Outback or Revolution?

[Backdoc]

I bought a Tarpon 120 in August and have fished it pretty hard. This is my first and only kayak. I have been bitten by the kayak bug. I love my tarpon but I think I need a peddle boat as well. I was thinking I will keep my Tarpon for the Susquehanna as I have been doing pretty well in the rocks. I have fished the Patapsco with my Tarpon but I can see where a peddle boat would be better for the bay. Can you Hobie guys give me the quick and dirty on the Outback and Revolution. Thanks in advance.

[Cowpokey]

Drum roll please: Que Mustafa.

I've got an Outback, it's a great kayak. The side trays on the gunnel are great and extra width (stability) are worth the sacrifice in speed...besides I troll from launch to landing. Chasing birds; I would like to have extra speed, but that would really require a motor to make a difference.

[JohnE]

Depends on what you want to do. Ever plan on standing? From what I hear from revo people, it is pretty stable but not a good standing platform. 2015 outback with new mirage drive is at least as fast as previous gen revo from my experience, so you are not sacrificing much speed for extra stability and a place to stand if you're into that type of thing. I also like the extra weight capacity of the outback. If you want the fastest and don't care about standing or having the greatest stability...then go for the revo.

[HereFishyFishy]

I LOVE my outback, although I would love one of the 2015's better. 95% of the time when fishing, you are in the seat and pedaling and either Revo or Outback is fine. But there are times when doing "other things" that I am happy to have the extra width and stability. See the other post about the "pain of kayak fishing". Stability matters when you need to climb fore or aft to untangle the line from the rudder, or you want your rain jacket out of the front hatch....or when you rotate around to get the box of lures out of the crate. And I have never felt concerned when riding out moderate waves from boats or wind. I definitely like the side trays for placing lures that I have used, or lunch, or my beverage.

[Cowpokey]

I have climbed to the tank well to untangle the line from my rudder, with a cownose ray on the other end dragging me in circles. Stability is good.

[JohnE]

Yeah...stability is ridiculous on the outback. I love how I can actually access the front hatch. This is the first kayak I have even tried to do that on. Hobie or somebody should make an insulated fish bag that fits in that front hatch which fits perfect like that tub liner. I though about getting the hatch liner and a fish bag to make one, but I am still having trouble dropping $60 for a plastic tub.

[Goody]

Yeah...stability is ridiculous on the outback. I love how I can actually access the front hatch. This is the first kayak I have even tried to do that on. Hobie or somebody should make an insulated fish bag that fits in that front hatch which fits perfect like that tub liner. I though about getting the hatch liner and a fish bag to make one, but I am still having trouble dropping $60 for a plastic tub.

I just use a $10 grocery insulated freezer bag for grocery shopping in there. Works good plus you can bring your cold drinks.

Mobile

[coastal_dan]

Yeah...stability is ridiculous on the outback. I love how I can actually access the front hatch. This is the first kayak I have even tried to do that on. Hobie or somebody should make an insulated fish bag that fits in that front hatch which fits perfect like that tub liner. I though about getting the hatch liner and a fish bag to make one, but I am still having trouble dropping $60 for a plastic tub.

Agreed! I have to be honest after buying the plastic liner I am having a hard time figuring out life before it! Its an awesome addition and it fits perfectly and fully useful. My only thing is that when water comes over the bow you may get a little water in the liner...not much but just be aware of that fact.

[RavensDfense]

I own both; a 2015 Outback and a 2015 Revo 13. If you are ever in the Salisbury, MD area consider this an open invite to demo either.

Prior to owning the 2015 models, I've had a 2011 OB and a 2013 Revo 13. I've spent a crap load of time in both. The quick and dirty is basically what was said above. The Outback has more stability and the option to upgrade to a square hatch (i.e.-internal tackle storage or gear bucket). The Revo is a little more "tippy", but not to the point you are going to tip from a wave or cannot access the front hatch. I frequently stand on the Revo and pole around flats. It is not super comfortable to stand on because it doesn't have the flat hatch like the OB, but certainly doable. I am also not 200+ lbs and have good balance, so depending on your ability level, it might not be something you feel comfortable in.

The biggest difference to me between the two is the hull slap associated with the OB. The increased width of the OB changes the front of the hull. The Revo has straighter "lines" that cut through the water and waves more easily. It also has a slightly lower profile that is impacted by the wind less. The increased speed available in the Revo isn't enough to make that much of a difference, but it is slightly faster. The other thing to consider are the weight. The OB is heavier by about 10 lbs, which can make a difference when lifting it or carting it across sand.

For what it is worth, if I had to choose right just one now, after extensively using both, I would go with the Revolution 13. But I will say that it is nice not having to make that decision because they are both great boats that excel in differenct conditions.

[Mark]

I love the hull design of my Revo. It slices through waves with no problem -- like the two footers I faced on the Severn yesterday. I never feel tippy in it and if you ever look it out of the water you'll see it's actually wide at the waterline like a surfboard. You'd have to lean pretty far to the right or left to make it go over. I'm not saying it won't happen but with normal use and caution it's a plenty stable fishing platform.

However, I have two complaints.

