Pelican Pedal Drive.... Uh Oh...

[mchottie]

Looks like the Pelican (Hobie v1 Style) pedal drive is already having failures.

Maybe its just working out the kinks in the first series of drives, but I have to think they cut costs somewhere to bring in a budget pedal yak, and if this is a common problem their customer base will not be happy...

[silasvirus82]

Pelican Pedal Drive.... Uh Oh...

Doesn’t look like a major issue to me. They just need to figure out the right metal alloy and replace the masts. Also, who knows what this person was doing to cause this.

I’ve seen plenty of people dissatisfied with Hobies quality of late too. A fellow Snaggedliner Romo seems to be at ends with his Hobie and their 180 drive. I’ll be keeping my V2 until Hobie proves they can build something worth the premium again.


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[J.A. Veil]

Many of us have grown used to having a finely-tuned pedal drive system in our kayaks. But we need to remember that even the best of these complex mechanical systems require maintenance and cannot tolerate excessive abuse. Any company that introduces a new pedal drive system has a real world "learning curve" as regular users beat up on the drive in many different aquatic and marine settings. Native had some growing pains when they introduced their newer Propel drive about 2013, Hobie did also when their drive with reverse came out, and the other competitors are no different.

It should not be surprising that when a kayak company introduces a low-price-point pedal-drive kayak, they are going to need to cut corners somewhere (and often in many places on the boat). Some of the less-expensive features are cosmetic or they just leave something off. In other cases, they use less expensive materials or cut corners in different aspects. Competition within an industry drives innovation. But not all competitors are helping to push the envelope -- they are using older or less-effective technology just to get in the game. And consumers will be attracted by low initial cost. Durability and customer support should win out in the end.

Caveat emptor (buyer beware).

[RavensDfense]

Doesn’t look like a major issue to me. They just need to figure out the right metal alloy and replace the masts. Also, who knows what this person was doing to cause this.

I’ve seen plenty of people dissatisfied with Hobies quality of late too. A fellow Snaggedliner Romo seems to be at ends with his Hobie and their 180 drive. I’ll be keeping my V2 until Hobie proves they can build something worth the premium again.


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I don't fully agree with the statement they aren't making a premium product. Some issues are naturally going to arise with the sheer amount of product Hobie has out there, but in general I see very few issues. Since 2011, I've owned about 8 different Hobie kayaks (3 with the 180 drive) and have never once had a drive fail me in any way. Some anglers have had issues with the mast snapping below the pedal on the 2016 and older mirage drives, but Hobie seemed to remedy this issue with a reinforced mast and that issue has all but disappeared.

In regards to Pelican and other lower-cost brands offering pedal technology, I can't speak to their quality. This particular individual may have hit something at full speed or neglected the drive. However, generally speaking, when two products look the same, have the same technology, and are based off the same patent and one of those products is significantly cheaper, typically there is a reason for that. It's rarely because they are willing to make less profit and more likely attributed to less-expensive components.

[Oldbayrunner]

Scenerio:

Person gets a new pedal kayak... Person installs and hits the water.... Person cranks on their pedals as hard as they can to see how quick and fast they can get it to go...Pedal drive fails from over stress... Person writes in forum how its a piece of junk and needs to be engineered better.... Others who did the same jump in...

Seen this type of posting over and over.... Yet people who responsibly use theirs and maintain them don't have many problems.

[Big Mike]

Scenerio:

Person gets a new pedal kayak... Person installs and hits the water.... Person cranks on their pedals as hard as they can to see how quick and fast they can get it to go...Pedal drive fails from over stress... Person writes in forum how its a piece of junk and needs to be engineered better.... Others who did the same jump in...

Seen this type of posting over and over.... Yet people who responsibly use theirs and maintain them don't have many problems.

I have to disagree. A properly engineered piece of equipment will not only accommodate max load conditions (in your scenario how fast can I go) but be designed to fail at 150 to 200% of that load. Blaming a user because they pedaled too fast is really a cop out and not something I’d tolerate as a consumer. There is no warning on these kayaks saying don’t exceed 3 MPH or your drive will break. Accepting subpar engineering isn’t something we should tolerate.

[Redfish12]

I remember that mast problem happening a lot back in the v1 drives but it was usually as a result of the set screw loosening or impact. It was a pain to notch and unscrew or drill out. Pelican R&D should have read the archived Hobie forums and KFS to avoid pitfalls of the past.

[ronaultmtd]

Yep, the Hobie Mirage Drives went through many improvements over the years based upon wear and tear...the GT Drive is just about as bulletproof as they can get...can’t wait until the kickup fins are incorporated as a retro fit kit

[Mark]

Yep, the Hobie Mirage Drives went through many improvements over the years based upon wear and tear...the GT Drive is just about as bulletproof as they can get...can’t wait until the kickup fins are incorporated as a retro fit kit

I've owned two Mirage Drives, the pre-GT and now the 180. I think "bulletproof" is an apt characterization. They're tough.

When I bent the masts on my first drive (hitting submerged concrete at full speed) my immediate concern was not the shafts because I knew they could be replaced, but the surrounding plastic frame. I thought the force of the impact might have fractured the plastic. It was unharmed.

With respect to the 180, I have had no issues with that either. I had heard there were problems with the cables breaking on the first issue. When I ordered my 2018 Revo I initially asked to forego the 180. The dealer was willing to do so. I saw little need for reverse having already pedaled a Revo for 4 years without it. However, I changed my mind and now I'm really glad I have it. It's very handy for positioning when fishing in close quarters near structure.

As for maintenance, it's minimal. I rinse the drive after outings with fresh water to remove what salt there may be and any grit or sand. I also lubricate moving parts and pressure points before outings with Hobie's lubricant spray. That takes about 30 seconds.

[Oldbayrunner]

I have to disagree. A properly engineered piece of equipment will not only accommodate max load conditions (in your scenario how fast can I go) but be designed to fail at 150 to 200% of that load. Blaming a user because they pedaled too fast is really a cop out and not something I’d tolerate as a consumer. There is no warning on these kayaks saying don’t exceed 3 MPH or your drive will break. Accepting subpar engineering isn’t something we should tolerate.

Who said anything about exceeding speed or going too fast? Going over 3mph isn't what I'm talking about.....You quoted only part of my scenario which I mention "cranking", "quick" & fast. Perhaps you've never blown a well engineered rear end, transmission or motor drag racing trying to go 0 to whatever, I have...... but that same well engineered equipment under normal usage and maintenance can and should last 100's of thousands of miles at high rates of speed. Most of us here cherish our gear and use it properly but there are a lot that don't because they like pushing it to the max and when it fails they complain and blame the manufacturer. That's not to say there aren't some manufactures defects even with the best engineered products.

[yakscientist]

I think Pelican as a brand has a lot of happy customers, and they provide a decent product at a reasonable price. However, I think in this case, they saw the need to quickly enter the pedal market, and waited until just after the Hobie patent expired, to rush their product out. This is obviously the result, minimal R&D, and a lapse in judgment as they probably thought the patent covered all the issues with the V1 drive, which it did not. You see this kind of thing all the time when cars undergo a model refresh, lab R&D only takes you so far, it's the real world conditions that truly test the product. Pelican probably just didn't budget enough real world testing time, and wanted to hit ICAST or the other big fishing expos with a new pedal yak. In a year I bet they'll have a markedly improved version, and hopefully won't lose many customers. I think it's a kind of cheating to introduce a "new" kayak using the pedal system designed by another company, but that's an opinion for another time.