or revo 11.   I fish 90% of the time on the ca delta and lakes about 10% if even that.  I will not be fishing any salt water.  Fish I primarily target are bass and occasional striper every now and then.  Im a small guy, 5'6" and 130 lbs and fish by myself almost always.  So a smaller and lighter yak is what im after.

My questions:

How does the revo 11 compare to the sport in terms of stability?  As im sure we know how friendly those jetskier and wakeboarders are.  How does each handle those wake?

How does the revo 11 compare to the sport in terms of maneuverability? 

Also, how does the mirage drive handle in the delta?  Does the weed and grass hinder the fishability of the yak?

I can spean on the terms of the Mirage Drive.  You are/will be limited to the depth of the water & kelp/grass when using it.  Great for water over ~2' with no obstructions.  Shallower & you may have to remove the drive & paddle.

Thank you for the response.  In removing the mirage drive, which one will paddle and track better??

Longer "generally" tracks better but not always the case.  I have not owned or tested either of those so I cannon answer your question.  There are a number of owners on here for both those mentioned yaks so it shouldn't be long before you have an answer.  Another GREAT source for this info is the Hobie forum on their site.  Might find an immediate answer there.

Best suggestion .... go visit a Hobie dealer & test drive both.  This answer comes down to user preference anyways & THAT will decide it for YOU.

~Bill

revo 11 is a great kayak.  mine tracks pretty well, has decent primary and secondary stability.

its a quick little kayak, i get great speeds peddling and a decent speed paddling.

my kayak has a tendency to pull to the left (similar to my golf shot) which is probably because i bought a demo.

i like it better than my old hobie sport, it seems to be a little faster and has decent weight capacity.

you should go try em out tho', i think that adventure sports in big break or sunrise mountain sports @ lake del valle have them available to try.

This is a win/lose situation. The sport will give you better stability and ability to stand and cast in lakes because its wider. The revo would give u more speed to cover ground in the delta, especially helpful when working upstream. I'd get the revo, I think it would leave less to desire in the future. Good luck

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

Thank you folks all the responses.  Is there a place where I can rent one for a day on the delta or a lake with shallow areas to get a good feel for them?  Demoing a yak for a few minutes just doesnt seem like something that would be beneficial to me.  Actual time on the water and fishing for a day would be a judge for me.

Call up adventure sports at big break. They should be able to help you out. Plus itsthe delta bassing area already so you should be able to get a feel for how the yaks handle what you want to throw at them.

BTW don't rule out an outback or PA 12. Sure its heavier but its a better bassing boat and would be a good fit for your fishing goals.

I read that the outback and pa12 would be a better platform on individual whom are heavier than I am.  Again im a skinny dude and feeling tippy on a yak isnt something im interested in.  My initial though was a pa12 but after a lot of hours on the net and considering that ill have to haul this tank around by myself after a full day of fishing isnt something I'm interested in.  Given that I'll be car topping also.

+1 Big Break.  Rent one, fish, buy.  Three easy steps!

Yep.  That sounds like the most logical way of doing it.  Looks like im going to have to make a trip out there soon.

BTW don't rule out an outback or PA 12. Sure its heavier but its a better bassing boat and would be a good fit for your fishing goals.

Maybe better for what he wants to do Ben, but you missed that he's 5'6" and 130. 

Being 6' and 2 bills, the Outback can be difficult to load on top of the car after a long day of fishing.  Ignore our little friend bmb.     

Definitely test drive both.

We're going to be having a Hobie demo day out at Whiskeytown Lake, just outside of Redding on July 6th.  We'll have a PA, Outback, Revo's, Quest and a Sport available to try out and fish from.  It's a bit of a drive for you, but to have all the yaks lined up to try out might be worth it.  I'll be posting it over in Hookups soon w/ details.
-beenfishin

BTW don't rule out an outback or PA 12. Sure its heavier but its a better bassing boat and would be a good fit for your fishing goals.

Maybe better for what he wants to do Ben, but you missed that he's 5'6" and 130. 

Being 6' and 2 bills, the Outback can be difficult to load on top of the car after a long day of fishing.  Ignore our little friend bmb.     

Definitely test drive both.

i always say to pick the boat for what you want to fish with, after all, you spend most of your day doing that.  Im no spring chicken when it comes to loading kayaks, but with my wheels, yakima cheater bar and some resourceful straps i can load my AI just fine by myself.  after all im not exactly 6' tall and a bucket of muscles