why you chose Hobie

I bought a Hobie for much the same reason as Pat.  Tired of watching others blow by me.

   Went for the AI cuz I love sailing, kayaking & fishing ....  can do all 3 at the same time.  Oh, and I can do it all while laying down on the tramp, eating a sandwich, drinking a coke and watching others drift backwards 

Bill

It happened at GS-6, Shelter Cove.  There was a very fast drift and it was difficult to stay on top of pinnacles in my Ocean Kayak.  But the guys in Hobies were able to hold position over the pinnacles with occasional kicks of their Mirage Drives, and they were clobbering the fish.  That was the day I was convinced the next kayak I'd buy would be a Hobie.

It's been a little over a year since I bought my Hobie Revo 13, and I've been very happy with it.  You can do things with a Hobie that you can't do with a traditional paddle kayak: not only hold some kind of position in the wind/current while fishing, but also employ 'ripping' when trolling, and tying rigs while traveling to the fishing grounds.  The boat has its drawbacks of course: it's heavy, doesn't track well when paddling, and is ill-suited for really shallow waters and kelp forests.  But in those situations, I use my Ocean Kayak  .

100% exactly what happen to me gs6 was treacherous

I wanted to be able to fish the small high Sierra lakes that I could not get into even with a small aluminum boat and with two torn rotator cuffs I focused on Hobie kayaks only.  At the time the Pro Anglers had just came out and I could not find one to demo so I bought one without trying it and loved it.  Ended up getting a Outback for my son. 

Very interesting thread. I have two Jackson Kayaks. I enjoy paddling. Hands free sounds nice. Let me ask this question, seriously:  would one be better off buying a hobie at $2k plus, or $500 to $600 for.....a trolling motor??  Sorry, pure enthusiast would say never a motor?  But the cost is less, no 3rd kayak for me, have power speed and hands free fishing...and still can paddle only if desire when peddles won't work.   I have not thought about a Hobie but thread makes one think. Thanks for thread...but a motor!!!  Hmmm??

Theyre not allowed in tournys is the biggest reason not to go motor. Us potluck indulgers need some sort of exersize, and trolling motors need big ass heavy batteries

Very interesting thread. I have two Jackson Kayaks. I enjoy paddling. Hands free sounds nice. Let me ask this question, seriously:  would one be better off buying a hobie at $2k plus, or $500 to $600 for.....a trolling motor??  Sorry, pure enthusiast would say never a motor?  But the cost is less, no 3rd kayak for me, have power speed and hands free fishing...and still can paddle only if desire when peddles won't work.   I have not thought about a Hobie but thread makes one think. Thanks for thread...but a motor!!!  Hmmm??

I could see the ease a motor would bring.  But I sure wouldn't want to lug around the big battery that goes with it.

And it's nice to get some sort of exercise while sitting on your ass for several hours, whether it be paddling or pedaling  .

Hobie Outback,...why? Freediving the California coast and had a 6 week camping trip in Baja. Looked at the Revo, ...just guessed it would not be as stable when putting on 2mm wetsuit in Baja, and dive gear on our coast. Also have had 6 hour days salmon fishing out of Bolinas in 2013.
   Wish I had a 26 Grady White, but a Hobie is a bit cheaper. I am happy with it.

For saltwater big game (salmon, WSB, pac hali, YT) the AI with one outrigger and no sail is the way I roll 90% of the time. It's fast, extremely stable and has a large area for fish storage. The mirage drive gives you more total range and gives you more power heading into the wind. If there is 7-15kt of wind and I am salmon trolling, I bring the full sail package. If the WX goes bad, it is the most seaworthy boat I own. There have been a few outings where i would not have made it back without assistance if I weren't in an AI.

If it's a big surf launch, I use one of my paddle kayaks. Paddle kayaks are more nimble in the surf and you dont have to worry about your mirage drive getting sand infiltrated or damaged. The down side of the hobies besides cost and weight is mechanical complexity. The hull is designed for peddle and rudder and except for the adventure (no outrigger) are not fun to paddle. I have seen lots of failures of of the 2 critical components, mirage drive and rudder. If you are miles offshore when that happens, it's not good. My major criticism of Hobie is not making the mirage drive and rudder more bullet proof.

in addition to all the perks mentioned, i found that i lose far less tackle with my outback. when you get snagged up real badly you can kick that rudder to the side and slowly circle the problem spot and generally work it lose.
an additional down side for me is that the limited motion of the mirage drive aggravates  an old hiking injury and causes some serious pain in my left knee, especially when i fish 3-4 times a week or doing big days. granted, i may have overdone it last season and never gave it time to fully heal, or at least i hope so because i otherwise love my hobie.

Revo 13 is a great boat to peddle, but sucks to paddle, does not track well at all. You have to use the rudder which is kinda of annoying since you have to continuously make micro adjustments to stay straight taking time away from your stroke. You also need the mirage drive plug or overcome the drag of the open hole.

in addition to all the perks mentioned, i found that i lose far less tackle with my outback. when you get snagged up real badly you can kick that rudder to the side and slowly circle the problem spot and generally work it lose.

This feature is also great when trolling/drifting when you see fish on FF or you want to keep your bait in the same spot for a few minutes without dropping an anchor, throw the rudder one way or the other and circle keeping without worrying about a paddle/able to hold fishing rod in your hands for when the bite happens.

My fleet is down to 2 Hobie Revos, which we love for everything everyone mentioned...and there are a few small drawbacks as noted.

There is something about being out there with only a paddle...it goes beyond the features of the boat all the companies offer. Its pure. its almost spiritual in nature.

The third boat in my collection is my new Jackson Cuda 12. Two words...love it!

Buy both life is short! 

I bought a PA for the same reasons as others. But the most important factor to me is I could stand up and pee like a man. 

Be a man an stand up on a revo an pee

Remember, with a motor comes DMV registration & all that goes with it.  Once registered, it can't be unregistered.