Pedal kayaks

While I save penny’s for a pedal kayak. Are there any units that are comparable to a Hobie with a smaller price tag? A good all around boat, lakes and saltwater?

I have a Native Manta Ray, a 2016 Outback and a 2019 Outback. For me, the Hobies are far superior. They are much faster, the drive is lighter and easier to load in the car. If you are interested in lakes, propellor drives might get annoying because they get stuck on weeds really easily. I often have to stop and clear the prop on my Manta Ray in Tomales Bay and in the delta. That's really annoying if its a strong current and you lose a lot of ground. Fishing line and crab lines can also get stuck if you're not careful. By contrast, it is really hard to get a mirage drive stuck on anything and if you do all you have to do is lift the drive because there is no prop to wind around. If price is an issue, wait for a good deal on a used Hobie. That's what I did.

No such thing as a peddle kayak, there are pedal kayaks. 

Hehe. I fixed it. Ya I figured there was a reason the Hobie are the gold standard. I have a lot to learn yet as far as kayaking and kayak fishing go. After several trips I now see how much a pedal kayak would be beneficial. The long hauls back to the truck after not realizing how far you went while fishing suck. Always seem to be into a head wind. Can’t grab a drink without loosing ground, the list goes on. Lol

While I save penny’s for a pedal kayak. Are there any units that are comparable to a Hobie with a smaller price tag? A good all around boat, lakes and saltwater?

My brother is the ultimate cheapskate, and he spent a couple years trying to find a pedal kayak that is cheaper than a Hobie and will perform well. Ultimately, he couldn't find anything that he thought would compare, so he now plans to get a Compass.

I've only purchased used hobies, being the third or more owner.  in the year and a half I've had a hobie I have really enjoyed it, they're solid quality products with lots of time put into them.  I went straight from a walmart special to an outback, and now own a revo as well.

While I save penny’s for a pedal kayak. Are there any units that are comparable to a Hobie with a smaller price tag? A good all around boat, lakes and saltwater?

My brother is the ultimate cheapskate, and he spent a couple years trying to find a pedal kayak that is cheaper than a Hobie and will perform well. Ultimately, he couldn't find anything that he thought would compare, so he now plans to get a Compass.

Did he try anything by Old Town? Their engineering is unmatched in the industry and offer the best value on the market, hands down. I highly recommend he checks out the Old Town Sportsman Salty PDL https://oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com/old-town-sportsman/fishing/sportsman-salty-pdl-120?jo-page=2.    It is $1,899 making it $200 less than a compass, plus it is 2 lbs lighter, a half inch wider, and has a much better warranty than Hobie. The sealed pedal drive, rudder deployment system, and deeper cockpit gives the Salty PDL an advantage over the Hobie Compass in my opinion... 

GollyWomper- I highly recommend you check out Old Town's new sportsman line  . I currently use a Predator PDL which has been reintroduced as the Old Town Sportsman Bigwater 132. https://oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com/old-town-sportsman/fishing/sportsman-bigwater-pdl-132    It is a beast! It weighs about 100 lbs when you take out the seat and drive which is a bit heavy on land, but with wheels I can manage this kayak on my own and I'm just a skinny tall girl with small muscles . On the water it's like a caddy! It is comparable to the Pro angler 12 by Hobie as far as stability and weight capacity, but handles more like a Hobie Outback weighing almost the same and handles rough water extremely well AND is just a fraction of the price. Old Town Bigwater 132 is $2599 (no matter what color you buy) compared to Hobie Outback at $2,999 ($3,149 for camo color) and then they sell you on their bigger fins, special wheels, and other accessories putting you closer to $4,000- which is how much an Old Town motorized kayak with autopilot and spot lock...(Check it out here: https://oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com/old-town-sportsman/fishing/sportsman-autopilot-136 )   The pro angler 12 is $3,739 USD MSRP ($3,939 for Camo) Soooo.... If you ask me I do believe there certainly are comparable if not better kayaks at a smaller price point. I personally prefer the bicycle style pedaling vs the pushing back and forth. My knees are pretty sensitive, and I find the bicycle style leaves me less sore the next day. Old Town's customer service is amazing and if they can't walk you through a fix they send a replacement no questions asked. They have a lifetime hull warranty and five year pedal drive warranty compared to Hobies 3 year warranty for everything... Pretty much anything that can go wrong with the old town pedal drive can be fixed at home by the owner. Unfortunately for my boyfriend, this was not the case for his Hobie. While many parts are available to buy, some things are just not worth fixing yourself and you have to take it to a shop where they charge a ridiculous hourly rate and the parts aren't cheap either. Because Hobie has an exposed drive it requires more maintenance compared to the PDL drive which is completely sealed and honestly I've rinsed mine maybe 10 times in the 3 years I've owned my Old Town Predator PDL and have had zero issues. My boyfriend has had hobie outbacks for 6 years now and is on his fourth drive and has broken every part you can on those things. He has had arms snap off and chains break and his rudder cable broke (not part of the drive but still) and he's snapped foot pedals. I pretty much sold my entire fleet of kayaks and am buying an Old Town Sportsman Salty PDL so I can have a lighter and simple pedal kayak set up which has a hull proven to handle surf for trips off the beaten path and solo trips, a Old Town Sportsman Bigwater 132 so I can have a super comfortable all around kayak that I can stand up in while fishing lakes or take in rough water in the ocean, and then the Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 136 which will be my first motorized kayak just for exploring and lazy days, as well as bass tournaments. Let me know if you have any questions about Old Towns!

