Paddle vs Peddle

Hi

I've gotten a lot of great advise and suggestions for everyone, Thank you very much.

I'm still undecided. I loved the Hobie revolution when I tried it out, the outback may be a better choice for me.

I also liked the control of paddling, I think I have better control of the Kayak when I paddle. I might be leaning that way because of cost.

I'm still learning all this and would and would appreciate any and all feedback from people who know way more than me.

I live in Sebastopol, I have a varied area where I want to kayak, The Russian, Napa, Petaluma Rivers, the bays and ocean.

I know this is a lot of different waters. I know nothing is perfect for everything.

As most of you know already, I'm 6' 4'' 230 pounds and that does make some difference.

Thanks in advance

Richard

....you can still Paddle a Hobie though

   In the end, the choice is YOURS & only YOURS to make on what fits you best, what makes you the most comfortable & what is within your investment range.

~Bill

Hobies do not paddle very well, tell me if I'm wrong about this.

RICHARD, hows it going. Seeing that your a bigger guy and referring to the rivers and waters u wanna fish, i would recommend paddling/demoing a few paddle kayaks first then. The hobies are great for covering lots of water hands free but suck in shallow water rivers where the drive is at risk of getting hit my the bottom. the revo actually paddles decently and better with the drive plug in. the outback is also a good yak and far more stable but paddles like shit and horrible for surf launches if your gonna fish ocean and launch off beaches. If u already peddaled a revo and feel comfortable in it and dont feel to tippy then i would recommend that over the outback as its a lil more versatile and faster. A couple great paddling yaks i would recommend trying out for you would be a WildernessSystem Ride 135 or Old town Predator. Great stable confortable boats for a man your size and perfectly fit to handle both fresh and saltwater.goodluck ricci

Guess it depends on the model & the paddler ... let's leave it at that.  I can remember quite a FIRESTORM last year over this VERY question.  It got ugly

Another would be the Jackson Cuda.

Best bet for a yak that paddles decently and has pedal drive is one with a long narrow hull. Think Adventure here followed by Revolution. The biggest advantage I experience with pedal is hands free fishing going against wind and current.

Having ad 'Adventure Island', I have never actually taken this yak out w/o the aka/ama's so I cannot, honestly, comment on it's paddle capabilities as just an 'Adevnture'.  I can say, based on the hull design, that it should paddle very well as just an 'Adventure'.  At 6'2" & over 200#, I don't feel confined in this yak.  Nice part, you can start with an 'Adventure' & upgrade it to an 'Island' if you later decide to.

Demo, demo, demo.  What fits one guy won't work for another.  I have owned yaks from Ocean, Malibu, Wilderness, and Hobie, and they will all get the job done.

From my own experience, there is a time to paddle AND a time to peddle.  There are times when we're fishing small ponds or super-shallow creeks, and in those times I just remove the Mirage drive, insert the plug and leave it at home.  In these smaller waters my Outback paddles fine for my needs (but I'm a little guy at 5'7, 160lbs.).  The ability to drop in the Mirage and cover distance, hold hands-free in the current and/or wind, or rig while traveling from location A to B is a big advantage on the larger bodies of water (salt, lake, Sac River, etc.).

I've paddled my adventure plenty of miles.  It paddles fine, espec if you pull the mirage drive and plug the yak-gina to minimize the drag and splash. 

I fished from an Ocean Kayak Scrambler for several years until I bought a Hobie Revo 13 a little over a year ago, so I have experience with both paddling and pedaling.

You should ask yourself what exactly you want to do with your boat.  If you're big on trolling and fishing "big" waters like the ocean and larger lakes, a Hobie is pretty damn sweet.  The ability to troll hands-free (minus one hand on the rudder of course) is really nice.  You can employ some trolling methods from a Hobie that aren't possible from a paddling kayak, such as ripping plugs (one of my favorite ways to troll).  The Hobie is also great when trying to hold some kind of position in current (such as a fast ocean drift or wind).  The ability to hold over a rocky pinnacle and jig for rockfish during a fast drift is pretty sweet  .

But there are situations where a paddle kayak is going to out-do a Hobie.  Fishing in skinny waters of rivers and shallow portions of lakes, deep inside kelp beds, and any place that requires precision movements calls for a paddle kayak (it's not exactly easy to go in reverse in a Hobie  ).  Most paddle kayaks are also significantly lighter than Hobies, so when you have tough-to-reach launch sites or have to do portages, you'll be glad to be using a paddle kayak over a heavy-as-a-tank Hobie.  Finally, I think there's more enjoyment paddling versus pedaling--slicing that kayak paddle into the water on a calm morning just feels so much cooler than pedaling a Mirage Drive.  Maybe that's just my personal preference, I dunno.  Yeah, you can paddle a Hobie, but frankly, I think they suck for paddling.  Or maybe it's the stock Hobie paddle that sucks.

So think about what exactly you want to do with the boat and make your decision based on that.

Finally, I think there's more enjoyment paddling versus pedaling--slicing that kayak paddle into the water on a calm morning just feels so much cooler than pedaling a Mirage Drive...

+ 1

Definitely go paddling a few times before you decide. There's something about the rhythm and motion of swingin' a paddle that is very meditative.

ruben

What you find here for the most part is people defending what they use as the best. Try and research your bottom line price and go from there. I live in Petaluma and will loan you for the day a trident15 and a predator MX. Take them out for a day and paddle them. John at wind toys does Hobie demos in Santa Rosa. Pm me if you are interested. Have fun!

Did someone imply/defend what they use as "the best"?  Hope I didn't because I am ALL for "what works for me, may not work for you".  DEMO is key!  I skipped DEMO step BUT I knew what I wanted and haven't looked back because it works for me. 

You must mean Pedal. 

Peddle means try to sell (something, esp. small goods) by going from house to house or place to place.