Hobie Revolution versus the Outback impressions

[pchen911]

After owning a couple of Hobie outbacks, I had some issues with it. Then a couple of weeks ago I heard the Revolution might be the solution to my issues. So I went and switched.

The biggest issue I had with the Outback was the launching and landing. Neither the paddles nor the pedals seemed ideal. Outback paddles like a pig, but you can't pedal in shallow water. Plus all the extra gear makes things messy.

Launching on the outback is doable if you don't mind wading out deep and use the pedal. But landing really sucks. If you pedal in and raise the rudder at the last second, it can get messy where you have to be doing 5 things at once while surfing a wave. Then the minute rudder is raised, you turn parallel to the waves. If you paddle in, its slow and hard to keep straight on a wave.

After hearing that the revolution paddles better, I thought this would solve my problems with launching and landing by allowing me to paddle out and in, and take the pedals out of the equation.

So a week ago, I sold the 07 ouback and picked up the consignment used 08 Revolution at the Oceanside OEX.

The boat itself was an 08 model, but The pedals that came with the boat was not. The pedals were from an older model and was a little more "used" than the boat itself, so I don't know if that had any impact on my impressions. (Seemed like a pedal from an 05 boat?).

Paddle that I got was also old and beat up, so I ditched that and used my own paddle to get a more accurate feel.

(I thought this to be strange..... why sell a 2008 boat coupled with 05,06, or 07 parts??)

(Hummingbird fish finder that came with the boat was not as reliable as my cheap Eagle Cuda, so I might switch that out.... but that would be a different thread.)

In the end, my impression of the revolution is that it is not a significant benefit benefit over the outback.

Speed and range wise, it is about the same as the outback when using the pedals... maybe just ever-so-slightly faster. So my speed and range measured by GPS pretty much stayed the same as my P15 and Outback. I also did not notice any significant differences in the amount of time it takes me to reach the pier or to my regular GPS waypoints.

On paddle, the boat definitely paddles alot easier than the Outback... which is what I was looking for. But I did notice one quirk. The Revolution doesn't track as well as I had hoped without the rudder down, nor does it glide very well. I wasn't expecting this and thought it would track similar to the P15 while launching.... It doesn't come close. The moment I start paddling, I feel it... Took me all of 2 strokes in my first launch to notice. You gotta pay attention while punching through waves or you'll turn sideways real fast. (feels more like my old Islander kayak with a flat bottom and no keel).

Deck layout and rear storage is, of course, smaller than the outback. And with the pedals in place, it actually felt pretty cramped. I actually had a hard time trying to find space for some of my gear. Both the P15 and Outback had space to spare for my regular stuff. Rudder control is in a real strange position.... it is almost under my left thigh.

Location of the rear rod holder was further back and in an awkard position for my bait tank. The rods end up being in the way of the bait tank intake on one side, and in the way of the exhaust on the other side. (I guess I might have to switch to the Hobie bait tank to remedy this).

Without the front rod holder, it has to use the ram mount rocket launcher for the front. (Scotty won't work because the rear part of the scotty holders will get in the way of the pedals). This makes the boat more cramped and a bit of a pain while moving about or fighting a fish. (I also prefer scotty over the RAM mounts -- personal preference).

Stability wise, not as stable as the Outback, but that is no surprise. Revolution is still really stable so this is not an issue at all.

In the end, I am not sure if switching from an 07 Outback to an 08 Revolution was the right thing to do. I get about the same amount of benefit as well as drawbacks with the change over.

While I am never quite sure which to use (paddle or pedal) for launching the Outback. Paddle launch and land does work better with the Revolution, but you have to be paying attention. (Launching and landing is not nearly as intuitive and auto-correcting as the prowlers).

I guess I will play with this Revolution for some time and see if I can get the Hobie bait tank to help improve the situation.