Native Watercraft Magic 14.5 in solo mode
Hobie Revolution w/ Mirage drive
Hobie Adventure w/ Mirage drive
Anyone out there have any seat time with any of the above? Would love to hear your thoughts, pros, cons, etc.
(My first SOT fishing kayak was a Hobie Quest and loved it. The Mirage drives intrigue me a bit. Nice to have the option of using my legs!)
I have fished the Revolution…
AWESEME… The ability to face into a current and have the hands free to cast to spots is worth getting the Revolution by itself.
Being able to eat a sandwich as you troll a lure behind you is another reason…
Being able to re-rig while travelling to a new location, or while staying in place in a current is yet another reason.
The only drawbacks are the weight, and the fact that the fins often get in the way when fishing shallow water, and during launches and landings.
YotF
All great kayaks
I’ve demoed a Revolution and liked it. Its much like the Quest in layout and length, but with the peddle drive. The Adventure should be quick with the extra length, but its probably a bit more to turn and maneuver. I like the Native Watercraft boats, but wish they were a bit lighter. Can’t afford the Tegris, though. I think its more a matter of your own desires, any of them are going to work well for fishing. The only complaints I’ve heard about the Ultimate is windage can be a problem and water can come over the side, especially on a bay if it gets rough.
I really like the length of the Adventure for getting from one fishing hole to the other quickly on a large body of water…but I’m of the idea that the length may also inhibit me in some tight places. I think the perfect compromise in a SOT fishing kayak is something that’s between 13 and 14 feet in length.
My current SINK, a Riot Enduro EXP, is 13ft long, will move pretty well, carry a good amount of gear, is VERY stable, turns on a dime, and is easy to maneuver in tight places.
This sort of narrows my choice down to the Hobie Revolution and the Native Magic 14.5 solo.
I like the fact that the Hobie can be pedaled or paddled…but one sure does pay the price for that option! Wonder how well the Mirage drive stands the test of time. Anything mechanical like that tends to break at the most inconvenient time.
Go
over to the KFS board and you will find ton’s of people with set time in all 3 of those kayaks
.
– Last Updated: Feb-19-08 3:55 PM EST –
Wait for the Ultimate with the pedal drive. Hobie's are notorious for breaking and leaking. You can find that too on KFS. Also, Hobie's are just too much for what you pay. Sure you get a paddle, a seat, a few hatches, and a cart. But the paddle is no good (it's a 230, what if you use a 220?), the seat flexes (Surf to Summit makes the best seat), the hatches are nice, the cart is too narrow (from what I'm told, I've not used the cart). The Mirage Drives are bad for coming apart in several places. The hole for the drive itself will split and take on water from the tourque of the Mirage Drive.
Ended up getting
a Native Manta Ray 14 this past Monday. Haven’t had a chance to get it on the water. Hope to this weekend.
Might also pick up a Phoenix 160 or even a Cobra Marauder.
I’ve got a Phoenix 160
and I’ve never paddled anything better.
Nice
I bought a Manta Ray 14 last fall and have really enjoyed paddling it the few trips I’ve been on.
Very versatile boat and well made for fishing.
Enjoy,
jim
Druminator
I’ve followed your posts closely on KFF and considered purchasing a 160 at my local shop. They have a red over white but I’d like a white over white. They’ve got a good price on it and maybe should have purchased it along with the MR14, but didn’t know enough about Hurricane kayaks. Have to do tons of research on things before I sink my teeth into a major purchase like that.
I’d like to take a test ride on one so maybe I’ll ask my local shop if they’ll let me take it out for the day.
Congrats. Good boat.
Now the fun begins!
I get to rig it out and buy some new gizmos!
.
Take it out for a test spin. It will feel a lot different from your Manta Ray. It has a lot less free board and is more comfortable sitting side saddle. The cockpit has more room to move around in as well.
Most people have difficulty getting use to the seat. There are a lot of comments about it sitting higher than other. I’ve not measured myself but probably will tomorrow if I go out. I don’t think it sits any higher than other kayaks. It may just be how the seat looks with such little freeboard and that there is not much initial stability in the P160.
Hurricane is a small company in Warsaw, North Carolina. The guy started the company making plastics for companies like Sears, Grady White, etc… just a lot of random stuff. He got into building kayaks about 10 years ago. The thermoform process is pretty interesting and you get a much stronger kayak than you would rotomolding one. Plus they layer a material on the outside, I think it’s called solarplex, which gives you a life of 20 years in the sun before it fades. Rotomolded kayaks are only good for 2 to 4.
The solarplex makes people think that Hurricanes are brittle. There is a big visual misconception that shiney means breakable for some reason. This shiney layer of solarplex is only about as thick as your fingernail. If you were to sand it off, a Hurricane would look like any other plastic kayak.