Hobie kayaks...say what!? - Page 4 - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

PapaDave · 06-03-2015, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cabojohn

I'm not a Hobie hater or lover.

I have a question...IF your mirage drive takes a shit 6-8 miles offshore, do you call vessel assist?
Or is that just silly to take a hobie that far out?

I carry all the parts/tools necessary for any drive failures. They are easy to fix.

cabojohn · 06-03-2015, 11:58 AM

Thank you all for the feedback. Good to know you can get yourself out of a pickle if things go south offshore. (if you have spare parts / drive. Might be very worth the hassle to carry & extra costs)

There is no one perfect kayak as we all have different needs and how we paddle, fish & use our kayaks.
We are lucky we have a lot of choices. Let's fish!

Caden · 06-03-2015, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ful-rac

So they didn't have papaya! Big deal! Ivory dune would have looked real good on ya!

X2 you will like it

tunaseeker · 06-04-2015, 05:48 AM

Any comments on a sail for the PA14?

Shimano Penn · 06-06-2015, 08:47 AM

Just read the entire thread and agree with pretty much every pro/ con mentioned. I started with an old OK Scupper Pro I bought off CL for $300 just to see if I'd like kayaking. Light, sleek, fast; a blast to paddle around in but zero stability for fishing. I'm maybe not the most athletic guy here and pushing 200 lbs. I rolled that thing every time I went out even in mill-pond conditions and that was on lakes, I never dared to try the ocean in it. I saw PA's on the beach, got curious and went shopping. Are you f'ing kidding me???? $$$$$$$ !!!!!! So I ended up buying a Current Designs Tailfin with stabilizing pontoons on outriggers. I felt secure enough and started fishing La Jolla but still envied those peddle boats passing by. Jumped on a killer CL deal for a PA14, I believe it is Wades old boat ? I think that's what I was told anyway. So now I have the same love/ hate relationship that some have shared here. All the things that make it great (size, weight, stability, mirage drive) are the same things that make it suck. (try loading one on top of my Astro van

) In my view it's just a mistake to even call the PA a kayak. It's a peddle boat.

I bought a trailer

Gr8fuldude · 06-06-2015, 10:53 AM

Since I've benefited from this thread, I may as well contribute to it. I'm new to serious kayak fishing, and I was ready to pull the trigger on a PA 12, but I've changed my mind for the following reasons:

1) I live several hours from the coast (4 hrs from LJ), and with a toddler at home, I don't get to fish the salt as often as I'd like (I'm jealous of those that live near SD or OC). Also, I love fishing Baja, which is even further and takes more effort to get to (five hrs to calexico). So when I do get to go, I need to count on my kayak to work, and it seems like the moving parts on a Hobie reduce reliability and increase the risk of trip-ruining malfunctions. I understand I can take tools and bring Hobie spare parts yadda yadda, but that's starting to feel like more headache than its worth to me. Hearing about Tony's and other's Hobie woes in BdG also made me think twice. I feel like my chances to fish are too few and too precious to risk mechanical failure.

2) I'm hoping to buddy up and carpool for Baja trips, and cartopping two kayaks if one or both are PA's seems more problematic for transport. Lighter weight paddle kayaks appear easier to double up for cartopping.

Some other more minor things factored in (PA not permitted for mothershipping (?), Hobie surf launch challenges, Hobie cartopping a little harder even without the add'l kayak, etc.) but the top two were the main ones.

So, after researching this topic ad nauseum, I finally put an order in with Andy for a WS Thresher 140 for my first serious fishing kayak. Perhaps I'll get a PA down the road, but those were my thoughts that convinced me against the PA for now.

Dave Legacy · 06-06-2015, 11:53 AM

WS Thresher 140 sounds like a good move, dude! With all the money saved you can apply it towards quality parts.

Gr8fuldude · 06-06-2015, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Legacy

WS Thresher 140 sounds like a good move, dude! With all the money saved you can apply it towards quality parts.

Yeah, saving >$1700 doesn't suck either.

After all, there's a whole lot more gear to buy to get fully rigged.

Silbaugh4liberty · 06-07-2015, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gr8fuldude

Since I've benefited from this thread, I may as well contribute to it. I'm new to serious kayak fishing, and I was ready to pull the trigger on a PA 12, but I've changed my mind for the following reasons:

1) I live several hours from the coast (4 hrs from LJ), and with a toddler at home, I don't get to fish the salt as often as I'd like (I'm jealous of those that live near SD or OC). Also, I love fishing Baja, which is even further and takes more effort to get to (five hrs to calexico). So when I do get to go, I need to count on my kayak to work, and it seems like the moving parts on a Hobie reduce reliability and increase the risk of trip-ruining malfunctions. I understand I can take tools and bring Hobie spare parts yadda yadda, but that's starting to feel like more headache than its worth to me. Hearing about Tony's and other's Hobie woes in BdG also made me think twice. I feel like my chances to fish are too few and too precious to risk mechanical failure.

2) I'm hoping to buddy up and carpool for Baja trips, and cartopping two kayaks if one or both are PA's seems more problematic for transport. Lighter weight paddle kayaks appear easier to double up for cartopping.

Some other more minor things factored in (PA not permitted for mothershipping (?), Hobie surf launch challenges, Hobie cartopping a little harder even without the add'l kayak, etc.) but the top two were the main ones.

