Hobie vs Propel

[Memory Maker]

Great neutral comparison ............

http://www.yakangler.com/how-to-padd...1a5f8-84302661

[J.A. Veil]

For those of you who want to see both kayaks at the same place, come to the March 1 kayak fishing flea market at the Lake Shore Fire Dept. I rented enough table space to display my Slayer Propel. Tom told me that a Hobie dealer plans to bring several kayaks to display. This is not as good as an actual on-the-water trial, but will help you to visualize the features and layout of both brands.

As an aside, I suspect that a better comparison in the Hobie family than the Outback is the Pro Angler 12 or 14. They have newer designs with elevated seats like the Slayer Propel. In the end, a buyer's choice generally comes down to personal preference based on subjective evaluation of all aspects of the boat, including appearance, features, and price.

[Yak Fish]

Great comparison. Like John said, I think the propel is a little closer to a pro angler than an outback. I'm anxious to see the propel. It's nice to get some competition on the peddle kayak front. At the end of the day, it's got to come down to personal usage. I think a few minutes in the water will tell you what you need to know. I think the Hobie's mirage drive greatest strengths are the ability to go in shallow water and to slough off weeds which is important where I fish. I would really love the ability to move in reverse which the propel brings and I'm anxious to hear reports of how it handles in weeds.

There's so many cool kayaks out there. I pretty much want one of each. I think what I really want is the Torqueedo on my yak. Oooh ohh, how about a yak that has multiple gears like a bike! Too bad water dynamics doesn't work that way.

[DOGFISH]

I must agree with the last post. There is nothing like the Torqeedo and/or eVolve, same thing. If you are a troller, it is a world of difference. The range is great and totally frees you up to do other things while still trolling. It also has reverse. Although, I rarely, if ever, have used reverse. I must confess, I have had my PA for two years and have never use the peddle drive. Although, I do carry it as backup.

The larger PA14 is 38" wide and 14 feet long. So, I don't know about that for a comparison. Maybe the PA12 is a better comparison.

[Memory Maker]

Well ....... I think it compares well with the Outback especially on Paper ............ I think the PA comparison on paper would be a whole different story .......... but that's just my opinion ....... not looking for an argument

[PigPen]

I think we need a fleet day in the water to showcase the boats. I would never had guessed how stable my boat was until the dealer let me take it out on a demo. Maybes a chicken/acrobatic competition to see who can really move around on the boat paired against the weight of the boat. BTW, my propel gets wrapped up with weeds but is easy to clean.

[Yak Fish]

The outback is stable but not really for standing up on. I've done it, but those waters better be dead calm

[Memory Maker]

I think we need a fleet day in the water to showcase the boats. I would never had guessed how stable my boat was until the dealer let me take it out on a demo. Maybes a chicken/acrobatic competition to see who can really move around on the boat paired against the weight of the boat. BTW, my propel gets wrapped up with weeds but is easy to clean.

......... The mirage drive tends to push them aside and not get wrapped as easily

[DOGFISH]

Like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzZfhQAAO7w


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhG4f9mMNCs

[Memory Maker]

Ya wanna talk about stability and standing in a Yak ........... Kayak Angler has a video of someone Spey casting from a Hobie Pro Angler ...........

[PigPen]

The outback is stable but not really for standing up on. I've done it, but those waters better be dead calm

I've been standing in my Mariner more or less about every outing and have done pretty well with exception to some serious chop or wakes. When I start practicing dumping the boat and reentry I should get a good idea of how much I can push the balance point on the boat. It may be a while before I look as natural as Drew from Jackson Kayak who might have beena circus monkey in a previous life.

[Cowpokey]

Has anyone put the Mirage drive up against a Propel for cruising and/or sprinting speed?

I got left behind by a paddle kayak today. But to be fair, it was a long and narrow sit in sea/touring kayak, and not carrying any thing I could see other than the skipper. We had a full load of fishing gear, Cowkid II sitting on the nose hatch, standard fins. We were headed back to Scott's Cove, pulled out to the main channel right along side the other kayak with right at a mile back to the ramp. Went pretty close to the same speed, but by the end we were about 200 yards behind. We were cruising along at 3.5 knots according to the GPS, I pushed it to 4.1 knots for a quick sprint, but that takes a lot more energy than it's worth.

I've had my Outback up to 4.7 knots solo, loaded with the same amount of fishing gear...only for a hundred yards or so. I can only imagine what a Revo or Adventure can do empty with turbo fins...they must be fast.

[Mark]

I have pedaled my Revo with standard fins side-by-side with John in his Slayer Propel. We were just cruising at a natural pace. Nothing strenuous. I know from experience by watching my GPS radio on other trips that this pace was about 3 MPH. I noticed that I had to do approximately 2 complete in and out cycles with my pedals for each full revolution John made with his pedals.

I don't have any idea which of us was burning more energy. We were chatting along the way and neither of us was winded and we sustained that pace for quite a distance.

To me the beauty of the pedal drives is range, not speed. I can cruise at 3 MPH for a long time without resting...like from Hacketts Point to Greenbury Point. I do well facing wind and waves also.

I can get my Revo to 6 MPH for maybe 50 yards but that's hard. It takes a lot of energy to move it that fast and my perspiration flows. So I rarely do it. This is supposed to be a liesurely endeavor, afterall. But I have scurried away from the path of oncoming power boats so it's a nice capability to have.

[PigPen]

I wonder about that as well. I had my mariner out on tridelphia at 5.8 mph according to GPS. When pushing it as hard as possible, I tried using the paddles at the same time and the paddles just slipped through the water. I couldn't put force on the paddle at that speed. I figure the sea kayak would eventually hit a similar top speed. I think some racing would be fun in the various kinds of kayaks with beer at the finish line.

[FRED driver]

Has anyone put the Mirage drive up against a Propel for cruising and/or sprinting speed?

I got left behind by a paddle kayak today. But to be fair, it was a long and narrow sit in sea/touring kayak, and not carrying any thing I could see other than the skipper. We had a full load of fishing gear, Cowkid II sitting on the nose hatch, standard fins. We were headed back to Scott's Cove, pulled out to the main channel right along side the other kayak with right at a mile back to the ramp. Went pretty close to the same speed, but by the end we were about 200 yards behind. We were cruising along at 3.5 knots according to the GPS, I pushed it to 4.1 knots for a quick sprint, but that takes a lot more energy than it's worth.

I've had my Outback up to 4.7 knots solo, loaded with the same amount of fishing gear...only for a hundred yards or so. I can only imagine what a Revo or Adventure can do empty with turbo fins...they must be fast.

Do yourself a huge favor and get the Turbo fins and sailing rudder. Turbos should come standard unless you have very weak legs, and the sailing rudder does wonders for turn radius. It's like being in 3rd gear versus redlining out in 1st all day, extending your range even farther. Just be careful with the extra torque--you can shear the pedals if you crank too hard to start =)