BajaNomad

Hobie Kayak, have one? Like it? Tell me about it!

CortezBlue - 4-2-2013 at 07:59 AM

Thinking of buying a Hobie kayak oasis tandem.

I'd like to know your thoughts

Where you use it?

What's good and bad about it?

mcfez - 4-2-2013 at 08:16 AM

For fishing?
Quote:
Originally posted by CortezBlue
Thinking of buying a Hobie kayak oasis tandem.

I'd like to know your thoughts

Where you use it?

What's good and bad about it?

CortezBlue - 4-2-2013 at 08:18 AM

Yes, some fishing, but I am probably looking at a tandem model for the wife and I.

Sandlefoot - 4-2-2013 at 08:24 AM

You can fish from them, sail with them, swim from them, peddle, paddle, motorized with or without solar recharge for the battery, They are very versitile and fun. Easy to move through the water without breaking the surface, so you can see very deep fish!!!! They are fine for rocky beaches, but one must take proper care not to damage the rudder or peddles. Pretty minimal maintenance, maximum fun!!!!!

Happy Trails

dougf69 - 4-2-2013 at 08:53 AM

Have had a Hobie a few years. Bought it San Diego. Big dealer there.
Complete with sail kit. Awesome. Used it Bajia Concepcion, when we had a place there. I would NOT consider a tandem kayak, of whatever model. Get another opinion about "tandem".
Used Neckys beffore that.

dougf69 - 4-2-2013 at 09:02 AM

Check out www.fastlanekayaking.com .
Very helpful people. Seems like a family business.
Good luck.

mcfez - 4-2-2013 at 09:07 AM




http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showReviews.html?prod=1631


Kayaks are great...but you really need to have one that "fits" you. We have four styles and each has it's advantages and...disadvantages. What I mean by "fits" is this: do you have energy to paddle because the wider the kayak is...the more energy it takes to paddle. Yet the wider the unit is...the more stable in the water it is. It may seem like an easy choir to paddle..........

Rent a few kayaks before you buy........

Without a spray skirt......"ya gonna get wet".

I like the open kayak platform for fishing, but there are drawbacks. One issue is if you find a great "hole"....you really cannot set anchor to remain in that area. Yes...they do have anchors for kayaks...but you'll find that by loading all sort of stuff into the unit.....it will absolutely become a tangle mess. So less carry on....the better.


Catching fish requires a lot of twisting and turning in your kayak....making the unit rock back and forth. So do the waves .....create that back and forth stuff. I suggest if you are going fishing....get Retractable Stabilizers :-) Worth every penny.

And while you are out shopping....a nice bunk cart. Getting back from a day's adventure...the last thing you want to do is drag that kayak all the way back to the car :-) Most great kayaking spots ....seems that there is never a boat ramp there :lol:

The Sea of Cortez is perfect for kayaks. You really must be careful when using them. Last year two old folks in San Felipe disappeared while out having fun. Too many stories like this. In Graham Mackintosh's book Marooned With Very Little Beer...(this book or the others) he writes about a group of Professional Kayak'ers that were down in BoLA........how a few never came back from the Sea. The currents...of the Cortez is strong enough to pull you out....even at 300 feet from shore! So a warning......not to be taken lightly. I posted a picture of one outing down by Christiana's (sp) Camp.....that's bout as far out I'll go.

Worth the time and money for kayaking? 110%

[Edited on 4-2-2013 by mcfez]

24baja - 4-2-2013 at 10:22 AM

Love my hobie adventure with mirage drive. Peddle drive work so well the guys on our local lake kept asking where the motor was. We now have / leave it at the Bola house and it works great in the bay i tell everyone to buy one. Our son was so impressed he bought one for his wife. Great exercise.

[Edited on 4-2-2013 by 24baja]

dtbushpilot - 4-2-2013 at 10:36 AM

I bought a tandem kayak thinking the same thing, that my wife and I would go out together. Happened a few times, you really can't operate a 2 person kayak by yourself. Get 2 single kayaks, I know it's a lot more money but you can always sell one if you find that it isn't being used.

Hobie Outback

taoswheat - 4-2-2013 at 11:30 AM

I have had an Outback with Mirage drive for about four years. Lots of use around the San Carlos area. I fish out to about 5 miles with no problems. I have a car top mount that is easy to load single hand and a beach dolly that is really handy.
The pedal drive is neat- 2.5mph is easy and 4-5mph with some effort.

sancho - 4-2-2013 at 11:43 AM

I paddle a single Necky 14', sit on top, a tandem would obviously
force you to paddle with someone, which to me,
would place restrictions on when you would use it.
Some tandems
you can paddle alone to some degree. Personally I would get 2 used kayaks off craigs list so you havesome
flexibility. I'm sure you could get 2 used for the
$ of a new Hobie, if that is what you were thinking, Hobie sells a lot of kayaks, I'm a bit old school as to
preferring a paddle boat

[Edited on 4-2-2013 by sancho]

Bwana_John - 4-2-2013 at 12:19 PM

I like kelp and playing in the rock gardens way too much to ever think about peddles.

