Why People Don't Like Hobie Kayaks
Kayak 7 years ago 66,868 views
Why People Don't Like Hobie Kayaks I did some research on my own as to why people don't like hobie, the main reason was price, but most people did say they like hobie. JUST OPENED UP MY PATREON Www.patreon.com/aliexfishing By the way if you want to check out the Revo 11, here is a link,: http://amzn.to/2ocVdwh Check Out Bixpy at http://bit.ly/2xJ7ehn (use coupon code: aliexfishing for great discounts😁) Hello Friends, Welcome to AFishing TV In this channel we love to go Kayak fishing, bank fishing Fresh and Saltwater Fishing, unbox products, fly drones and talk about Fishing Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/user/afolgueira?sub_confirmation=1 Socials: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aliexfolgueira Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliexfolgueira Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliexfolgueira Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/afishingtv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afishingtv Facebook Groups: Afishing tV Emails: afishingtv@gmail.com Filming and Cameras: GoPro Hero 4 Silver https://goo.gl/YgVvbm GoPro Hero 5 Black https://goo.gl/gx7tzn Action Cam Heken 3 (2) Panasonic Lumix G7 http://amzn.to/2nbkatQ Panasonic TS6 Waterproof Point and Shoot http://amzn.to/2mSyK6S Samsung Gear 360 Video Camera http://amzn.to/2nbv2rK Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge http://amzn.to/2mNQBLm GoPro Hero 4 Session DEAD http://amzn.to/2nzgAdV Editing Software: Premiere Pro CC http://amzn.to/2nzjD65 Drone: DJI Phantom 3 Standard http://amzn.to/2nHSTAD Editing PC: Toshiba 4k Laptop 15.6 IN Cars: 2015 F150 SuperCrew XL 2016 Ford Explorer XLT Kayaks Mean Fishing Machines! 2015 Native Watercraft Slayer Propel 13….. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRrqdSwGRcg Rod/Reels Check my arsenal…..video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyYmt21X8CA · Penn Spinfisher V 6500 Live Paired with Penn Carnage 30# braid http://amzn.to/2n5At9D · Penn Spinfisher V 6500 Combo 40# Braid http://amzn.to/2nQh50H · Penn Spinfisher V 4500 paired with Penn Battalion 7.6 Xtra Fast Action Spinning Rod 20# Braid http://amzn.to/2nkOa6V · Penn Spinfisher V 4500 Live paired with Bass Pro Brawler 6.0 Heavy Spinning Rod 20# Braid · Eagle Claw Skeet Reese Victory Pro Carbon 4000 Spinning Reel Ugly Stik Inshore 7.0 10# Flouro · Quantum Cabo 5000 paired with Blair Wiggins Flats Blue 8.0 Spinning Rod 30# Braid · Skeet Reese Victory 4000 Spinning Reel paired with 6.4 Jigging Rod 30# Braid · AbuGarcia Revo Inshore Spinning Reel Paired with Vendetta 7.6 Inshore Rod 30# Braid · Arden Wire 1000 Spinning Reel paired with Ugly Stik Inshore Select Spinning Rod 5.6 8# Flouro · Basspro Gold Cup Conventional Reel Combo #50 Braid Glasses: Costa Fisch Sunglasses Glass 580P http://amzn.to/2nQoaOv Subscribe? https://www.youtube.com/user/afolgueira?sub_confirmation=1 Disclaimer: This video and description contains affiliate links from Amazon, if you click on those product links, we will receive a small commission that will help us with the channel and make better videos. THANK YOU! Aliex Folgueira
Nice.
10. comment for Why People Don't Like Hobie Kayaks
Viking kayaks 4life
Another reason why no one likes hobie is they are expensive
And also the price
Which leads me to my next point, the price
And did I mention they are expensive?
There I just summarized the video.
Native sets their prices based on cost and whether the profit margin is enough to justify it.
Hobie doesn't set anyone's price. If it's not worth it, people aren't going to buy it. The first gen of pedal drives always are going to cost more. The initial buyers of any new creation are going to pay more than people buying the same thing a few years down the road. The market will sort itself out. If you don't like what's available, start making them.
