Looking for a Hobie Revolution 16 review

[babiak]

Hi Folks,

I am looking to get another kayak for the family and I could use some help. We have a Ride 135 and a Big Tuna right now and I really want to get a pedal kayak next. This one was going to be mainly for myself and for fishing in the Delaware bay. I am 6'3" and about 220# on a friendly scale. I want to be able to cover some ground and maybe hit some reef sites. I have been fishing with a lot less gear than I used to in the past so I don't need a ton of storage. 2-3 rods, small cooler, net, a tackle tray and one dry bag. Standing is not a big factor for me either.

After doing a lot of reading, I have found tons of info on the Outback, PA's and Revo 11 /13's but very little on the Revo 16. Compare to the Revo 13, the 16 is 1" narrower, 2.5' longer and only 5# heavier. It sounds fast and able to handle some rougher conditions.

Does anyone have some hands on experience fishing with the Revo 16? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Revo 16
Specifications:
Crew: 1
Length: 16' / 4.88 m
Width: 27.5" / .7 m
Capacity: 350 lbs / 159 kg
Fitted Hull Weight: 75.5 lbs / 34.25 kg
Fully Rigged Weight: 88.8 lbs / 40.28 kg

[Redfish12]

Check out past info on fishing from an Adventure as the Revolution 16 is the new name. The revolution 16 is fast but the trade off is it is slower to turn, weighs more, and used to be a pretty wet ride. It is very seaworthy though and has a lot of secondary stability (your butt is below the waterline) and is easier to paddle. Joe (comeonfish) used an adventure for years and it worked well for him. I have not paddled the new version but I hear with turbo fins that thing is a real rocket!

[Hemingway]

My Revo13 with the turbo fins is pretty quick (over 5 mph if you really want to hammer down), so with the extra length I am sure the 16 is very fast. Stability wise the Revo is fine, but only in the low seat position. I have learned the hard way to only use the high seat position in calm water and NO extreme reaching behind you. Like Redfish said, the only downside will be turning. RavensDefense had a 13 with the sailing rudder, and it turned great, but he really thought the extra area of the rudder made the boat a little too twitchy in swirling currents, and I believe he took it off.

[babiak]

Thanks for the advice! I found a heck of a lot more reviews once I started looking under Adventure. I am thinking the revo 16 is the right fit if want to spend more time fishing offshore. I appreciate the help. I am going to try and test paddle sometime real soon.

[babiak]

I just test paddled a revo 16 and an outback this past weekend with the folks from Delaware Paddlesports. It was on a nice part of a back bay with stock setups on both kayaks. I downloaded a quick speedometer app and both boats topped out at 4mph but the app did not show how close to 5mph I may have been getting. Overall, both kayaks felt similar in speed. The turning radius was a big difference between the two boats as was expected. The stability was another area the two boats stood apart. Not that the revo was bad but the outback is rock solid.

Before I test paddled, I was about 80% sure I would go with the revo 16. Now, considering the similar speeds, I am leaning towards the outback. Seems like I would be trading hull slap and some water over the bow for cargo space and stability. Also, with the turning radius of the revo 16, I think I would have some trouble on smaller rivers in PA.

I think I am going to sit on it for a few more days then make the call. Thanks again for your advice.