Thanks for the insight and write up Annie. Something to consider on my next purchase.

I was checking out old town just salty. Just haven’t done much research on it. I currently have an old town predator 13. He developed a small crack on the floor.I bought it used so I’m sure they will not warranty the kayak that old. But I will do some research and read reviews on the salty for a future purchase.

With the Salty PDL being so new (introduced March 2020), it might be hard to find reviews like you could for other models. It is the same hull and design as the Ocean Kayak malibu PDL but is updated with more features for fishing so maybe check out the OK Malibu PDL reviews too. For your predator 13 can you read the serial number? There should be one engraved on the the stern. I can't remember if it is on the left or right side. If you can still read it, than it's worth a shot calling Old Town customer service IMO. There might be nothing they can do, but there's the potential that they would send you a replacement and to me that would be worth making the call. I'd still recommend upgrading to a pedal kayak but you could at least have a back up paddle kayak for a friend or sell it and make more than you could with a cracked one. Just note there are longer wait times with CS than normal due to high demand and catching up on orders.

i'm in the market for one. i was looking at the 12 foot passport. anyone have one?

I forgot to mention... Not only are Old Town drives sealed but they also float. I was reminded about this yesterday when I saw my friend Andrew Julian lost his hobie drive in the surf. If you don't remember to tie down your drive and flip over, you have a really good chance of losing your hobie drive. This happened to my Nick in San Diego a couple years ago... He didn't flip but kinda surfed in and almost dumped getting a little sideways and the ocean gobbled up yet another hobie drive... The Old Town drives lock in so if the kayak is upside down they will stay locked in. If for whatever reason it wasn't locked in and you were to flip the drive would float. Just something to consider...

I forgot to mention... Not only are Old Town drives sealed but they also float. I was reminded about this yesterday when I saw my friend Andrew Julian lost his hobie drive in the surf. If you don't remember to tie down your drive and flip over, you have a really good chance of losing your hobie drive. This happened to my Nick in San Diego a couple years ago... He didn't flip but kinda surfed in and almost dumped getting a little sideways and the ocean gobbled up yet another hobie drive... The Old Town drives lock in so if the kayak is upside down they will stay locked in. If for whatever reason it wasn't locked in and you were to flip the drive would float. Just something to consider...

Well now, if there was ever a consideration on my end to go pedal power positive, you have given me plenty to consider.  I wish I carried snorkel gear to assist Andrew in his loss and the low tide prolly isn't low enough in the next few days to recover it...all around bummer...fishing was hecka slow anyhoo...

I agree, the Hobies are not the only game in town.  There are others that should be considered as well.  Demo, demo, demo.

While I save penny’s for a pedal kayak. Are there any units that are comparable to a Hobie with a smaller price tag? A good all around boat, lakes and saltwater?

