Hobie i11s demo

O2B & I demoed Hobie's new i11s & their i9 tonite. Very fun kayaks they are!
I'm probably going to be picking up a new kayak soon. First impression of the i11s is that it's extremely stable while still having decent glide to it. It turns on a dime & seems to track good with just the rudder. I didn't have the optional skeg in for the demo. Speed wise it seemed to be in the neighborhood of a Revo13. Definitely not as fast as my Revo16 but I knew that was impossible & am pretty impressed with the speed it can make. More to come.

Oh man, I would have liked to test that out too! Was that with Jon from windtoys?

Did you try standing on the 11? I'm considering one for a standable small water fishing platform.

Yes we demoed with John from Wind Toys.

Yes I stood up on the i11s. It seemed to be at least as stable as Hobie's ProAngler12 if not more so.
I've fished out of the PA14 but don't remember trying to stand up on the 14 only the 12.
I also sat side saddle & pulled the drive & scooted out almost to the nose. This thing is so stable it's ridiculous.
I could sit right on the edge & felt completely comfortable.  But my main interest is that for it's length & width it still can move well. 

James, yes indeed that was cool !!

Will post a Ton of pics and  test results   tomorrow.....

Do you think the hull material is thick/strong enough to survive a wayward hook, sharp rock, or sharp branch?

Do you think the hull material is thick/strong enough to survive a wayward hook, sharp rock, or sharp branch?

Judging by the one I saw at CCK, no. Depending on the rock or branch it might have a chance, but any decent hook would have no problem making a hole.

James (Salty) and I had a chance to demo the new i9 and the new i11s yesterday at a local lake.


First the i9

I'm looking for a swift river kayak with a little "slide" similar to a drift boat. The i9 with it's minimal keel  fits the bill. I would pedal it up to speed and the crank the rudder and was able to "slide" the kayak successfully with the MirageDrive fins tucked up again the hull.  This will come in handy when side drifting in current for swift river steelhead and salmon  ....having the water flow under the kayak avoiding the push downstream allowing us to drift downstream while matching the presentation/bounce  of the bait. The slide can be controlled with the MirageDrive and rudder...using them in the down position creating a dagger boards of sorts. The new "lawn chair" seats are a real comfort. In addition the kayaks would take a lot of effort to roll...we tried. You would basically have to grab the pedals and the seat and pull it over the top of you....that's a lot of stability!

Not really worried about punctures as these hulls are made of a tough material similar to a Zodiac. Mostly this kayak will be used for rivers where we are using small barbless hooks and either land the fish on shore to avoid netting fish that are meant for release. All in all the test was a success but I do want to get it in swift water soon to get a better feeling of the "drift".

My thoughts on the i11s to follow

Now the Hobie i11s

Very fast. Extremely stable. Glides like a dream.  James practiced standing and paddling with just the standard paddle as we forgot the stand up paddle T handle. I truly doubt you could flip this craft even sitting with both legs dangling over one side and trying to pull it over even using  the seat and drive for leverage....it's that stable.

Either of these craft would fit well in my fleet. Decisions....Decisions...??

Thanks for the report guys!

I've been eyeing those inflatables for awhile.  Didn't think much of the i11 when I first saw one in the shop, but looks like it could be a lot of fun and effective for many types of fishing.

I would love to try the i11s. Did a lot of research on it last night. Are the rudder lines embedded inside the hull...or inside that ribbon-looking string behind the seat?

Here is a Hobie video showing how to put the i11s together and shows  placement of the rudder lines

I would love to try the i11s. Did a lot of research on it last night. Are the rudder lines embedded inside the hull...or inside that ribbon-looking string behind the seat?

Yup, ribbon-looking thing that moves to port or starboard depending on your preference.

Here's a short video of Allen & I testing the two kayaks side by side. More length always wins.

Very cool drag race,but the sudden head turns give me seasickness,thanks for the intel

If anyone is interested in a used i11 I saw this on craigslist. Seems like a good deal.

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/boa/5526919724.html