Hobie inflatables

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Patroller
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Posts: 299
Joined: 25 Feb 2013, 09:31
kayak: Hobie outback
Real Name: Carol (Caz)
Location: Surf coast Geelong

Hobie inflatables

Post by Patroller »

Has anyone had experience with any of the Hobie inflatable models? I'm finding the tandem outfitter just too big and heavy and wondered if the inflatable would be a good compromise. We bought a caravan which means the yaks on the roof and I'm too short and too darn old to be dealing with such weights...and I'm a Sheila not a bloke! I even wonder about the outback (my baby).
I thought I got a bite...........but it was just a bit of weed.
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bruyaka
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Joined: 11 Oct 2010, 18:24
kayak: Hobie Sport, Revo 13
Real Name: Bruce
Location: Mt Evelyn

Re: Hobie inflatables

Post by bruyaka »

'Smish' is the man there Carol . :up: He is the only person I,ve come across with one and he seems happy and certainly gets out and about with it , well worth checking them out . Cheers Bruce .
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Smish
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Re: Hobie inflatables

Post by Smish »

Hi, my inflatable isn't a Hobie but I've seen a few around and they look pretty solid. I live in an apartment in the inner city so there's no room for a standard kayak, that's one of the great advantages of inflatables they're compact, you can store them anywhere. If you were to buy locally then Hobie is the only decent option especially if you're used to pedal drives and they'll work right out of the box.

You need to exercise a bit of care handling fish, big snapper and flatties can damage an inflatable no matter how tough it is but the puncture isn't catastrophic and I carry special tape for repairs on the water (touch wood... after almost 5 years I haven't had to use it :up: ). I've had a few tiny holes from fish in the early days that caused very slow leaks but they're easy to repair, every now and then let the kayak sit inflated overnight and check to see if it has lost pressure (keep in mind the air inside contracts and expands with temperature) if it's obviously looking a bit soft then wipe it down with a soapy sponge and the leak should appear as a slowly foaming mass on the surface, mark it with a pen and repair, if it's a small leak a dab of Aqua Seal will do the trick, the tape also works well. There are kits you can buy for bigger holes but I've never had a major puncture.

My kayak is a Sea Eagle paddle ski, it's a big beast and I needed to add a rudder for it to be useable in strong wind and choppy seas. It's not the fastest thing out there but has served me well. It takes less than 4mins to inflate, I use two pumps, one is a high speed large volume pump and the other is a small compressor pump that'll get the kayak up to the right pressure. I liked the design because it's very stable and all the gear and tackle sits on a trampoline between the two pontoons so you can't really damage the floor with hooks, scissors and knives unless you're really trying. The floor is very tough and not part of the inflated surface area.

I'm very happy to use an inflatable, I cover up to 20 kms on a decent trip but average around 8-12, cruising speed is 4.5kph and it's a very comfortable ride, on occasions I lay back and have a snooze. After I'm done all the gear packs into the boot :thumbsup: .

Cheers,

Smish
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Jenko
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Re: Hobie inflatables

Post by Jenko »

Hi Caz, what about a 3 piece kayak, makes a double or single, just google them. There are a few brands/styles ...got no idea what any of them are like and unfortunately they are all paddle yaks. Here's an example http://coarsekayakfishing.proboards.com ... rollTo=745
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cobby
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Re: Hobie inflatables

Post by cobby »

I've got one and I'll expand with more experiences later, big tick goes for portability, they're fairly quick for the design, pretty robust, mine gets dragged over rocks and logs fully loadded all the time and yet to get a puncture, super stable for their size. Negatives include they're bloody heavy when loaded on the cart. I could drift from Altona to Mordy in about an hour flat on days like today they're that wind affected when not under power, pain in the arse to paddle, anything like rod holder's need very good planning on where you put them, same goes for the gear you take with you and you get a wet arse as the seat in on the deck itself
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shane
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Re: Hobie inflatables

Post by shane »

The new 14T would be the equivalent to the Outfitter in the inflatable range:

http://www.hobiecat.com/mirage/mirage-i14t/
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Patroller
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Real Name: Carol (Caz)
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Re: Hobie inflatables

Post by Patroller »

Thanks heaps Fellas for your informative replies. It's really good to know about the down sides to inflatables . Don't fancy getting a wet bum much tho but have to weigh up that against a dry bum by never going out in the Outfitter. I never thought about fish spikes and punctures either. I just had 2 weeks in Narooma yakless which is pretty sad tho no fish were biting anyway and I tried everything and everywhere but it would have been fun to have had a paddle or peddle when the wind settled. I'm in Eden tonight, Lake Tyers next two nights then home. Think I might go into AKS and see if they do test runs. Thanks again for all your advice and experience so now I can ask the right questions and avoid spending a lot of money making a mistake. Cheers guys :thumbsup:
I thought I got a bite...........but it was just a bit of weed.
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