Foot Pedal Pro's & Con's ?

Advice
#1

My wife wants to get a kayak with the foot pedals so she can have more free hand time for fishing. Can anyone share some feedback on these? Thanks

#2

For me at least
the beauty of the kayak is diminished with the protruding propellers or fins used in pedal kayaks. What makes a kayak awesome is that you may propel it over obastacles and into waters where fish actually have their backs protruding from the surface. Shallow is what fishing kayaks are all about for me. Not that I do not fish in 90 feet of water at times. I just could not imagine being limited to waters that accomodate craft such as outboards. Might as well get a Jon boat and trolling motor.



But if this shallow water appeal holds no water for you, her preference may well make sense.

#3

peddle yaks
I think it comes down to where you paddle most & what types of obsticles you usually encounter. Lots of folks use the mirage drive yaks & still go shallow (flats etc), they just have to paddle them once they are in the shallows. On the other hand, if you go in rivers with rocks like I do, then I would be really worried about damaging it. The other peddle system (I think from native) with the propeller, seems like it would be alot more limiting, as you would have to completely remove the drive unit to go shallow.

JMHO

#4

…
She’s not going to be getting that much more fishing done in a pedal kayak to make it worth the $1600+ price tag. Plus the Hobie’s have serious issues with the drivewell splitting. They changed the system a little bit this year and it was supposed to eliminate that problem. However I’ve seen the same splitting in a Sport, Pro Angler, and an Oasis this year.


#5

Dunno, but
…out of curiosity, I just checked out video of the Native in use. I was stunned at its apparent speed per effort. All else aside, if you need to get somewhere fast in a canoe-yakky boat, that would do the trick. The pedal/prop system can be tilted up out of the well for regular paddling. But, that looks something of a hazard, with edgy parts sticking up at the user.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpeA3DGf3DY