My brother is the ultimate cheapskate, and he spent a couple years trying to find a pedal kayak that is cheaper than a Hobie and will perform well. Ultimately, he couldn't find anything that he thought would compare, so he now plans to get a Compass.

Did he try anything by Old Town? Their engineering is unmatched in the industry and offer the best value on the market, hands down. I highly recommend he checks out the Old Town Sportsman Salty PDL https://oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com/old-town-sportsman/fishing/sportsman-salty-pdl-120?jo-page=2.    It is $1,899 making it $200 less than a compass, plus it is 2 lbs lighter, a half inch wider, and has a much better warranty than Hobie. The sealed pedal drive, rudder deployment system, and deeper cockpit gives the Salty PDL an advantage over the Hobie Compass in my opinion... 

GollyWomper- I highly recommend you check out Old Town's new sportsman line  . I currently use a Predator PDL which has been reintroduced as the Old Town Sportsman Bigwater 132. https://oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com/old-town-sportsman/fishing/sportsman-bigwater-pdl-132    It is a beast! It weighs about 100 lbs when you take out the seat and drive which is a bit heavy on land, but with wheels I can manage this kayak on my own and I'm just a skinny tall girl with small muscles . On the water it's like a caddy! It is comparable to the Pro angler 12 by Hobie as far as stability and weight capacity, but handles more like a Hobie Outback weighing almost the same and handles rough water extremely well AND is just a fraction of the price. Old Town Bigwater 132 is $2599 (no matter what color you buy) compared to Hobie Outback at $2,999 ($3,149 for camo color) and then they sell you on their bigger fins, special wheels, and other accessories putting you closer to $4,000- which is how much an Old Town motorized kayak with autopilot and spot lock...(Check it out here: https://oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com/old-town-sportsman/fishing/sportsman-autopilot-136 )   The pro angler 12 is $3,739 USD MSRP ($3,939 for Camo) Soooo.... If you ask me I do believe there certainly are comparable if not better kayaks at a smaller price point. I personally prefer the bicycle style pedaling vs the pushing back and forth. My knees are pretty sensitive, and I find the bicycle style leaves me less sore the next day. Old Town's customer service is amazing and if they can't walk you through a fix they send a replacement no questions asked. They have a lifetime hull warranty and five year pedal drive warranty compared to Hobies 3 year warranty for everything... Pretty much anything that can go wrong with the old town pedal drive can be fixed at home by the owner. Unfortunately for my boyfriend, this was not the case for his Hobie. While many parts are available to buy, some things are just not worth fixing yourself and you have to take it to a shop where they charge a ridiculous hourly rate and the parts aren't cheap either. Because Hobie has an exposed drive it requires more maintenance compared to the PDL drive which is completely sealed and honestly I've rinsed mine maybe 10 times in the 3 years I've owned my Old Town Predator PDL and have had zero issues. My boyfriend has had hobie outbacks for 6 years now and is on his fourth drive and has broken every part you can on those things. He has had arms snap off and chains break and his rudder cable broke (not part of the drive but still) and he's snapped foot pedals. I pretty much sold my entire fleet of kayaks and am buying an Old Town Sportsman Salty PDL so I can have a lighter and simple pedal kayak set up which has a hull proven to handle surf for trips off the beaten path and solo trips, a Old Town Sportsman Bigwater 132 so I can have a super comfortable all around kayak that I can stand up in while fishing lakes or take in rough water in the ocean, and then the Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 136 which will be my first motorized kayak just for exploring and lazy days, as well as bass tournaments. Let me know if you have any questions about Old Towns!

I agree

I have the Old town top water 106 PDL. Paid 2K for it at kayak city and it came with a "fishing kit" (rod leash, paddle leash, rod holder and paddle). Great for lakes, solid and stable. No need to service drive, comes with 4 year warranty.


Shortly after buying they came out with the 12 foot top water for about the same price, 12 footer. Think its 2K, (no fishing kit).

I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t covered under warranty but still think it was worth trying! I was really hoping they’d be sending you a new kayak! They have since updated their process of rotomolding or whatever they do so the plastic is thicker and reinforced in all the old town and ocean kayak models. They plastic before was a much thinner layer. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to try a newer old town and I definitely agree with yak yak yak demo demo demo!