Today in the Boo

[bubblehide]

Originally Posted by roby

...I have launched in the surf many times in a sit-in kayak, but have never launched in a Hobie. The Hobie surprised me with how bad it can track without a rudder, and how poorly it starts up with a paddle. The waves here were the Hobie's worse nightmare. You can't really use your mirage drive because it's too shallow, and you can't use your rudder for the same reason. Any of the sleeker Ocean Kayaks or Wilderness Tarpons would not of had a problem.

I quickly learned why there aren't too many Malibu regulars that use a Hobie...

I used to have an outback, and the above is exactly why I don't have it anymore, but now have an Altura that I'm putting a Hobie drive into, I took it out the other day and had no such problems; paddled right through the surf; it appears that the Hobie hulls are made for stability not performance.

What did help with the outback was launching and landing with the pedals locked in and in the up position, taking it to knee deep water, hoping in, paddle until I'm was in water deep enough to pedal and deploying the rudder as soon as I could (generally I'd be sideways by this time), straighten her out and keep going. But once your pedaling you could also use the paddle as a rudder.