Native v. Hobie for Ocean

So I currently have a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 but have been considering moving up to a Native or a Hobie. One of the things that I've been looking for while looking at new yaks is their ability to be effective in both  fresh and salt water. I have noticed that pretty much all of the videos and write ups I see regarding fishing in the ocean have been folks with Hobie yaks almost exclusively.  So I was wondering, is there a particular reason for this? Are the mirage drive kayaks just far superior for ocean fishing v. the native? I must admit I had been more attracted to the Native yaks however if I am going to spend big bucks on a yak I'd want it to be able to do as many things as possible. So whats the story on these two's abilities in bays etc?

My $.02...

My last trip to TC, my buddy brought his Radar (propeller drive like the Native). User error caused him to wrap his 65lb braided line around the prop... this caused a major headache. Then, there was a decent amount of seaweed floating at the surface, I didnt even notice it, my Mirage drive pedalled right through it all. However if he got close to any little bits it instantly wrapped around his prop and he had to stop and clear the weeds.

There is a reason 95% of the kayaks you see out there are Hobies.

My $.02...

My last trip to TC, my buddy brought his Radar (propeller drive like the Native). User error caused him to wrap his 65lb braided line around the prop... this caused a major headache. Then, there was a decent amount of seaweed floating at the surface, I didnt even notice it, my Mirage drive pedalled right through it all. However if he got close to any little bits it instantly wrapped around his prop and he had to stop and clear the weeds.

There is a reason 95% of the kayaks you see out there are Hobies.

that's crazy talk.

Really just better to test drive both of them out. Everyone will have their opinion.

I like my Hobie Revo. 

that's crazy talk.

What part of it is "crazy talk"? Of the (pedal) kayaks I see on the ocean, it seems to me that about 95% are Hobies...

that's crazy talk.

What part of it is "crazy talk"? Of the (pedal) kayaks I see on the ocean, it seems to me that about 95% are Hobies...

That pretty true.  I have seen a few more brands out there but mostly people who are sponsored trying out the new pedal version drives.  I thought my hobie was heavy but only compared to non pedal drives.  These others I have seen are heavier. Not a deal breaker but does hurt on some of the farther launch locations. 

I still hope to try out a few but the only one I tried that pedaled like a bicycle just felt like more of a work out to me than my hobie.  Definitely like to hear from a non sponsored user that made the switch to see if it gets better with time. 

that's crazy talk.

What part of it is "crazy talk"? Of the (pedal) kayaks I see on the ocean, it seems to me that about 95% are Hobies...

Up until about a year ago, Hobies were pretty much the only pedal drive option that you'd see offered in dealers around here.  Sales recently are much closer for the other brands than historically.  Hobies are not "better" than any other pedal drive out there, they're just different. 

In my opinion, there are several great pedal drive choices out there, and it's not limited to just Hobie vs. Native.  I do personally think that Native provides a better value proposition for your dollar at MSRP than a comparable Hobie, but that's a personal opinion.  The greatest thing is that there are choices now that we didn't have years ago. 

As for thoughts on particular Native models, check out the Native subforum for my thoughts. I've spent time on all of them now and have put up at least some measure of review.
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?board=75.0

Slayer propel and Mariner propel... both go in the ocean just fine, you can get weed wrapped but it is not difficult to remove it. For surf (higher waves) landings I like to turn around just before the breakers and peddle in backwards so I can power forward  over or through waves as they approach me. I fish Tillamook Bay and can drift the tides 1-2 ft off the jetty rocks and hold distance fairly easy without reaching down to pull a pin. I have been in an Outback and revo, the straight pushing of the mirage drive hurts the arthritis in my hip but the circular motion of the propel don’t. Best to try them both before you lay down that much cheddar. And I mean a good 3-4 hour peddle not just 10 minuets off a dock. Just my $0.02 and not sponsored or affiliated in any way. 

The reason you don't see as many prop drives on the water as Hobie's is that there are not that many around yet. I see more and more all the time out on the ocean. As far as wrapping line around the prop, pay attention. I have done it once on freshwater while trolling two rods. Rod number 1 had a fish and I stopped pedaling in the wind and I got wrapped on number two. I have put well over 1000 miles on my boat with very few weeds or kelp moments. The only place I prefer to paddle is certain areas on  the delta that are nothing but weeds, but even Hobie's have some issues in those spots. I don't ever fish in the kelp, if there was any, so that is a non issue for me. I like my Wildy Radar a LOT. The best thing you can do is try boats out for extended periods and see for yourself. If you ever want to try out a the Radar let me know. I am not too far from where you are. The Radar 135 has a ton of room on it. Close to the same room as a PA12 I would say. Tons more room than an Outback or Revo. Yes I am associated with Wilderness. I still recommend try before you buy for sure. What works for you or anyone else may not work for me. As far as stability goes, https://www.facebook.com/rob.knoles.5/videos/1944127122295682/ , I did this for 3 hours straight at Shelter Cove in the high seat position with zero issues. At Albion this year I caught 10 Salmon in slop like in the video all on the troll with zero issues too.

The reason you don't see as many prop drives on the water as Hobie's is that there are not that many around yet. I see more and more all the time out on the ocean. As far as wrapping line around the prop, pay attention. I have done it once on freshwater while trolling two rods. Rod number 1 had a fish and I stopped pedaling in the wind and I got wrapped on number two. I have put well over 1000 miles on my boat with very few weeds or kelp moments. The only place I prefer to paddle is certain areas on  the delta that are nothing but weeds, but even Hobie's have some issues in those spots. I don't ever fish in the kelp, if there was any, so that is a non issue for me. I like my Wildy Radar a LOT. The best thing you can do is try boats out for extended periods and see for yourself. If you ever want to try out a the Radar let me know. I am not too far from where you are. The Radar 135 has a ton of room on it. Close to the same room as a PA12 I would say. Tons more room than an Outback or Revo. Yes I am associated with Wilderness. I still recommend try before you buy for sure. What works for you or anyone else may not work for me. As far as stability goes, https://www.facebook.com/rob.knoles.5/videos/1944127122295682/ , I did this for 3 hours straight at Shelter Cove in the high seat position with zero issues. At Albion this year I caught 10 Salmon in slop like in the video all on the troll with zero issues too.

Definitely been in some slop like your video with my hobie.  Yours looked pretty stable.  Next time you are up in Mendo let me know as I would love to try Diving off it and maybe trolling a bit to see what the differences are to my screwed up body. 

I have a old town predator pdl.  It's heavy, 120 lbs, but very stable.  I've been out in  12 foot swells with 25-30 mph winds and survived.  Kelp can be an issue with prop drives but is easily cleared.  I don't think hobies with the mirage drive have that issue.  Mine is a 10 to one drive ratio so it pedals at around 2.5 mph pretty easy.

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12’ swells really  damn .....

Yes we were at Timber Cove and there wasn't another kayak in sight.  waves were breaking over the front of the kayak and hit me in the chest.  learned a lesson if there's nobody else out there maybe you shouldn't be either.

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I've heard good things about the predator mk before I bought my Hobie, the main factor was that you steer with your feet freeing both your hands to fish, was a tough decision but figured i needed the exercise so I went with the hobie

Thanks for the  replys fellas. I was thinking that perhaps Hobie was more popular because it was faster or had more thrust for the amount of peddling you were doing; along with the mirage drive being more weedless. But it seems like the major opinion is that they just got there first. Ultimately, I think it'll come down to actually test driving them. But this discussion has def convinced me that a Native does have the "umph" to get out there and perform on the ocean.