First, I wish I had more deck room. The Outback is great for that with recesses in the gunnels to hold extra lures or whatever. Also, the smaller deck surface of the Revo can be problematic when fly fishing. Sometimes I drop the excess line between my legs but more often than not I simply toss it over the left gunnel into the water. That process works but I have floated over my line. That's not disastrous but it can be annoying.

Second, the low profile of the Revo makes it great in the wind. You can hold it on track even if the wind is coming from the side. But the low profile also means water over the gunnels on rough days and a wet seat. Perhaps the new models with the raised seat will correct that issue. It's rare now that I have an outing without a case of "wet butt" afterward. Yesterday Raptor and I faced the same conditions on the Severn and he remained dry in his Outback. I was wet.

One other thing, depending on your anticipated mode of transport you should recognize the weight differential between the two. My Revo is at the limit of my strength (I'm old) to car-top. I know the Outback is relatively close in weight. But it is wider too and that would be a little more difficult for me to grasp and lift alone.

Both are great boats in my opinion. The Revo serves my purposes and fishing style very well. I'm sure you'd be happy with either a Revo or an Outback. You might also want to look at Native's pedal driven products. It's really great to have choices.

[RavensDfense]

Second, the low profile of the Revo makes it great in the wind. You can hold it on track even if the wind is coming from the side. But the low profile also means water over the gunnels on rough days and a wet seat. Perhaps the new models with the raised seat will correct that issue. It's rare now that I have an outing without a case of "wet butt" afterward .

This is no longer an issue with the new models. Any water that finds its way beneath the seat can be drained by pulling a cord and opening the drain. This was a significant upgrade IMO because I also took issue with the constant swamp @ss on rough days.

[Steve]

Backdoc- thanks for posting this thread. It's exactly why I've been lurking, reading and finally joined. And I'm a displaced North Carolinian way out West in the high mountain desert with nary an ocean in sight. But I do yak fish and am on my 4th boat, an Ocean Kayak. They've all been paddlers and my next one will be a pedal boat.

I just didn't see it feasible to start "Yet another Hobie Outback thread?" to satisfy my needs and curiosity.

My Cobra Fish -n- Dive ( had 2) yaks were great and would not flip, tip or turtle no matter what I did. Quite often I could stand lock the drag on a decent fish and get a nice standing sleigh rider much to the amusement and sometimes disdain of the shore bound anglers. The 36" wide beam kind of helped the stability. it would paddle decent once you reached some cruising momentum and if it had a Mirage drive I would have been in heaven and kept it.

We have big reservoirs out here that get windy and prop chop besides the miles to cover just chasing fish and this kind of thread really helps my decision making process. I can see that the PA is already off my list and the NW propel drive boats are currently in second place. My buds in Alaska (where I fish annually to fill the freezer) all swear by the OBs. And I have an Ocean Kayak stored at the lodge where I go on Prince of Wales Island each fall for Silvers, Rockfish, Cod, shark, halibut, etc.

The little pluses and minuses about either the Revo or OB really help. There was a Revo and an OB on my local classifieds for $950 each plus an older Hank Parker model that may be in the hull crack years for the same price. So getting all the dirt on these yaks and their best features is great. I plan to relocate to the Pacific Northwest in the not too distant future and whatever pedal kayak I buy would be for there then and here, now.

[AbuMasgouf]

Drum roll please: Que Mustafa.

LOL!!! The reason why Carter is saying that is because I couldn't help but keep reminding everyone on the VHF radio how much I love the experience of being in the Outback.

RavensDfense covered it very well. The biggest draw back of the Revo that I had was the wet ride. The new models fix that with two great upgrades (new seat and the venturi effect).

The reason I'm completely in love with the Outback has everything to do with my style of fishing. I LOVE having the trays and LOVE the added stability that allows me to do whatever my heart desires at any end of the boat. My Revo was awesome and I could reach all the hatches no problem (I also have very good balance), but I did have to keep an eye on the waves and make sure that I'm clear to do whatever. With the Outback it's a totally different feeling of stability. Not that I'm going to ignore my surroundings, but I don't have that second guess fear of needing to return to my seat right away. I feel that the Revo is much more nimble, but I realize with the way I like to fish I'd rather have the added stability and extra deck space.

Best advice, sit in one. I bought my Revo used so didn't have the option between it and an outback. In fact I bought it pretty much blind from a kayak shop per Redfish 12's advice, because the only kayak experience I had was 10 minutes on a sit inside a long time ago. It worked out great and I will most likely keep it as a spare kayak for friends and family. But when I sat in the Outback I have (also bought it before I sat in it), it was LOVE at first SIT! LOL

[HereFishyFishy]

Question for you guys that have one of the new 2015 Outbacks (or Revos). The new Vantage seat has a gap under it. Have you been using that for Plano boxes/lure storage??

[AbuMasgouf]

Question for you guys that have one of the new 2015 Outbacks (or Revos). The new Vantage seat has a gap under it. Have you been using that for Plano boxes/lure storage??

For the OB and I'm assuming for the Revo as well. The gap isn't significant enough to put anything underneath... Plus it may interfere with the Venturi effect