2014 Hobie Quest 13 Review
Posted: 12 Feb 2014, 14:13
Please note: This is a long review. I will endeavour to be as thorough as possible
Specs:
Length: 13' / 3.96 m
Width: 28.5" / .72 m
Capacity: 350 lbs / 159 kg
Fitted Hull Weight: 66 lbs / 29.94 kg *
Fully Rigged Weight: 71.2 lbs / 32.30 kg
*** Mine was ordered with rudder however not yet installed - will do a before and after comparison once installed and update this thread ***
Note: I am 5'6" and around 80kg
Today was my first day out on the new yak. I have been looking forward to this since I bought the yak about 4 days ago. I did not take any fishing gear with me as it was strictly a test paddle day.
Reasons for choice:
My last yak was a sub 3 meter yak. I was after something to cover more distance and speed. The Mini X served me well however if I was to get a bit more serious in the sport I needed to look elsewhere.
I arrived at about 6:30am this morning at Millers Rd, Altona and was greeted by a hazy cloud with the sun poking it's head behind the smokey haze. The water was calm apart from some swell which I didn't mind. This was to set the scene the for the rest of the morning:
Not exactly ideal conditions to see what this beast is capable of, but it gave me a chance to practice capsize and re-entry... more on this later.
Size, Off-Water Handling :
My last yak was 9'3"and weighed around 25kg (claimed). I found this ok to manhandle and never really needed or used a trolley. This yak weighs approx. 30kg. I was a bit nervous of the weight and length given my height. First thing I noticed when I picked it up is that the handles are very much even in the middle and therefore lifting and carrying this yak is not really that hard. I lifted it over my head to move short distances quite easily. Although, once rigged with a esky/milk crate and all of your gear a trolley is much more simple !
On the Water:
So I headed off from Altona near the pier for my first paddle. All excited I dug the Hobie paddle in and set off. Light swell was moving about but nothing to cause any mischief. It did give me a good look into what offshore could be like. The yak bobbed up and down seemingly as if glued to the surface. It did tuck it's nose into one swell as there were 2 consecutive larger swells coming through. But the sharp front sliced it with ease.
One of my biggest Thumbs Up Is the dry bum. This thing gave me a dry bum no problems. It comes with 2 screw type scupper plugs for the seat and I was loving a dry bum most of the morning, until re-entry practice that is (again, more on that later)
For water handling I give it 8/10
Stability:
As soon as I was out in deeper water I started swaying my hips side to side to rock the yak and get a feel for the stability and see where the tipping point is and what it feels like. More on this part later in the capsize and re-entry section.
Stability is rock solid. Swaying side to side made the kayak rock along with the hip motion but it reached a point and did not pass that point. This was a big question mark for me coming from the rock solid stability of the Mini X, I needed the same. I shimmied forward to the front hatch and accessed the inside of the hull with ease. Sat side saddle to imitate going through the milk crate and did try and stand. I didn't get to fully stand but felt the rocking start and did not go through with it. This yak is not made for standing however I don't really feel a need to anyhow.
Sitting side on to the swell, the yak seems to love it. It just bobs over waves or swell thanks to it's low profile and just keeps on going.
For stability I give it a 7.5-8/10
Tracking/Turning:
Without the rudder, the yak seemed to track fine. I did have to make a few corrective strokes, more so when the swell was side on. As I'd exit the swell it would push the nose slightly one side or the other. For a 4m yak with no rudder it did fine. As expected, tracked better than the aforementioned Mini X. Turning was a bit slow, but was to be expected at 4m. Still bearable and quick enough with the right technique
Without rudder I give tracking a 7/10
Speed/paddling:
Now, although I didn't technically measure this with a GPS timer, It was more a seat of pants test. First thing I noticed is glide. I have never had a yak with any real glide, this was a first to me. I was loving it. Not having to constantly paddle to gain momentum and maintain it. It was taking me around at a decent pace, and I reckon I with some practice (currently severely unfit !) I could keep up with the mirage drive boys ! I was quite pleased with the speed of this yak !
