New member

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site. My name is Joe. I'm an avid freshwater fisherman and currently own a Jonboat. I was surfing the web and came across the Hobie Mirage ProAngler. What an awesome kayak. After seeing that kayak I decided to look further to see other brands and models available (no offense) to all of you Hobie lovers. Just trying to be a smart consumer and get the most for the money. Well, there were plenty of sharp looking kayaks out there , but none equipped so well for a fisherman and I really like the look of the ProAngler and stability is a real concern for me. I don't want to pull back on my rod when I hook a fish only to go over the other side. I've already inquired with local retailers to go and actually see one but they all said they will probably start getting them in at the end of the month. I can't wait. I've never really paid too much mind to owning a kayak especially since I do have a great Jonboat but it does take some effort to launch and I always need a ramp. This ProAngler kayak has really made a huge impact on me. Ive watched the youtube video a dozen times and visited every possible site to see this kayak over and over again. I am truly impressed. I hope I didn't offend anyone with my prior lack of interest in kayaks but that has changed. This would be so great for me to just simply walk my kayak to the water and just get in and go. The fishermans features and the Pedaling as an alternative to paddling is so cool. By the way, anyone in the south jersey area? Near LBI. Thats where I'm located.

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Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in his boat (or kayak)and drink beer all day.

Hi ProAngler and welcome to the forum. You picked a great handle!

The PA appears to be unique among the Hobie offerings -- not exactly a kayak, yet with all the capabilities + additional stability, spacious hatches and deck space, and legitimate stand up capabilities. It's a good looking piece of gear and I'm anxious to see what kind of speed and handling it offers.

To have all the comfort of a boat with the ease of launching a kayak -- no ramp, no trailer required -- is huge. A few years ago the water level here went down below ramp level and anyone who wanted to fish from the water had to hand launch. That left a lot of fishermen high and dry. With the foot propulsion system, there is no expense for gas, no lugging of electric motors and batteries -- just load it, wheel it to the water and go.

The local dealer has already ordered 4 -- I think a lot of fishermen are going to really like this boat!

Thanks for responding Roadrunner. In fact, the only thing I've read if you want to call it negative is what you had said about it not really being a kayak. I'm just guessing but, I think thats because of the width at 38 inches. Again, I'm all new to the kayaking world and I can see if some serious kayakers would not consider it a kayak for that reason. However, I have not read anything "negative" on all the forums from kayakers so far. Everyone seems to feel the same way, that this is kind of a break through for someone who kayaks often but wanted more features for fishing and for those like me drawing me into the sport. I have to say, for me anyway, the real attraction besides the lightweight and ease of taking it to the water is the foot propulsion. Thats a real attention getter. Have a great day.

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Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in his boat (or kayak)and drink beer all day.

It's only 2 inches wider than kayaks like the Cobra Fish n Dive. I'd still call it a SOT kayak, with scuppers .... And, IMHO, if people can call double hulled jon boat/canoes like a Native Ultimate a kayak, the ProAngler is more Kayak than those are.

Kayaks aren't defind by their width, nor by their length

EMOTION TANDEMONIUM 34" wide

Cobra Fish n Dive 36" wide

WENONAH BOUNDARY WATERS 36 1/2" inch-wide beam

SEA EAGLE Explorer 420X 37" wide

STEARNS BACK COUNTRY Inflatable 39" wide



PS, love your signature line
"Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in his boat (or kayak)and drink beer all day."

lol

reminds me of one I heard, "Give a man fire, he'll stay warm for a day, SET a man ON fire, we'll be warm the rest of his life"

Thanks for clearing that up RPB. By the way, your line was great too. Lol.

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Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in his boat (or kayak)and drink beer all day.

By the way, I need to educate myself with all the kayak lingo. What exactly is the scuppers and what do they do?

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Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in his boat (or kayak)and drink beer all day.

scuppers are drain holes in the bottom of a sit-on-top kayak, so if water gets in from a wave etc, it drains out. (Also used as a quick "on the water bathroom facility" by some)

unlike a typical boat/canoe/sit-inside kayak, which can fill up/flood with water when a wave hits.

if you have ever been on a ferry boat, the holes in the walls near the deck are scuppers

in a nutshell, Scuppers are holes that let the water out



Freeway concrete barriers have scuppers at the bottom, as do some roofs with sidewalls taller than the roof itself, so it doesn't become a pool.

So I understand this correctly. The bottom of the kayak is basically two parts? So if water is inside, it will drain into the lower portion of the pvc or under the floor and then can be drained out through the two plugs located at the stern of the kayak? Am I right?

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Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in his boat (or kayak)and drink beer all day.

no. that would require a bilge pump if each wave drained to the inside of the kayak, under the deck/floor

a SitOnTop is one hollow molded boat, water inside the cockpit draining through scuppers,
It isn't water inside the kayak (between deck and hull) that you drain with the drain plug after getting out of the water...
it self-drains water inside the cockpit while you are out on the water

Scuppers drain the cockpit area, where you sit.

Pictures explain it better.

Note "Self draining scupper holes top/deck



view inside kayak, between upper deck (floor) and lower hull, water drains off upper deck, where you sit,
and goes down the pipes/tube/column and
drains out below the hull/bottom back into the lake/ocean.


view below kayak hull, holes where the water exits


some people put tape over the front part of scuppers on hull/bottom
to suck/siphon water out faster when they move (venturi effect)

Wow, great photos. You couldn't get much clearer then that. Thanks.

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Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in his boat (or kayak)and drink beer all day.

Any time

ProAngler's self-draining scupper holes in the deck (floor) looks like 4 in the front/cockpit where you stand, 2 in the rear/tankwell
... probably some under the seat, and water can drain out the drivewell area