Winner Winner!
They aren't true "kayaks"- They are peddle powered whatevers.

But, they work great, are super efficient, and as you mentioned they have great customer service. I started with a Hobie due to a shoulder injury and have been sold since then. I do have a spot in my heart for paddleing though. The simplicity of grabbing a seat, a paddle and a rod seems rad to me, althouhg I don't know too many paddlers that would do that either....

Now thats what I am talking about...my next investment....ProAngler and EVO drive...

How long can you go on a charge?

The Mirage drive is a wonderful thing but you still need to bring along a paddle. If you want to go into the kelp, the peddle system will not cut it. Paddles are a necessity. Similarly, landing in big surf is easier with a paddle. I strap down the drive, raise the rudder and use the paddle on almost every landing.

That said, in my opinion, the Hobie system is far superior when used for a fishing platform. The other day I was chasing a fast moving YT feeding frenzy while trying to cast a jig stick.I peddled like an Olympic sprinter while getting my jig stick ready to cast. I would have to have chosen one activity or the other on a paddle kayak.

For the record, my Revo caught up with the fish and it only took me one cast to hook up.

Try it once and you will be a convert.

Bob

Hobie makes a high quality kayak, and nice fishing accessories.

Custom plug and play bait tank, slick rod holders, good sealing hatches, good customer support after the purchase, and more.

The mirage drive is soo efficient that you'll probably gain weight after buying a Hobie. No Joke, is almost impossible to break a sweat.
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It's a little like the longboarder vs. shortboarder controversy in surfing or skiing vs. snowboarding. There are a lot of guys out there that have been kayak fishing for a long time, are excellent fishermen, and they paddle their kayak. Then along comes the mirage drive, more popularity, and maybe the hobie makes if easier to be a good fisherman.

Kayak: : an Eskimo canoe made of a frame covered with skins except for a small opening in the center and propelled by a double-bladed paddle...

So none of us are fishing out of true kayaks since we don't have the animal skins. So those Hobie guys are doin it ALLL wrong. No animal skins or double bladed paddle? Hobies arent real kayaks they're fake kayaks... i fish a fake kayak called a Pro Angler... so next time make sure to cover your PWC with fish skins that way it will become a kayak... :biggrinjester:

Everybody has their own reasons for Disliking/ Liking of the Hobie Kayaks. Personal;ly I have found too many negatives to gain the one Positive of Hands Free Fishing. Some of the Negatives are not as big of a deal to others as they are to me. Again to each his/her own.

Plus after almost 10 years of Kayak fishing I just enjoy the paddling part.

And yes I have tried the Hobies and work on them for customers very regularly.

dunno about anti-hobie sentiment. I think some guys just gotta bitch about something. I'll say this though: I've never been almost run over by a hobie :biggrinjester::biggrinjester:

we're all 6" above the water on a piece of plastic. how you move from point a to b under human propulsion, I gather, is irrelevant. I've actually never rode a hobie, maybe in part because I figure if I do, I'll never be happy until I get one :D :D :D also, I love paddling. to each their own.

every kayak has its pluses and minuses. hobies don't have the storage for rods (like my FND did and my T15 does) and they are less than ideal in the surf. they seem, seem, to be more popular closer to LJ where longer excursions are the norm. more up north, us malibu guys, don't see as many. our trips are shorter, and the surf a bit more interesting. but they work all the same.

one thing I've always been leery of, and I'll catch some shit for this :eek: :eek: :eek: is that old saying "mechanical device subject to failure". I htink every hobie owner I've fished with has had, at one (or many) time, some mechanical problem with them, and a few times, on the water. that is not to impugn hobies, or the company. great product, great company. and probably a stupid concern.

there are more important things to fight over. for instance, power pro sucks. use izor spectra. shimano calcuttas are way overpriced and come with crap drags. get a daiwa luna. oh, and 2-speed lever drag reels are simply so guys can brag they fish with 2-speed lever drag reels.
:sifone: :sifone: :sifone: :sifone: :sifone:

OK Rob, I'll bite. Why do you think Power Pro sucks and Izor is better? Please start another thread so we can have a discussion.

I have no experience with any kind of Spectra other than Power Pro and need to fill a new reel, so I would like to hear what you have to say.

Bob

My favotite kayak is.........

The Ocean Trident Torque
There, I said it out loud.

They Make Bikes too!!! Hobie is doing it all these days!!! :biggrinjester:

aha finally something to do with those pesky sea lions :biggrinjester:

This is a good kayak for a 300lbs fisherman it has the pedal drive and something the hobie lacks (reverse ) it is a A much better kayak. You have to want to flip this thing.

http://www.nativewatercraft.com/mari..._propel_lg.cfm

I use PP, sufix, and izor spectra. couldn't tell you the difference if my life depended on it. just figured if people are going to fight over whether hobies are real kayaks, we ought to fight over other things too :D :D :D

it's all good. in fact, I also use spiderwire spectra in the lighter tests on my baitcasting reels. like it quite a bit. some people don't.

just trying to get the juices flowing before cat. what better way to start a trip than by having people pissed at you. I was just having fun. never take anything I say seriously :biggrinjester: :biggrinjester: :biggrinjester:

friday can't come quick enough!!

Posted Capacity is 375lbs... Not a good kayak for a 300lb guy who has a bait tank, and gear on board.

Im a 300lb guy, Malibu Extreme or X-factor probebly best boat for a bigger guy that still tracks straight.


Pro Angler is to heavy to wheel around, To heavy to lift up onto a car. Id get one if i had a flat bed truck. even then i think they are less stable than an x-factor or a extreme becuase you sit higher up in it.

The manner in Which Izor is coated and then Woven is what makes it different from the others. Also the White Spectra is superior in casting to others as it will not stick to itself.

Sorry had to give the answer.

you are welcome to try mine out. I took a lot of them out before I got the one i have I have had my bait tank full size ice chest, 36 pack, ice and all the kinds of gear in very ugly weather and I am sold on this design. The pontoon style is the way to go.

where were you going with a full size ice chest filled with a 36 pack of beer? My guess is you were trolling for babes at the floatapalooza! :cheers1:

My friend have hobies so i need to carry the beer. 12 hours of fishing I can put down a 36 pack. I hope I am not the only Irish fisherman.