Acceleration isn't the best, but ok. But it does hold top speed easier and longer thanks to hull shape and
For speed, I give it an 8/10
Deck Layout:
The deck layout is well thought out and practical. I was able to shimmy forward and accessed the front hatch not a problem. The pedals felt firm and comfortable and gave me good control of the yak. The only downfall is not enough flat area forward of the pedals on the gunnels. It starts to taper in thus limiting what you could mount there. Not really an issue as much as it is probably just a hurdle which you can overcome however need to get creative. Cockpit felt snug and conformed to my body so I felt like I was a part of the yak and gave me better control this way.
For layout I give it about an 8/10
Allround "Fishability" :
It may not be 1m beam like the Pro Angler, but this thing is definitely capable of holding it's own on the water. The centre console lends itself to mount various items such as rod holders, sounders, etc. Stability is great and speed is very good also. Sitting side saddle and casting would be a breeze too. Hatches provide plenty of room to store gear and the Hobie Gear tray that comes in the centre hatch is great to store things like soft plastics, lures, jigheads, hooks, sinkers, line, etc. so everything is within easy reach, even for a short bloke like me
Overall fishability gets a 7.5-8/10
Comfort:
The Mini X had a deluxe seat so I can give a good comparison there. It's one of those seak deluxe high back ones. The Hobie seat is by far the most comfortable seat I've sat in. The sides wrap around nicely to hug your lower back giving you good posture and therefore allowing more power in your stroke to get you moving. I could paddle this for hours and not be sore, absolutely love it !
Give this a 9/10
Conclusion:
Hobie are not the cheapest, and there are cheaper paddle yaks out there, however my reason for choosing a Hobie over the others was that it was built fairly well, plenty of options from Hobie, hull design and the fact that Hobie sell their yaks with the seat, paddle and little bits and bobs so you're pretty much set to go from day one. When you start to factor these in on the other yaks their prices go up too. Also, they hold their value quite well, so when I do decide to upgrade down the road (won't be for some time though), I'll get a better return on my investment !
If you're after a yak that is stable, fast and plenty of storage, this is a great choice. Although not a mirage drive yak, I found this to be of no issue. Although, I must admit I haven't had a mirage drive yak so I don't know what I'm actually missing For the price, it's a decent yak. And I consider this money well spent.
For a short bloke like me, at around 80kg no water came up the scuppers in the feet and it was quite comfortable. A lot of people fishing prefer the wider hulls with more primary stability but once you get used to the narrower hulls (it took me half a morning and I'm no expert), you won't go back to a wide hull !! Long nose ability to slice water is fantastic !
And also, even at my height don't be afraid of the 4m length (and others that are beyond). Once on the water they look tiny and seem to shrink
Overall I give the yak an 8/10
Capsize and re-entry:
This is a part I was looking forward to When I finished testing the yak, I paddled in a bit closer to land where there were some swimmers. I hooked the paddle to the paddle keeper and started rocking the boat aggressively side to side. It went almost 90 degrees before it tipped, a sign of great secondary stability !
Re-entry was not that hard, I was able to mount the yak fairly easily. It does take some practice.
One thing I noticed though, after a couple of capsize and re-entry practice runs, the hull had a fair amount of water, probably about 2litres worth. It seemed excessive for me. Most, if not all, came from the front hatch. I know this because as I was driving home, every time I'd hit the brakes water would gush out of the front hatch. I'll be adding some rubber around the edges to seal it off and make it watertight in future.
I'm very glad I did this exercise as I really wanted to get a feel for the yaks limits, and strong and weak points. The weather was calm so as I said, didn't really give me a chance to put it through it's paces but I was still able to test some real world scenarios on the water today.
Was a beautiful morning in Altona today and I thoroughly enjoyed the workout and just being on the water. This morning has cemented in me that I made the right decision with the yak after tormenting myself night in night out with online reviews
Now I hope this review may help someone else in future.