Why do you assume Native's price is based on Hobie's and not their cost and profit margin?
20. comment for Why People Don't Like Hobie Kayaks
30. comment for Why People Don't Like Hobie Kayaks
Tnx for your post and hava great day...
The Native - in one year - had issues with the rudder ( poor control and upgraded to a Boondox), the control cable kept slipping repeatedly. the pedals would not stay tight on the crank - had to stop every few minutes and tighten them and then when I went to lubricate the Propel unit, the lower unit was frozen tight and not even the outrageously priced wrench Native specified would budge it. They wanted me to pay for the return shipment for them to work on it. They have a great idea which has not been perfected yet. And did I say their customer service sucks? It really sucks.
Cheers :)
My only gripe about it, it is f*** heavy!!!! The main hull alone is heavy, fully rigged it's about 130+ pounds. And yes, add the beach wheels, a set of cradles (recommended), and the cost goes a bit higher, but you're still under $10k for something that is truly versatile.
Good videos BTW :)
50. comment for Why People Don't Like Hobie Kayaks
Great video Aliex and opinion.
I run up on shallows very quickly which made the Mirage Drive a better choice for me.
It is all going to come down to how and where you will be using the yak.
Is the Hobie worth the amount they are asking?
Yes I think so but I felt like if the Native kayaks were priced around 1600-1900 I probably would have purchased one instead of the Hobie. If Native did a re-adjustment across the board they would sell MORE kayaks and put a hurting on Hobie but for the same price and more than a Hobie? No, I would go with the Hobie first.
https://youtu.be/FMwnmTk4ylc
https://youtu.be/4VpQpzPvs4k
I looked at the Hobie PA with the new 180 drive. I believed it was $3,400+ with no deals. That 180 drive looked and felt flimsy. Plus, you still had to reach down to pull either a forward or reverse string to get the drive to adjust directions. I just pedal backwards in my PDL and voila!!! I'm moving backwards.
Hobie PA12 Pros: Wider boat, the most stable kayak, tons and tons of storage and room to move, a well thought out lay out and really no need to drill out anything for accessories. Comes with paddle and a few accessories and the drive system has been proven for almost 20 years.
Cons: Price, some have said front hatch leaks and sometimes the anchor trolley doesn't fit for whatever reason and for a company that boasts about being the best and quality craftsmanship those shouldn't be an issue.
OldTown PDL pros: Price is a lot cheaper, good pedal drive system (so far) comes with basically everything you need to mount everything for fishing like gear racks, battery bag, comfy seat good rudder system, lighter but only about 10lbs difference between the two, drive system floats, lots of leg room and just looks better.
Old Town cons: Comfortable seat but no high-low position, the seat has storage under the seat but can barely fit a 3700 series box and if your sitting on the seat and try to get that box out it's a struggle, not a lot of storage IMO, (I'd have to fit my Black Pak sideways behind the seat and after that's in there, there's basically a tiny little area that might fit a small soft side 6 pack cooler), cramped cockpit as far as left and right area, not as stable I'd imagine only being about 24-25" on the inside deck whereas the Hobie is about 33".
These are just my findings and opinions so far after a lot of research. I kind of looked at it like building a garage, if you have the space and a little bit of extra money than build your garage a bit bigger because your going to regret not building it bigger when you had the chance. All of these are fine boats and will last a very long time if taken care of, it comes down to personal opinions and needs. If your a minimalist and only go out fishing with a couple poles and a couple small plano boxes than the PDL or Native will have a lot more room than it would for me. When I go tournament fishing I bring a Black Pak loaded with about 4-6 rod set ups and all the tackle, a cooler for food and drinks and a larger dry bag with miscellaneous things, that's where the Old Town and Native gets messy for me. IMO these prices aren't coming down so if I'm going to invest roughly 3k on a kayak I'd rather spend a few hundred bucks more and get one that I can grow into and not be regretting I had more room. I hope this helps anyone on the fence because I certainly understand how much of a hassle this can be. Tight lines!