Vince - 4-2-2013 at 02:00 PM

I have had 2 Seda sea kayaks for about 20 years. They are the single, sit-in type. They are dry, I never use a skirt because I use them mostly in San Diego Bay. I agree with the others that said buy 2 singles. My wife goes with me about 10-20% of the time. Double are too heavy for me, this becomes more apparent as time goes by. Easy to fish out of also. Like you, I am curious about the Hobies, but I get enough biking in on land.

RnR - 4-2-2013 at 02:00 PM

Hobie mirage drives are great. Keeps your hands free for other tasks - fishing, camera, beer, even waving is tough with a paddle in your hands, you have to put it down and break your cadence to do ANYTHING.

Get two singles.

A tandem pretty much has to have two people in it to function properly. With one person in a tandem the paddling position is either forward or behind the balance/turning point of the kayak. Sit in front and that kayak will go STRAIGHT. Sit in back and the front will be up in the air and the slightest breeze will spin the boat around. Been there, done that.

Currently have one Hobie mirage drive and a sit-on-top. If I go fishing or out by myself, I use the Hobie. If two people go, the less experienced person gets the Hobie.

CortezBlue - 4-2-2013 at 02:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by sancho
I paddle a single Necky 14', sit on top, a tandem would obviously
force you to paddle with someone, which to me,
would place restrictions on when you would use it.
Some tandems
you can paddle alone to some degree. Personally I would get 2 used kayaks off craigs list so you havesome
flexibility. I'm sure you could get 2 used for the
$ of a new Hobie, if that is what you were thinking, Hobie sells a lot of kayaks, I'm a bit old school as to
preferring a paddle boat

[Edited on 4-2-2013 by sancho]




I have looked high and low in So Cal, and all of AZ on Craigslist and ebay, not a one Hobie to be found. I want Hobie for the Mirage drive system and hands free operation.

Alm - 4-2-2013 at 11:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CortezBlue
I have looked high and low in So Cal, and all of AZ on Craigslist and ebay, not a one Hobie to be found. I want Hobie for the Mirage drive system and hands free operation.

None to be found on resale - proves it's a small niche market.

Regular (=paddling) sit-on-tops have quite a wide niche. For beginners in warm waters, for fishing few miles offshore, particularly with a small electric motor. Suggestion on using solar to recharge the battery was not serious, I hope. It will take all day with a fairly big 2x3 ft solar panel to pump 40-60 Ah into battery, and motor will eat that much on one short trip to fishing hole and back.

Back to the topic.... There are pros and cons to wide SOT as opposed to "sea kayaks", and there are pros and cons to pedaling VS paddling. Maybe it's time to reveal your goals - what exactly you need a kayak for, and why does it have to be hands free.

cbuzzetti - 4-2-2013 at 11:13 PM

Look for used Hobies on Bloodydecks.com. Or there are some Kayak fishing sites that may have a used one available. I found mine used on CL. It is an Outback with mirage drive and sail. Paid $1k used but in good condition.
I have used mine for fishing and just cruising around. They come with paddles if you need to backup in a hurry. That is the one drawback IMO. Otherwise it makes all other kayaks look obsolete.

wilderone - 4-3-2013 at 07:26 AM

I would concur with the opinions about tandems. Whatever happens to one of you will concomitantly happen to the other, e.g., flipping. It will be slower and a little more difficult to maneuver. One gets too tired or has less paddling skill, the other has double duty. More safety in two boats. Also, if one of you wants to go out alone, you've got a pretty big boat to paddle by yourself. Depends on where you're going and what you want to use it for.

bajasammy - 4-3-2013 at 09:59 AM

We have a couple sit-on-top, and a couple hobies. Once anyone uses the hobie, they don't want to have anything to do with the others! I bought both used off Craigs List, but had to search a bit. The hobies also really hold their value on the used market...

Alm - 4-3-2013 at 10:22 AM

I wouldn't recommend an old polyethylene kayak, be it Hobie or any other. Unlike composite hulls, poly degrades under UV. In 5-8 years, depending on the amount of exposure, it becomes brittle. You might not know it until incidentally hit the ground when unloading from the car or cart, and ops - the bow chips off... Short lifespan of poly hulls is the reason why they depreciate faster than composites in a used market. Also, - oil canning, though for wide slow hulls this is less important.

805gregg - 4-9-2013 at 09:11 PM

I have 2 outbacks with the full rig, Mirage drive, sail, larger rudder, (4 sailing) and turbo drive fins, for sale, used about 10 times, (due the the difficultes of bringing them on our small 26' power boat. Always stored undercover, perfect condition $1200 each