Best of luck to all - tight lines !
- Jay
Specs:
Length: 13' / 3.96 m
Width: 28.5" / .72 m
Capacity: 350 lbs / 159 kg
Fitted Hull Weight: 66 lbs / 29.94 kg *
Fully Rigged Weight: 71.2 lbs / 32.30 kg
*** Mine was ordered with rudder however not yet installed - will do a before and after comparison once installed and update this thread ***
Note: I am 5'6" and around 80kg
Today was my first day out on the new yak. I have been looking forward to this since I bought the yak about 4 days ago. I did not take any fishing gear with me as it was strictly a test paddle day.
Reasons for choice:
My last yak was a sub 3 meter yak. I was after something to cover more distance and speed. The Mini X served me well however if I was to get a bit more serious in the sport I needed to look elsewhere.
I arrived at about 6:30am this morning at Millers Rd, Altona and was greeted by a hazy cloud with the sun poking it's head behind the smokey haze. The water was calm apart from some swell which I didn't mind. This was to set the scene the for the rest of the morning:
Not exactly ideal conditions to see what this beast is capable of, but it gave me a chance to practice capsize and re-entry... more on this later.
Size, Off-Water Handling :
My last yak was 9'3"and weighed around 25kg (claimed). I found this ok to manhandle and never really needed or used a trolley. This yak weighs approx. 30kg. I was a bit nervous of the weight and length given my height. First thing I noticed when I picked it up is that the handles are very much even in the middle and therefore lifting and carrying this yak is not really that hard. I lifted it over my head to move short distances quite easily. Although, once rigged with a esky/milk crate and all of your gear a trolley is much more simple !
On the Water:
So I headed off from Altona near the pier for my first paddle. All excited I dug the Hobie paddle in and set off. Light swell was moving about but nothing to cause any mischief. It did give me a good look into what offshore could be like. The yak bobbed up and down seemingly as if glued to the surface. It did tuck it's nose into one swell as there were 2 consecutive larger swells coming through. But the sharp front sliced it with ease.
One of my biggest Thumbs Up Is the dry bum. This thing gave me a dry bum no problems. It comes with 2 screw type scupper plugs for the seat and I was loving a dry bum most of the morning, until re-entry practice that is (again, more on that later)
For water handling I give it 8/10
Stability:
As soon as I was out in deeper water I started swaying my hips side to side to rock the yak and get a feel for the stability and see where the tipping point is and what it feels like. More on this part later in the capsize and re-entry section.
Stability is rock solid. Swaying side to side made the kayak rock along with the hip motion but it reached a point and did not pass that point. This was a big question mark for me coming from the rock solid stability of the Mini X, I needed the same. I shimmied forward to the front hatch and accessed the inside of the hull with ease. Sat side saddle to imitate going through the milk crate and did try and stand. I didn't get to fully stand but felt the rocking start and did not go through with it. This yak is not made for standing however I don't really feel a need to anyhow.
Sitting side on to the swell, the yak seems to love it. It just bobs over waves or swell thanks to it's low profile and just keeps on going.
For stability I give it a 7.5-8/10
Tracking/Turning:
Without the rudder, the yak seemed to track fine. I did have to make a few corrective strokes, more so when the swell was side on. As I'd exit the swell it would push the nose slightly one side or the other. For a 4m yak with no rudder it did fine. As expected, tracked better than the aforementioned Mini X. Turning was a bit slow, but was to be expected at 4m. Still bearable and quick enough with the right technique
Without rudder I give tracking a 7/10
Speed/paddling:
Now, although I didn't technically measure this with a GPS timer, It was more a seat of pants test. First thing I noticed is glide. I have never had a yak with any real glide, this was a first to me. I was loving it. Not having to constantly paddle to gain momentum and maintain it. It was taking me around at a decent pace, and I reckon I with some practice (currently severely unfit !) I could keep up with the mirage drive boys ! I was quite pleased with the speed of this yak !
