2019 outback says good bye hull slap!

[Jimbo]

I took mine out by the bay bridge this afternoon for a brief maiden voyage.
Initial thoughts:
When I first jumped onboard I thought, wow, this thing is big. The cockpit seems very big.
The rudder control is easy and the rudder deployment worked very well with little effort.
The seat by default is in the high position and seems higher than last years model. The seat is basically the same, just a tad wider. I’m not crazy about the design. It easily disconnects in the front while you’re using it and I cant get mine to sit upright. It wont come out if the reclined position. I’ve had the same problem in the past but eventually got the seat upright. Something is wrong with this one and it will need to be taken apart to fix.
The kayak turns on a dime in both directions. Equally as good as last years model with a sailing rudder, if not better.
The pedal drive has been upgraded and also comes standard with turbo fins. There’s a noticeable difference in how much effort it takes to get the kayak out of the hole and to keep’er moving. Im going to use an older 180 turbo drive next time to see if the difference is from the new drive or the hull. To be honest, the difference was significant and I struggled to go at a pace and distance that was relatively effortless with the ‘17 model year.

But, as the title said, there is no hull slap. It cuts through pretty much like a revo.
It actually paddles and tracks pretty well. Much better than older models.

I haven’t set it up for fishing yet, which I’m sure will add significantly to the “pros” column.

Overall, it’s a great kayak and everything I hoped it to be.... almost.

The effort it takes to pedal the thing may be a big issue.


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[Yak67]

Nice feedback Jimbo. I hope you figure out that seat issue soon. Sounds like a fishing "Machine" about to break out!


What color for the new Yak???

Yak67
2017 Hobie PA-12 Camo
2016 Hobie Outback LE#217

[Jimbo]

Cammie


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[belairfishing]

Jimbo,

You need to do the seat hack, basically reversing the spring so it stays in the up position. I haven't done it yet, but some guys here have. Maybe Steve6902 will chime in. He showed me.

[Jimbo]

Jimbo,

You need to do the seat hack, basically reversing the spring so it stays in the up position. I haven't done it yet, but some guys here have. Maybe Steve6902 will chime in. He showed me.

It comes from the factory already that way. No hack needed.


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[Yak Fish]

I'm surprised it wouldn't be faster than the previous year's model. It seems sleeker. Nice info, thanks.

[NattyBoh74]

Curious on why it feels or is shower. Even Hobie themselves said it's easier to pedal and faster

[Jimbo]

I hesitate to say it’s slower.

A couple weeks ago I fished with a friend who has a compass with turbo fins. I had my ‘17 outback with the 180 drive. We swapped drives for a while. His drive required more effort, however, we both agreed that the top end was faster than with my drive. An analogy would be like comparing 5th gear to 10th gear in a 10 speed bicycle.
Both have turbo fins but the geometry of the GT fins is quite a bit different than the 180 fins and the cadence of the 180 drive is faster than the GT at any given speed over ground.
The difference between the two reminded me if when I switched to turbo fins years ago.
The difference between the new outback and the ‘17 outback was similar to comparing the GT drive to the 180 drive. But, instead of thinking that the new is probably a little faster, like with the GT/180 comparison, what came to mind was that it required more effort over time, even more than the with GT drive in my ‘17 Outback. Meaning, I couldn’t cruise very far without needing a break.
Possibly there is a difference between the two 180 drives being different model years or other wise.
I cant actually speak to the speed difference because I wasn’t really looking at that.
Perhaps a slower cadence will give me the same cruising speed and distance capability, assuming the issue is with the drive.
I’m going to next compare both 180 drives in the ‘19 to determine if it’s the drive or the hull.


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[Mark]

Jimbo,

That's an interesting comparison between the two Mirage Drives.

I have a 180 Drive with Glide Technology and ST fins on my 2018 Revo. My 2012 Revo had ST fins but no Glide Technology and of course no 180.

I've never felt a need to use Turbo Fins on either Revo.

After owning a Revo for years, I pedaled a pre-2019 Outback with turbo Fins for several outings and I could definitely tell that it required more effort to initiate movement than I was used to. That stands to reason since Turbo Fins pushed more water and the Outback's hull was wider.

My 2018 Revo is the fastest of the three Hobies I have pedaled, even though the surface area of the 180 fins appears to be smaller than the ST fins on the regular drive I used to own. I assumed the increase in speed was due to the Glide Technology. The bearings on the Glide Technology add a stability (less wobble) to the drive that was lacking in the pre-Glide Technology models.

My VHF radio has GPS and gives me a speed reading. My normal long-distance pedaling cadence on my new Revo produces 4 mph. In fact, I consciously throttle back when trolling to keep my light jigs in the strike zone. It was 3 mph on my old Revo.

I can push my present Revo to 6 mph. I could also do that in my old one. But I can maintain that pace longer in the new one. Again, I think the Glide technology is the reason for that. But the difference in fin shape, perhaps being more efficient, may also play a role. I think it would take an expert in propeller hydrodynamics to fully explain the reasons why.

Anyway, you're correct that the various Hobie drives produce different results.

Congrats on your new boat and good luck with it.

[yakscientist]

I've got a 2018 camo outback with the new ARC drive (same as the 2019 models I think) with turbo fins, and I overall I found it very easy to pedal. However, like you said, it may have seemed slightly harder than an older GT drive, but that might just be because the new 180 drives all have much stiffer fins (better for mid to top end cruising but with more effort) than the drives they replaced. I've only used older style drives for a few hours at a time, and this is the first outback I've actually owned, so I can't really properly comment on the differences. However, if you ever want to meet up and fish and conduct an impromptu speed test, we could do that. Or we could even swap kayaks for a few minutes and see how each of us feels in the other boat, see if it really feels faster and/or more stable. I predict the hulls are almost exactly the same in terms of speed, simply because I think the greater weight and width of the new hull negates the extra length, but I could be wrong.

[Jimbo]

So, it was the drive, not the hull.
I got out with the new outback and compared the performance using my 2017 180 drive and the drive it came with.
The new drive was harder to pedal than the older 180 drive because the fin tension on old drive was very loose. The difference between the two is significant.
I also compared both drives in an older outback to see if there was a difference between the hulls. Using the exact same drive the new outback gets out of the hole easier, certainly cuts through the chop much better and probably cruises a little faster.


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[MD Dore]

Jimbo,

What do you think of the new positioning of the handles by the seat? I can't tell by looking if the handles make lifting the kayak more or less comfortable.

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[Jimbo]

Jimbo,

What do you think of the new positioning of the handles by the seat? I can't tell by looking if the handles make lifting the kayak more or less comfortable.

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To me it seems like it gives you more control. I also cheat a little and use the new gunnel rail with my other hand.


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[MD Dore]

To me it seems like it gives you more control. I also cheat a little and use the new gunnel rail with my other hand.


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Thanks. I am sold on this new yak. Now, let's see if I can convince my better half that buying another kayak for me is in her best interest.

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[willf650]

Jimbo,

What do you think of the new positioning of the handles by the seat? I can't tell by looking if the handles make lifting the kayak more or less comfortable.

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My buddy just got the 2019 and the handle position is one thing I truly dislike about it. In the previous model I would use the cup holders in conjunction with the handles as a outward tilting rod holder. That is no longer an option on the 2019.


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