So, after researching this topic ad nauseum, I finally put an order in with Andy for a WS Thresher 140 for my first serious fishing kayak. Perhaps I'll get a PA down the road, but those were my thoughts that convinced me against the PA for now.

Nice! My next one might be a thresher! I really like the rod storage! Perfect for those CL launches and landings. The self contained FF/ducer/battery box is sweet too!

bolocop · 06-08-2015, 09:00 AM

Until this past weekend, I was a Hobie fanatic. I read this thread and was like that stuff can't happen to me.

Then sitting just beyond the breakers in LJ, I was waiting for the right time, the time came and I started stepping hard to gain speed, then POW, one pedal goes dead and leaves me hanging in the kill zone. Luckily, I picked the right time to go in and rode little ones in.

I don't like to paddle in (too slow IMO), but now I will consider changing out the chains and the idler cable more often. I guess the most tension will occur when you get on it and that means, landing, launching or racing towards a boil.

Am considering a paddle kayak now though...or at least an outback where you can paddle and peddle.

Zed · 06-08-2015, 09:14 AM

Or even pedal.

06-06-2015, 08:47 AM	#65
Shimano Penn Junior Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 22	Just read the entire thread and agree with pretty much every pro/ con mentioned. I started with an old OK Scupper Pro I bought off CL for $300 just to see if I'd like kayaking. Light, sleek, fast; a blast to paddle around in but zero stability for fishing. I'm maybe not the most athletic guy here and pushing 200 lbs. I rolled that thing every time I went out even in mill-pond conditions and that was on lakes, I never dared to try the ocean in it. I saw PA's on the beach, got curious and went shopping. Are you f'ing kidding me???? $$$$$$$ !!!!!! So I ended up buying a Current Designs Tailfin with stabilizing pontoons on outriggers. I felt secure enough and started fishing La Jolla but still envied those peddle boats passing by. Jumped on a killer CL deal for a PA14, I believe it is Wades old boat ? I think that's what I was told anyway. So now I have the same love/ hate relationship that some have shared here. All the things that make it great (size, weight, stability, mirage drive) are the same things that make it suck. (try loading one on top of my Astro van ) In my view it's just a mistake to even call the PA a kayak. It's a peddle boat. I bought a trailer Last edited by Shimano Penn; 06-06-2015 at 09:21 AM.

06-08-2015, 09:14 AM	#71
Zed BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: W of 5 Posts: 1,265	Or even pedal. __________________ Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week.

06-03-2015, 11:58 AM	#62
cabojohn PROBATION Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 656	Thank you all for the feedback. Good to know you can get yourself out of a pickle if things go south offshore. (if you have spare parts / drive. Might be very worth the hassle to carry & extra costs) There is no one perfect kayak as we all have different needs and how we paddle, fish & use our kayaks. We are lucky we have a lot of choices. Let's fish!

06-04-2015, 05:48 AM	#64
tunaseeker TB Metal Art Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 653	Any comments on a sail for the PA14?

06-06-2015, 10:53 AM	#66
Gr8fuldude Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Tehachapi, CA Posts: 166	Since I've benefited from this thread, I may as well contribute to it. I'm new to serious kayak fishing, and I was ready to pull the trigger on a PA 12, but I've changed my mind for the following reasons: 1) I live several hours from the coast (4 hrs from LJ), and with a toddler at home, I don't get to fish the salt as often as I'd like (I'm jealous of those that live near SD or OC). Also, I love fishing Baja, which is even further and takes more effort to get to (five hrs to calexico). So when I do get to go, I need to count on my kayak to work, and it seems like the moving parts on a Hobie reduce reliability and increase the risk of trip-ruining malfunctions. I understand I can take tools and bring Hobie spare parts yadda yadda, but that's starting to feel like more headache than its worth to me. Hearing about Tony's and other's Hobie woes in BdG also made me think twice. I feel like my chances to fish are too few and too precious to risk mechanical failure. 2) I'm hoping to buddy up and carpool for Baja trips, and cartopping two kayaks if one or both are PA's seems more problematic for transport. Lighter weight paddle kayaks appear easier to double up for cartopping. Some other more minor things factored in (PA not permitted for mothershipping (?), Hobie surf launch challenges, Hobie cartopping a little harder even without the add'l kayak, etc.) but the top two were the main ones. So, after researching this topic ad nauseum, I finally put an order in with Andy for a WS Thresher 140 for my first serious fishing kayak. Perhaps I'll get a PA down the road, but those were my thoughts that convinced me against the PA for now.

06-06-2015, 11:53 AM	#67
Dave Legacy Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Hacienda Heights, CA Posts: 427	WS Thresher 140 sounds like a good move, dude! With all the money saved you can apply it towards quality parts.

06-08-2015, 09:00 AM	#70
bolocop Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 332	Until this past weekend, I was a Hobie fanatic. I read this thread and was like that stuff can't happen to me. Then sitting just beyond the breakers in LJ, I was waiting for the right time, the time came and I started stepping hard to gain speed, then POW, one pedal goes dead and leaves me hanging in the kill zone. Luckily, I picked the right time to go in and rode little ones in. I don't like to paddle in (too slow IMO), but now I will consider changing out the chains and the idler cable more often. I guess the most tension will occur when you get on it and that means, landing, launching or racing towards a boil. Am considering a paddle kayak now though...or at least an outback where you can paddle and peddle.