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The Hobie Adventure

6200 Views 28 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  outerlimit
Good day gentlemen, I thought I might share my Adventure with the Adventure with you. I 'm from the center of California. While I do love paddling and casting and casting in saltwater I spend most of my time in freswaterwhere I guide on rivers and lakes. I have a website with a small but growing group.

Hobie adventure: It’s a bicycle disguised as a kayak! That was my description of a Hobie. Pedal instead of paddle? No way I wouldn’t even try one. Narrow-minded? Maybe a little. I love paddling as much as fishing; I mean I use a Greenland Paddle for most of my paddling even when I’m in a canoe. However, while there’s no way I would ever give up paddling for pedaling, the option of both is one hell of an option.
Hobie Adventure so far. Made it out Millerton for a few hours Wednesday.
First thing notice I notice was the side handles that make it a lot easier to carry it or load it that’s a big plus in my book. The seats that Hobie supplies with their yaks have pegs on the bottom of them that right into two scupper holes located right on the hull where the seats goes. They’re actually tow rolls of them for seat adjusting, no more seat sliding back and forth, I always hated that. As far as weight goes it’s sixty lbs, that’s about average for most SOTs. In the 16 ft range. Once on the water I paddled it for a couple of hours. For me this was the real test because if it didn’t paddle well It’s not the kayak for me. I am not giving up paddling for pedaling. After what I felt was a thorough paddling test I think the difference between the WS Tarpon 160i and the Hobie adventure is slight with the Adventure being just a bit harder to paddle but more stable. I’ve yet to do a long paddle like about eight miles. For me that would be from Millerton lake up the San Joaquin River to Squaw Leap for some incredible striper and shad fishing that starts about late March. Sorry I’m getting off the subject.
Next the pedals or The Hobie Mirage Drive as Hobie calls them. A fact that opened my mind towards Hobie was those peddles can be taken and put back in-in a matter of seconds with just a twist of the knobs on each side of the opening that the drive goes through. The drives are easily adjustable. Also before you pedal you need to adjust the seat to where you’re leaning back a bit, like in an easy chair.
Next the controls for the rudder. The control for turning is a lever on your left side, nice and handy. The control lever for lifting the rudder out of and putting it in the water is located back behind you just a bit
back on the right side of the Adventure.
Once the drive was adjusted and I was pedaling through the water, it was pretty cool, weird but cool. The only thing I can compare it to is it’s like having an electric motor. The controls worked great. I pedaled around for another couple of hours. There was some wind and the water was choppy, but the Adventure handled well. I was in love! The fishing possibilities would be endless. Then I tried to lift the rudder out of the water so I could paddle back to the launch. The rudder wouldn’t budge, not a problem if you want to pedal but a big one if you want or need to paddle. I pedaled to shore once I got in shallow water I was able to lift the rudder out of the water with the lever easily. Once back in deeper water I had the same trouble again. I finally made it back to the launch. When I got home I called Hobie for some advice, nice folk. They told me about a particularly screw I would need to tighten and that the Adventures rudder system was new and they would help me fine tune it. I did what they said but I won’t know if works until I get it back on the water. Any Hobie owners had this problem? If I can get the rudder to work right, the Adventure will be my new favorite yak.
Hobie Adventure Part two.
The rudder problems that I was having happened were because the bolt that holds the rudder drum together was too tight not too loose. I loosen the bolt, now the rudder lifts out of the water just fine.
I’ve put enough time in on the water in the Adventure to where I‘m comfortable paddling or pedaling it. You can move at a pretty good clip when your pedaling, however you will get weird looks. The steering lever is located only inches from your left hand. The lifting lever is just a little behind you on the right side within easy reach. I have to agree with Pal in that you do have to experience the Adventure to really know what it’s like. The most accurate description
I can give you is it’s like using an electric motor.
With practice you’ll definitely have an almost hand free situation.
The Adventure has past the big test for me; I can fly fish from it.
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Gday Rickey
Sounds like youve had fun.Im a keen fly fisher and am getting back into yak fishing again and was wondering how you deal with the loose loops of line once youve retreived.Do you use a stripping basket or just use a floating line and let it lie in the water.Any tips or advice would be appreciated
mate
Interesting review, Paddle and Flies. Just a thought about your forum name. Maybe that should be Paddle and Pedal? Or is it when you pedal you are flying along? Ah, now back to serious stuff.

I enjoyed reading of your experience.

I have wondered about this pedal yak thing and while to me it just doesn't seem right, I have to admit, I am starting to see how it could be useful. The capability to have hands on rod while still using some locomotion sounds useful.

