Hobie Kayak with Mirage Drive

[vonkarl]

Hello everyone,

I've been considering a Hobie Kayak with the Mirage drive system as a fishing platform. Currently I use a Old Town 16' Stillwater (love my Old Town!) which is a great balance of weight, functionality, and stability. That said the ability of the Hobie to function by peddle power definitely intrigues me as it seems like it would be a great advantage over using paddles...potentially allowing me to keep fishing while maneuvering.

Has anyone here had experience with using a Hobie as a fishing platform? Does it have good control and mobility? Is it worth my time to explore it further?

I'd also be interested in any other platforms for fishing from though I'm generally looking for something that I can move easily by myself and doesn't require a trailer/motor. (Though any type of platform would be interesting to consider.) One concern I have with the Hobie is that I generally prefer to fish with someone...but it's not like I'm going to get rid of my Stillwater either.

Any experiences or thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Thank you,


Karl

[YakMan]

Hi - My next door neighbor has the hobie revolution. He "traded up" from an ocean kayak trident 13. Traded up is in quotes because they are very different kayaks.

I have an ocean kayak scrambler xt - the biggest difference between my setup and his is how it performs in the wind - he can use the foot pedals into the wind when I am struggling to paddle against wind and current ... and he is fishing while doing it... the hand free thing is definitely a nice feature. This really gives him a big advantage when we are fishing for halibut or trying to hold a spot working a finesse worm or jig when going in freshwater. Another thing to consider is there isn't a reverse feature on the mirage drive which has caused him at times to have to circle right over the spot we were fishing.

What he sacrificed from the trident was stability and storage. The trident has the rod pod and the hatch for a fish finder. The trident also far outperforms both the hobie and mine going through surf (if you are going to use in the ocean). However, i can go right into the middle of a kelp bed where he has to pull out the drive, take on water, replace with plug - you also have to pull the mirage drive most times when launching and landing. He has mentioned how he is not happy with how much water it takes into the leg area in comparison to the trident. As far as stability, the hobie is plenty stable, you can easily stand on it in calm water. Simply put, the trident was more stable according to him.

Hobie makes good quality stuff but there always seems to be little things like being able to lock the rudder in position, lack of useful storage, lack of places to put scotty rod holders. Defintely worth your time to check and see if its right for you. Check the Gearing Up section at www.norcalkayakanglers.com for rigging tips and other opinions.

[vonkarl]

Hi Yakman,

Thanks for the feedback. Sorry for the delay in responding but I've been unable to access these boards from home for some reason...so I'm sneaking a few minutes in at work to reply.

This weekend I went to a Hobie Cat dealer, and for anyone in CT I HIGHLY recommend Collinsville Canoe and Kayak as they were really excellent and for $25 you can take three craft for a test paddle...and if you buy you get the $25 back. In any case I thought I'd share my findings in case any of you are interested as well. (I'm going to just copy a post I made on the Motley Fool...sorry if it's slightly out of context.)

---

I've got a bit more information now and I thought I'd share. This weekend I went to one of the only Hobie Cat dealers in CT and went to take a look at it. I have to say first and foremost that I'm INCREDIBLY impressed with the engineering of the Mirage Drive. It's a tiny little gearbox with pulleys and chain and it's just plain elegant. I hope some engineer is making a fortune off of this device as it looks like something that could have been invented in someones garage and then sold to Hobie. That's not a negative statement at all...it's more of a "why didn't I think of that?" statement.

The drive by itself costs around $400 to $500 dollars...so that ups the price of the kayaks that use it substantially. From what I could see it does look like the only parts that are likely to wear or to receive damage are easily replaced for a low cost. The cable that's used as a drive "belt" for instance can be replaced for $20 if it's ever necessary.

I asked about the comfort and the guy REALLY wanted me to take a test drive with one. I didn't take them up on it but he swears that it's far more comfortable than a canoe. My concern was that in a canoe if I'm in it all day I can change positions, shift to my knees, stand up even, etc. The return comment was that the kayak was just so much more comfortable that you wouldn't need to do that.

The Angler Pro, as opposed to the less specialized Hobies with Mirage Drive, was pretty big and when the options were on it, pretty heavy. Starting at 88 lbs it would go up to 120-130 lbs depending on the options chosen. It made me really re-think whether I could get this up on top of my Yukon by myself...I think I'd probably have to get a trailer. That's something I'd have to try before I made a decision of which way to go.

I also decided that the Angler Pro is something I have to consider more as a one man boat than as a kayak. It shifted my thinking but I have to say that after seeing it...I really REALLY want one. I have to figure out if I have a place to keep it though. Also...the price isn't cheap as the Angler Pro starts at over $2k.

When I asked how fast the Mirage Drive's peddle power made it go I was a bit surprised to find that it will totally "smoke" a kayak or canoe with paddles. It makes sense when you think about it because you can put constant power into it and you're using your legs...rather than the intermittent "burst" of a paddle that uses your arms/shoulders.

The one down-side seems to be that it doesn't have reverse. They did have another brand that used more of a bicycle mechanism with a propeller rather than the Mirage Drives "flippers". Initially it looked good...but then you realize your feet have to be held "up" and that the kayak is an open model that can flood unlike the "closed" Hobies. It kinda looked like a three way cross of a canoe, kayak, and bicycle. The lack of comfort and likelyhood of flooding turned me off of that one.


What I learned is that a kayak will NOT replace my canoe. It's not really a versatile with being able to hold one or two people...it's not got the same sort of storage capability, and I really and truly just love my 16' Stillwater. That said the Angler Pro seems like an AWESOME fishing platform and the only significant drawbacks are that 1) it's a one man craft so it's hard to bring a friend unless you have a second one which gets expensive fast...and 2) that I'm not sure I could get the Angler Pro on the top of my car and thus might require a trailer.

That second drawback has one benefit however. It means that I could take both the canoe AND the Angler Pro with me if I wanted to do so. ;)


So all said...after taking the brochure home and thinking about what I saw...this is a craft that I really REALLY find appeals to me. If I wasn't so focused on the fishing aspect then I'd feel a lot more comfortable with one of the less expensive models...the Revolution or Outback for instance...but as a fishing platform the Angler Pro just seems amazing to me.


Finally...for anyone in the CT area...I can't say enough good things about the people at Collinsville Canoe and Kayak. If I can figure out the storage arrangements I think I'll be back for a test drive ($25 to try out up to three different craft, which you get back if you make a purchase) and then see about adding this craft to my fishing arsenal. :)




I hope that was of some use to you...happy fishing all!


Karl

[dahlberg]

Wow! Thanks for sharing your detailed and thoughtful analysis!
best,
L

[Questor]

I think the Hobies are remarkable and one of the coolest inventions I've seen in a long time. But I've done car toppers before, and have given up on them. It just takes too much time to set them up for the trip and the return trip. I much prefer my 14 foot aluminum rowboat that I can trailer. It's 'old school', but it's way more versatile than any kayak, and it makes a better casting platform too. If I'm in a no-motor zone, I can just take the outboard off. People seem to forget how effective rowing is versus paddling.

I do like those Hobie kayaks, though. Ingenious!