Thinking about going to the DARK DARK SIDE.

Well I don't know WTF is wrong with me today but I was picking up some parts & saw this Hobie & now I'm thinking about getting one. I've always been anti-inflatable but...........my dealer tells me he's demoed this & it's pretty fast. I picked it up with the seat & paddle attached & it's feathery super light weight. They say the hull is 35lb & "fitted weight is 65lb" but I'm not sure how they got to 65 cause I'm thinking that even with the drive,seat, & paddle  it should still be around 50lb or so. When I picked it up even with the seat & paddle it felt less than 35lb to me. Maybe they are including the storage bag, pump, repair kit, etc. Anyways I was wondering if anyone has bought or demoed one yet & could provide some input? The two minor issues I can think of would be semi-exposed FF wiring, thought about running them in some split corrugated P/E tubing, & transducer mounting. Hobie has 'glue on' mounts but I was thinking about cutting the optional skeg down & screwing a ducer to that.

"35lb Hobie" definitely gets my attention. How does it handle rockfish spines?

You're going the "Light Light" side following BMB huh?

"35lb Hobie" definitely gets my attention. How does it handle rockfish spines?

Probably as well as my drysuit.   I looked at an IA Hobie at the Redding Headwaters store.  I could see it as a definite possibility for freshwater fishing.  Might even be packable for getting to wilderness lakes.  For saltwater, no wells would make handling fish on board a challenge.  And then where do you store your catch?  On a game clip overboard so you can troll for sealions? 

How does it handle rockfish spines?

Zackly?

Yeah the price keeps me away from those things,and I'm sure the resale is not as strong as the regular hobies

Saw this, looks like a good deal



Hobie Mirage-drive inflatable kayak $975
http://reno.craigslist.org/boa/5481578780.html

via cPro for Craigslist
  iOS: http://tinyurl.com/CL-iDevice
  Android: http://tinyurl.com/CL-Android

I don't want to speak for anyone else, but that kind of product looks like it would last only several trips in my world.  I see it as a convenience for someone who needs it to fulfill a specific trip.

Durability on the level of "very rugged" is a huge part of what has become possible for the kayak fishing community.  IMO.

James, let's go demo this soon.

At some point I am planning a trip to the far far north on a dual sport motorbike ....this sounds like the perfect portable "kayak" I've been looking for! When it wouldn't be on the bike it could easily be shipped to my next destination along the way with some of my other essentials. Was also tempted to by one of Windtoy's Hobie I9's but this unit seems to be much more portable. Let's take it out for a spin soon!

Fish spines, hooks, gaffs, spear guns; each could make for a very miserable event OTW.
That being said, I did a 4 day fishing trip down the Deschutes River in an inflatable kayak.
Each of us had our own 2 person kayak loaded with gear.
Box Car Rapids is a class III and White Horse Rapids is a class III+.
With all the gear aboard, all the rocks, all the pulling over to the side to fish (fishing not allowed from any boat), the kayaks never had a problem. And these were the 5th year + for each of these kayaks doing more than this annual trip.
I can see this filling a niche for certain individuals, but it would not be my 'go to' kayak.
As much as I take care of my stuff, I don't want to have to baby it either.

There is a pretty good thread in the NWKA forum about these.

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=16893.0

I keep an advanced elements inflatable in my truck for spur of the moment trips.  I wouldn't use it on the ocean, but it works well for small fresh water lakes.  I fish with light tackle and small hooks, but that said it seems like it would take a lot of force and a pretty heavy hook to puncture.

Thanks for the link reelmccoy!   


Allen, yeah I want to demo this asap. I'll let you know so hopefully we can both demo it together & get some side by side speed trials with our Revo13 & Revo16's. Then we will know a lot more.


I've been asking the same question to guys with inflatable Zodiacs/etc for the last ten years about how the material holds up. The answer has always been "No problem at all". The material seems very rugged. I guess if you cut a stiff RF spine out & held it with a vice grip you could puncture thru.

That being said this is isn't exactly a red triangle rated craft.

That does look like a good price on that i9's. But those 'kayak' hulled inflatables are a little slower than P/E hulled models. So that model would probably be slower that the Hobie 9' Sport model. My interest in this new SUP model is that it may be faster than any other Hobies of around the same length while also being the lightest model they make.

The back 'deck' is more than large enough to accommodate a medium sized cooler for fish. And with a 400lb weight rating you can mount a couple H-Rails on the sides of your cooler for your rod holders & you're good to go. 

Well after watching that guy on NWKA's vids I think we have a clear winner for easiest kayak to self rescue into.  Hmmmmm......

Might actually be their most stable model also. I will bring my Gopro along when I demo this & plan on giving a full breakdown soon.

There is a pretty good thread in the NWKA forum about these.

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=16893.0

I keep an advanced elements inflatable in my truck for spur of the moment trips.  I wouldn't use it on the ocean, but it works well for small fresh water lakes.  I fish with light tackle and small hooks, but that said it seems like it would take a lot of force and a pretty heavy hook to puncture.

Nice link, cool rigging and most of all light weight

Cool craft Salty!
Is this SUP legal for aoty?