What I would love to see would be pedal reverse. Often I find the fishy looking spot is right in front of rocks into which the waves and wind are trying to smash me. So I cast, crank, paddle in reverse (urgently), cast again, ah, give up as not enough control over yak.
guys this may sound silly but is there a way that you could change the flippers around so that by pedalling the yak would then back up.that way youd approach by paddling then reverse away by pedalling
davenielsen, Dave what a top idea for pulling a fish from structure if it was possible. It might even make me get over having obstructions under my waterline for fish to tangle me on. This is a huge turn off for me with the Hobies.

Catch ya Scott
scott
might be worth contacting hobie about it.maybe by using some sort of arrangement with a shear pin to lock the fins so you still could change it back may be possible
Good morning, Fellow yak fishers from down under. Let me start with line control in a kayak. It begins with how you rig your kayak. Everything is behind me fishing crate, rods…everything. Never strip out more line than you need. Your lap is the best stripping basket you can use; simply use stripping basket techniques. Cast out the amount of line you think you’ll need. Then strip it back in you lap in a neat pile of coils. Follow this procedure when you cast and your line will lay out on the water nicely. As far as casts go there’s a cast you shouldn't do anymore.
(Insert Photo DSC P123 of side cast)
If--when sitting in your kayak, you make a cast with your arm straight up, you will inevitably hook your fly on anything behind you. Therefore, the straight-up, overhead cast that most of us do when we cast a fly line for the first time-- should be removed from your repertoire
The first thing I learned when I first started casting from a kayak was how low to the water you could make a cast. With practice you can actually cast inches above the water. Simply angle you rod tip straight down and out to the side and cast.
This lower angled cast is possible because of how close you are to the water the comfort of sitting in a kayak. This cast has been an extremely handy one for over hanging bush, under a dock or if there’s wind.

Now far as changing my site name to pedal and flies…not gonna happen.
I love paddling as much as fishing. I paddle to get from A to Z and for reverse.
I use those pedals when I start fishing and as of lately going into high winds.
The Hobie truly provides hands free fishing.
Now you can turn the drive around and pedal backwards just be careful what’s behind you or you’ll damage you rudder system or worse.
I don’t know if you get paddler magazine down under but I’ll have a few yak reviews in the next issue.
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thanks mate
will see how things go with the sidecasting
i use it a fair bit anyway due to the winds we have had lately,some minor adjustments are needed when throwing the heavier flies such as clousers and surf candies that i have been targeting some my local species with
The hobie sounds more appealing each time I read a review and flyfishing while pedalling sounds good.
shane - it certainly does doesnt it shane its the price tag thats the killer isnt it,well for me it is cos i need two yaks.one for me and one for the missus
What's the damage $$$ wise for a Hobie Adventure Fish fully kitted out? It would appear to be the most appealing yak out there to me...

I'm kinda in the market for something I can "buy once" and not have to replace for maybe 10 years.

Cheers

Ivan
evarn said:
What's the damage $$$ wise for a Hobie Adventure Fish fully kitted out? It would appear to be the most appealing yak out there to me...

I'm kinda in the market for something I can "buy once" and not have to replace for maybe 10 years.

Cheers

Ivan
Ivan,

I am buying a Hobie Outback Fisherman it is costing $2578, but that is with freight and insurance to Tasmania, on the mainland you are looking at $2280 or there abouts for the HOF.
Well, I got quoted around $2500 for a Hobie Adventure Fish... That sound alright?

I haven't yet had a look at it, but I'm sure I'll be suitably impressed.

Ivan
Sounds about right the local dealer here just quoted $2960 for the Adventure Fish
Wow.. You Taswegians sure get it hard coz of freight!
Abso-fraggin-lootellee

Everything from vegemite to dunny paper and Yaks. :evil:
I had a look at the Hobie yak's yesterday and they were all impressive! As much as I wanna buy Aussie made, I think I'm going to have to get a Hobie.. The only question now is which one! I'm leaning towards the Mirage Adventure Fishing at this time.
Hobie pricing here in Australia does seem quite inflated. I recently bought a large rudder for my Adventure that cost about $45 Aus. They sell in the US for $22...thats about a 100% markup from US retail. The Adventure Fish is advertised at KFS for US$1819...free shipping. If people here are getting quoted numbers like AUS$2960 thats about a +60% markup when the exchange rate is about +25% to the US$. Sure there is shipping but seems excessive to me.

What do people think? :roll: I might send a question to Hobie Australasia.
Yeah it seems pricey, but i'm really not sure about what the shipping costs would be. It surely would be more pricey because of the low volumes sold here in Australia
Best tip re the price, just get over it and buy anyway! Like they say, you get what you pay for. Steve.
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