A local dealer has demo day soon which should help with my decision
But I'll add two more things: fishing with your hands free (pedalling) is worth heaps, at least where I live, not just for trolling. We have alot of smaller lakes where boat engines are not allowed, and you try to fish vertical or pelagic by constantly rowing a boat or paddeling.. compared to having a pedalling kayak that keeps you in place. It just opens the world for you. Not to mention compared to paddeling kayaks you "win" some in speed/distance and endurance.
That said, there sure is some cheaper propeller based pedalling kayaks (not Native tho, they're Samsung if Hobie is Apple. :D). What is the major selling point for Hobie, imho, is simply their fins. It's that simple.
Is it worth the money? Only the buyer can answer that. I know my Outback opens up a world no other floating machine can do, bar another pedalling kayak. I also know a Native compares in price, but is less sexy if I'm going over weed, or rocks, and need to pull my fins/propeller up. The chinese pedalling cheaper kayaks tends to be shorter and fatter, which is great if you want to go in smaller systems, but my Outback I can also readily go offshore or longer distance. I'm really not sure what can compete with the Outbacks versatility. Native is the closest, but I'd pay something similar, and I'd get a pedalling system that I feel is slightly less "good" (that's subjective, but my archipelago and lakes have alot of mixed depth and weed and rocks).
If I didn't go for the Outback, I think I'd much rather get a cheap chinese pedalling kayak than a Native. It's basicly fins > propeller, and pedal > paddle. In my world. People on the forums that replied to you were right, it's mainly the price. But the nuanced part I mentioned, is simply that fins > propeller, and free hands = worth alot.
Next Hobie addressed the issue of comfort with the introduction of the Pro Angler and the new cool seat that debuted in 2013. After such enormous success, they adopted a similar seat in all of their kayaks in 2015. As I am sure you can understand this resulted in a slight increase in the cost.
They also made an improvement to the mirage drive in 2015 which increased the performance yet again making it more efficient. Effectively it became easier to pedal the kayak at the same speed as with a previous generation mirage drive or you could go faster with the newer version with the same effort. Also resulting in a slight increased cost of their kayaks.
Propel was introduced as a direct response to the mirage drive but it was not as good and unable to keep up. On a positive note, propel was able to go in reverse which was an improvement over the mirage drive. Since the inception of the propel drive , I am unaware of any product development resulting in any improvements to their pedal drive system. Any company developed trolling or electric drive units were obviously not the answer since they also added a couple thousand dollars to the price tag.
Finally, for 2017 model Hobie kayaks the mirage drive was redesigned to yield even higher efficiency AND they introduced the improvement we have all been waiting for...REVERSE. Is anyone surprised that there was another slight increase in the prices for Hobie kayaks yet again. Not really.
I think that Hobie has the best product out there for the application that I am looking for, a pedal drive fishing machine. I am not a racer or looking to shoot rapids etc. sure there may be better kayaks out there for a specific application but I believe the Hobie will work better for me than any other, especially the 2017 models.
The thing I think is most ludicrous is that other greedy kayak companies think their products are worth almost as much as a Hobie kayak. Like products should be competing for like prices. It is truly sad that people are willing to pay the majority of the price of a Hobie for a kayak without a mirage drive. If you think about it. Most kayaks these days are merely floating pieces of plastic with nearly ZERO technology in them. All I can say is that at least with a Hobie, you get what you pay for and if it is not a Hobie then you are truly being overcharged.
I'm going on my 21st kayak, I belong to the best TEAM in Europe, I've been kayaking since 2002, I know that hobie is the worst kayak I've ever seen!
https://www.facebook.com/FishYakersTeam/?ref=settings
100. comment for Why People Don't Like Hobie Kayaks
Why the pedal drive only, not the kayak(or the hobbie system) is priced around 1.000 when super mountain bike, with gears, more aluminum, specialized breaks, seat, etc is only a half?
Dont say is "development" cost or something like that...is a plain abuse.
The biggest cons of any of both system is the price.
