Landing and launching a hobie
 

I'm relatively new to west coast surf launching. Met a few of you folks out fishing and everyone seems very cool and pleasant.
So here is my question:
The Question for all you mirage drive folks. Do you land with the drive up and rudder up (paddle in) or do you peddle in and then push the flippers flat against the hull when it gets shallow and let the rudder up at the last minute? Landed today using the drive and it was easier than paddling in. obviously you could damage the drive and rudder, and I was wondering what most people do? Thanks for the help.

I wouldn't recommend landing with the drive in. Ive done twice and the last time it seized slightly. When I got home I had to fill the tub and work it slowly to get the sand out.

I pull up the drive and the rudder.

If I suddenly get in a shallow area while fishing, then I just push to make the fins flat.

I have been lucky at Baja, that the rudder has not been damaged going over some rocks.

Fins and drive up. If waves light head in. If waves big, i come in backwards

Depends... For a shore pound paddle in, to much risk to drives.. other wise I would just use the drive as better speed and control.. use bungees to pull drives flat against the hull and jump out once your knee deep..

I always use the drive and rudder. Like momo said more speed to stay ahead of the next set. Turn on your FF and jump out in 2-3 feet. Pull drive and rudder and walk the boat 15 steps to the beach.

Personal Preference
 

I used to only launch and land with a paddle in my Revo 13 for the first year or so, rudder and mirage drive pulled. Now I tend to launch with the drive and rudder down. As mentioned the mirage drive produces a lot force and speed and I find it easy to burst through the surf zone.

When landing, I still prefer the paddle as my Revo 13 is decently narrow enough and not too bad to paddle and brace, but the mirage drive method can work very well... just use caution near the shallows

Best bet, take the kayak out without any gear and have fun in the surf for an hour or so. Wear your pfd! You'll learn more in that one trip then 10 trips combined.

Regardless of your method, be sure to leash your gear in preparation of rolling.

I use the bungee and release the rudder line from the cleat and hold it until I'm ready to jump out. From there I'll lift and drag up onto the beach with the bow handle to keep the drive from getting sand in it. I'll then tilt the boat on its side to get the drive out on the beach.

You might want to take the yak out without anything onboard except for the essentials for a couple of hours to just practice launching and landing in medium sized surf just to get an idea of what you can do with your boat.

Some people feel comfortable with certain approaches that might not work as well for others. Landings are definitely tricky... :)

Thanks for all the input; great advice! very cool.

I like this advice the best. Dog Beach at the mouth of the SD river is a good place to go knock around in the waves. It's usually a good variety of conditions to use for practice. You will get a feel for controlling your kayak that is hard to put in words. You should also practice capsizing your kayak in water over your head and know that you can flip it right-side up and reboard if necessary.

Go out empty and push your limits. Practice getting crushed. Sit in the middle of the breakers bow out for several sets until it gets mundane, then turn around and sit mid-breakers with your stern to the waves for several sets. Then turn sideways and let the waves broadside you. Quickly you will learn how much or how little and when to lean into the direction of the wave that's about to smash you.

When you lean into a broadside, the water lifts and passes easily under you. If you don't then you will roll away from the wave and tumble.

Diagonal is diagonal, somewhere in between. Just go knock around until you feel confident to control a variety of variables without thinking about it too much.

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To answer the first part of your question, I tend to pull my rudder up as I approach the breakers, then steer, lean, brake and otherwise compensate with my paddle. If my hands are on my paddle, then I can't control the rudder steering lever anyway, so the rudder becomes an unnecessary distraction as soon as it flops out of the neutral position.

I use my peddles for more control until the last minute, then push them flat to the bottom of my kayak until I hit the sand. My legs are usually doing nothing else anyway, and it's one more element of control. Don't forget to get your fins up before you hit anything. You just have to learn to feel your way through. You definitely don't want to plow into the sand or other obstructions with your drive fins down. That can get expensive. I little practice pushing your limits makes all this multi-tasking easier to do without thinking.

I've heard the "coming in backwards" theory, but for me* it just ads unnecessary complication. Opinions vary. I understand that you can see the waves approaching if you are backwards, but so what? You can learn to know where they are anyway. I think we have more control moving forward than we do being pushed backwards.

