Hobie vs everyone else’s pedal drives?

[dhmjd]

I am thinking of upgrading from my older Hobie Outback. Mine has the older drive system so no reverse. I can go with a new Outback or one of the other pedal system kayaks from Old Town, Wilderness Systems etc. I mainly fish the bay bridge, Oregon inlet, Indian river inlet and down in the Honga. I’d love to hear feedback on the comparative advantages/disadvantages of the various pedal drives.

[Mark]

The disadvantage of Hobie's system is that you have to shift into reverse. With Native's drive and most others, you simply pedal backwards. There is no shifting involved.

I have a Hobie with reverse. I rarely use it in reverse, frankly. But when I do, it shifts easily and works efficiently.

I think the biggest factor in deciding which pedal drive to use is how you prefer to prefer to pedal -- the in-and-out method of the Mirage Drive system, or the circular pedal motion of most other makers.

I prefer the Hobie method for its speed and I find it ergonomically easier than circular pedaling.

[Hemingway]

I have been using Hobie since 2014. There are a couple of other advantages that I think Hobie Mirage Drives have over the competition. Since I do a lot of skinny water fishing, Hobie's ability to feather the fins up under the hull and keep on moving allows them to go in much shallower water before having to grab the paddle. Also, the fins seem to work better in grass, in part, because you can keep them tighter to the hull, and also the propellers will wind the grass around them. It's the same with fishing line. If a fish takes the line under the boat, it can be a real nightmare if you wrap the string up in your propeller. The new Kick Up fins have been needed for a long time. Over the years, I have bent the fin mast on the Mirage at least three times hitting submerged objects, but never so bad that I had to paddle in. As far as the reverse feature, it is something that is nice when you are fishing in big current near pilings or if you are in close with your buddies all hooked up on big bulls, other than that it is not something you will use much.

[Mark]

The skinny water application of the Mirage Drive mentioned by Hemmingway is one that I use often. To me, that is a key feature that is much more important than having reverse. Also, I concur with his assessment of the durability of the drive. With my first Hobie, I too hit underwater objects so hard that I bent the stainless-steel shafts that serve as backbones for the fins. Yet the fins kept working. Although I'm much more cautious now and rarely hit submerged objects at full speed, I agree that the Kick-Up fins are a welcome feature.

I do not know about the 360 drives and whether they require any manipulation to make them go into reverse. But of the newer features of the Mirage Drive, reverse remains the least important to me due to my fishing styles. In fact, when I first got the reverse, I forgot to use it more often than not. I would instinctively reach for my paddle when I had to back up.

[ski357]

Doesn't the Hobie 360 system work without shifting in reverse?

The Hobie 360 feature is "steering" managed, so no reverse is engaged. The 360 system is engaged independently of the rudder. The 360 is only available for the Pro Angler (12) IIRC.

[dsaavedra]

One thing not mentioned yet is the propulsion efficiency. The fins are more efficient than propellers, meaning more of the energy you put into your pedal stroke goes toward actually moving the boat forward. This matters if you do a lot of trolling, like to cover long distances during your trips, fish in strong current, or simply want to get from point A to B most efficiently.

[dhmjd]

Thanks for all the feedback!

[Red_Beard]

The Hobie drives work better in really shallow water and grass as well.

[summersoff]

As an owner of two Native Propels, I will eagerly admit the Hobie is easier to pedal. I love, need, insist on the ease of the propel reverse, but it’s a chore to crank. I cycle all the time and should have no problem with the propel, but it uses a crank that comes off a $2 Little kid’s bike. My Revo was fast and easy to pedal.
but having said that, I swapped my Revo for another Native Propel, because it ain’t all about moving forward.