The hull design and material is Ok. I understand that point, more material...more difficut to build...but a simple rack and pinion with pedals 1.000 Dollars? is a rip off....
The "pescador" is the cheaper one at 1800...bucks.
the prices are ridiculous, let alone at the end of the day you are talking PLASTIC!! that's all they are PLASTIC.. even Jackson kayaks and other non pedal drive kayaks going for almost 2k and ovee.. man for 3k how is it that you can almost for that much buy a great GHEENOE? a lot is image and these companies getting pros, and dealerships to push their product that's the expensive kayaks ONLY AND BEST WAY TO GO.. Are pedal drives great? YES THEY ARE, but at those price points? NO..
All these companies can just get so many more people on the water If they brought the prices down. let me tell you, I started kayak fishing years ago on my 1st Pelican 116dx Castaway, from sports authority for $450 after some discounts and store sale. a great built kayak rotomolded, STILL IN MY GARAGE has CAUGHT more fish then my other upgraded kayaks. If Pelican came out with pedal drive system I'll be all over it..knowing the price point will be affordable not perfect but backed up by great customer service.. Pelican has always kept their kayak under 1k, affordable. Everyone thrn putting me down once on the water, ""you have a pelican? when you going to get rid of that kayak?"" I'm like why? easy to load, get in the water, doesn't track the best but does the job. AND never flipped because I did research on pelican and their pro engineers had made it to have great SECONDARY BALANCE which a lot of people don't even know or talk about enough. you have kayaks made with primary and secondary balance. some better built with good primary not so good secondary. HOBIE one of them great primary balance but not so good secondary. where pelican has good both primary and secondary. I can reach to my left and right behind my seat on a 28 inch pelican kayak and not flip, it tilts like if you about to, but it holds. I'm still learning about primary and secondary balancing on kayaks but it's interesting information, which makes you wonder why people say they always flip on Hobie outbacks while in open water coming in or when mild rough waves in open water, or when they fight big fish.. something to think about..
It is fast because it is long and narrow. Beginners get scared away by the "narrow" part, but like riding a bike, once one gets some experience, that initial twitchiness goes away and the narrowness is desirable. Because I am a fly fisherman, I understand that "less is more," so I aim to use a limited, efficient, targeted kit when on the water; therefore, the Revo-16's more confined/limited cockpit features aren't a problem for me, they actually help keep things tidier and more controlled.
I haven't heard it talked about much, but for the conditions I fish, the raw power of the Mirage Drive with Turbo Fins is a huge deal. I can easily power through 6' waves, make way against 3 & 4 knot tides, make progress against 15mph - 20mph winds, and I have towed other distressed kayaks for miles to safety. Then there comes the part where that speed and power = increased range: I get to fish places where other kayaks just cannot go; I get to go play with the power boats and then go fish the stuff they can't hit. That increased range has everything to do with the fact that I get to use my legs, and they are good for >8 hour days.
Remember, the drive is a mechanical device that must work in the extremely harsh environment of saltwater. For those who have failures, it seems to me that A) the unit is old or used enough to merit failure/maintenance -- duh, nothing lasts forever; or B) the unit has been abused, as in it was not adequately cleaned after use -- even stainless steel will rust in saltwater -- and/or the drive was repeatedly exposed to abrasive sands or muds and did not get sufficiently cleaned; or C) the users allowed the unit to get out of specified adjustment, which would allow slop/excess play to enter the driveline and thereby suffer accelerated wear (operator error again).
I belong to one of the largest online kayak fishing forums on the internet, and without question, the Hobies are the most desirable boats out there, even as other pedal platforms come on line. Hobie has put together a product range that combines features, reputation, and performance in a way that is very hard to beat. I have found that their customer service is quite good too. One thing that many people overlook is that Hobie's hulls are very strong, and I have observed this, their hulls are just tougher than many of the competitions' hulls, and that means their boats will just last longer.
Reply 1
Gene Lamb
Gene Lamb6 minutes ago
I was on a Chat with the people at Delaware Paddlesports and they told me the the Slayer 13 is more like the Outback then the Manta Ray.