If you start to surf, dig in your paddle and break the gathering of momentum. It's fun when it starts, but trying to surf in usually doesn't end well, unless it's a gentle gathering of momentum that dissipates soon after it starts. At least not in my Outback. It's not a kayak designed for surfing.

Always stow and tie down your gear flat. I see lots of people landing with their poles leashed perhaps, but upright in the pole holders. That doesn't make much sense if you roll. I think it's good policy to always be prepared to roll even if you never roll. Once you roll, it's too late to reorganize and you end up with a yard sale on the beach.

I'm an Old Fart, not a young athletic guy trying to show off. I just want to land safe and easy, with all my gear and any fish I'm lucky enough to catch. I don't want to mess up my lipstick.

Your mileage may vary.

I always paddled in 99% and 90% of the time out. Flat days in LJ, you can drop the fins in and go out. I landed with the fins once on a 5-6' day at Leo...I had to push as fast and hard as I could in-between waves and spent time later getting the sand out. Short fast shore pound always paddle both ways.

Love that spot brings back memories I used to drive my 65 chevy pickup on the beach there when i was
 

18 little halibut come in the lagoon there...I have seen them snorkeling there.

There's a lot more than (18) in there Mitchell. Any night ops guys with a shallow running float tube can tear that river up (between the bridges). Small gear w small swim baits. Stinky mud...can sink you way deep, lol. Nothing better than a wfo butt bite, even if they're small. :luxhello:
Jim

Lol....18 means when
 

I was 18 years old.

Thanks so much for the advice! Awesome to have so many folks take the time to help. Very very cool! Thank you! :you_rock: Gonna get out there and practice.

If you are serious about these things as you seem to be, I know a lady you might like to meet.

She's famous in the kayak world, but maybe relatively unknown amongst many kayak fishermen.

Google around and look up Jen Kleck. She's a local treasure who owns a kayak supply business near the SD River and the entry to Mission Bay called Aqua Adventures.

She's often gone on kayak adventures or doing other things, but if you do your homework and organize in advance, you might still be able to catch her for a lesson.

She's among the best of the best, and that's not an overstatement. I would humbly suggest that she's worth whatever she charges .... assuming you can still find her and book her. She is an outstanding teacher and can easily adapt to whatever your level is now, and help boost your skills from there. She is empathetic and down-to-earth in a very wholesome way.

She can "take you to the next level." No doubt about that at all.

I have the utmost respect for her attitude, her personality, her skills as a teacher, and her remarkable experience with kayaks and kayak adventures. She's a pro, by many measurements.

To be clear, she's not a fishing guide, or anything like that. Maybe she's not interested in fishing at all, ... I don't know. What she can do is teach you kayaking skills, and open your eyes to things you need to know to be safe when you go out in the ocean.

Maybe I shouldn't say this in a public forum, but I just did.

PS - about practicing capsizing, up-righting and re-boarding your kayak in water over your head: I would suggest doing this deeper into the mouth of the SD River where the water is lazy and calm. Not out past the breakers. More than a few fishermen are so damn fat it's sometimes hard to maneuver.

PPS - I was once WAY TF out in the ocean, alone, and accidentally sat on the treble hook of a lure at the end of my line. It was one of those surgically sharp sticky Japanese thingy's. I literally jumped out of my kayak before I realized what happened. Luckily, nobody was around with their GoPro's to record this bizarre event. I didn't know I was capable of falling out of my kayak like that, but I did. Beats the Hell out of me! LOL.

I crawled back aboard red like a tomato and resumed fishing as if nothing happened. Sopping wet, of course. No simultaneous shark encounters to report.

Please don't tell anyone because this is quite embarrassing :p


When I was more of a newb, the legendary Johnny Ceviche told me to learn "self rescues" before I go out in the ocean ... I have some ideas, but I'm still trying to figure out what that means in it's entirety. My safety checklist keeps growing with ideas and practical applications.

Someone else in these forums reminded me in my formative phase, "when you go in the ocean in a kayak, you become part of the food chain."

Food for thought.

Life is sweet.

When landing, I just sit in the kill zone and let the surf wash me ashore

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