Acceleration isn't the best, but ok. But it does hold top speed easier and longer thanks to hull shape and
For speed, I give it an 8/10
Deck Layout:
The deck layout is well thought out and practical. I was able to shimmy forward and accessed the front hatch not a problem. The pedals felt firm and comfortable and gave me good control of the yak. The only downfall is not enough flat area forward of the pedals on the gunnels. It starts to taper in thus limiting what you could mount there. Not really an issue as much as it is probably just a hurdle which you can overcome however need to get creative. Cockpit felt snug and conformed to my body so I felt like I was a part of the yak and gave me better control this way.
For layout I give it about an 8/10
Allround "Fishability" :
It may not be 1m beam like the Pro Angler, but this thing is definitely capable of holding it's own on the water. The centre console lends itself to mount various items such as rod holders, sounders, etc. Stability is great and speed is very good also. Sitting side saddle and casting would be a breeze too. Hatches provide plenty of room to store gear and the Hobie Gear tray that comes in the centre hatch is great to store things like soft plastics, lures, jigheads, hooks, sinkers, line, etc. so everything is within easy reach, even for a short bloke like me
Overall fishability gets a 7.5-8/10
Comfort:
The Mini X had a deluxe seat so I can give a good comparison there. It's one of those seak deluxe high back ones. The Hobie seat is by far the most comfortable seat I've sat in. The sides wrap around nicely to hug your lower back giving you good posture and therefore allowing more power in your stroke to get you moving. I could paddle this for hours and not be sore, absolutely love it !
Give this a 9/10
Conclusion:
Hobie are not the cheapest, and there are cheaper paddle yaks out there, however my reason for choosing a Hobie over the others was that it was built fairly well, plenty of options from Hobie, hull design and the fact that Hobie sell their yaks with the seat, paddle and little bits and bobs so you're pretty much set to go from day one. When you start to factor these in on the other yaks their prices go up too. Also, they hold their value quite well, so when I do decide to upgrade down the road (won't be for some time though), I'll get a better return on my investment !
If you're after a yak that is stable, fast and plenty of storage, this is a great choice. Although not a mirage drive yak, I found this to be of no issue. Although, I must admit I haven't had a mirage drive yak so I don't know what I'm actually missing For the price, it's a decent yak. And I consider this money well spent.
For a short bloke like me, at around 80kg no water came up the scuppers in the feet and it was quite comfortable. A lot of people fishing prefer the wider hulls with more primary stability but once you get used to the narrower hulls (it took me half a morning and I'm no expert), you won't go back to a wide hull !! Long nose ability to slice water is fantastic !
And also, even at my height don't be afraid of the 4m length (and others that are beyond). Once on the water they look tiny and seem to shrink
Overall I give the yak an 8/10
Capsize and re-entry:
This is a part I was looking forward to When I finished testing the yak, I paddled in a bit closer to land where there were some swimmers. I hooked the paddle to the paddle keeper and started rocking the boat aggressively side to side. It went almost 90 degrees before it tipped, a sign of great secondary stability !
Re-entry was not that hard, I was able to mount the yak fairly easily. It does take some practice.
One thing I noticed though, after a couple of capsize and re-entry practice runs, the hull had a fair amount of water, probably about 2litres worth. It seemed excessive for me. Most, if not all, came from the front hatch. I know this because as I was driving home, every time I'd hit the brakes water would gush out of the front hatch. I'll be adding some rubber around the edges to seal it off and make it watertight in future.
I'm very glad I did this exercise as I really wanted to get a feel for the yaks limits, and strong and weak points. The weather was calm so as I said, didn't really give me a chance to put it through it's paces but I was still able to test some real world scenarios on the water today.
Was a beautiful morning in Altona today and I thoroughly enjoyed the workout and just being on the water. This morning has cemented in me that I made the right decision with the yak after tormenting myself night in night out with online reviews
Now I hope this review may help someone else in future.
Best of luck to all - tight lines !
- Jay