|
Hi all,
I recently posted the following review on the Austin Canoe and Kayak site and thought it could provoke some interesting discussion. Your opinions?
"We are so pleased with our Hobie Oasis we have talked about getting another one for other family members. We have put over 300 miles on the boat in 7 months, on the Colorado River and on lakes. The boat is literally a tub compared to traditional skinny sit-inside paddle kayaks, but the extra power of the Mirage Drives more than makes up for the slow design of the hull. In good weather, trips of 15-20 miles in a 7-hour afternoon are now routine for us. No kidding. And we are not athletic types. The Mirage Drive is a godsend for me (55, with bad shoulder problems) and for my wife (59, a polio victim with one bad leg and weak arms). Without the pedal system we would not be kayaking. Period. We call the Oasis the “geriak”. The semi-recumbent position is very comfortable. You can even slouch down, stretch your legs out, and take a nap, or maybe even spend the night if necessary (Everglades?).
If you’re thinking about getting the Revolution or Outback, consider the Oasis as an alternative. It’s great as a solo boat—all that gear space up front. You’ll have the option of carrying guests when you want.
If you have the discipline to live with its lack of a large hatch, you will find the Oasis to be a serious expedition-capable boat. My son and I did a 7-day, 107-mile, entirely self-supported journey on Lake Powell. Our longest day was 23 miles, fully loaded. We traveled backpacking style with all of our food and gear packed into the hatches in 7-1/2” drybags, plus some on the rear deck. We were literally running rings around paddlers in traditional long, skinny sea kayaks who seemed quite concerned about waves that just made us wish for more stimulation.
For the sake of discussion, I’ll propose that with two Mirage drives pumping, the Hobie Oasis is the safest kayak on the water in the hands of "ordinary people"—anyone short of powerful diehard pros who have developed a full set of sit-inside kayaking skills, especially a bombproof roll. I’m no expert kayaker, but I have read a lot about how average people get in trouble kayaking (best collection: “Sea Kayaker Deep Trouble”), and aside from errors in judgement and preparation, the biggest problem seems to arise from that fact that kayaks are inherently tippy and badly underpowered in bad conditions. The Hobie Oasis is probably the most powerful kayak on the water, of any type. Power equals speed; power in the wind and waves, power to make headway against headwinds and to steer, power to tow another kayak if necessary (better yet: just tie the boat on the side; it works great), speed to make progress ahead of weather or fading light. Yes, it catches more wind than a sit-inside, but also has a lot more power to handle that wind. The Mirage Drive is submerged down deep below the turbulence zone and out of the wind. And no paddles trying to act like sails. Only one kayaker needs to pedal, so the other can rest. A sick or injured kayaker can be transported. Pedalers don’t need to pedal in sync; just pedal when you can, rest when you want (and given post-polio syndrome, my wife needs to rest often). No need to struggle with steering by paddling strokes: the big sailing rudder does it all. The boat is so stable you can sit in it sideways and dangle your legs over the side. No special edging or bracing skills needed. No problem with boat wakes. No voluminous hull to bail out after a capsize. As for the Eskimo roll . . . how many kayakers have a reliable roll and a reliable, quick reentry method in bad conditions? Do you?
The Oasis is wonderfully seaworthy. I haven’t had it on the ocean yet, but I have had it ALONE on a lake playing joyously in 3-4 foot waves and 35-mph winds, going head into the wind, with the wind, and broadside to the wind and waves—no problem making progress in any direction (with Turbo fins), no capsizes, no problem steering. Imagine what it would have been like with two pedaling. On Lake Powell, with the boat fully loaded for overnight camping, I went 3 miles ALONE in winds clocked at steady 40 mph with waves I estimated to four feet. The only real problem I had was trying to turn the boat head into the wind during gusts I found out later were clocked at 60 mph. I think it would have been no problem had I had a second person on board to double the pedal power and to hold the bow down out of the wind.
The biggest problem we have with this boat is finding bodies of water big enough to make it worthwhile deploying and finding some place with waves to play in. In Utah, we live too far from the ocean.
Essential options: You will need the sailing rudder to really command the waves. It will slow you down a bit, and draws more water, but you need it. A kayak cart is essential; this is a heavy boat, and you won’t want to scratch the bottom dragging it. Eventually you will want the Turbo ST fins for astonishing maximum power, but might want to condition your legs with the “lower geared” standard fins first. Carry a couple of extra plastic shear pins for the rudder, and a spare mast for the fins (plus vicegrips and needlenosed pliars to change it). Use paddle tethers. In bad conditions, tether yourself to the boat, since a boat can blow away faster than you can swim.
While some agile people can right a capsized Oasis by jumping on top of it and pulling on the far side or the fins, in practice drills we have found we need flip lines to right the boat (we have never capsized in actual use, except once in a whitewater situation). We use two 9-foot x 1” cam-type river straps from Northwest River Supply, looped in strap eyes screwed outside the gunwales on one side of the boat, approximately in the middle of the length of each cockpit. The straps double as reentry stirrups for us, the less-than-agile.
I rigged bungee cords with brass snap hooks to hook onto the Mirage drives to allow us to pull the drives up in shallow water without risking losing them overboard. Essential.
If you are serious about going places, I suggest you decline the Outfitter. It’s slower (shorter + wider + heavier = slower, and more effort required), has less weight capacity, and has less storage space, despite the extra fishing lure and rod pockets. The Oasis has all the stability you need. In fact, I believe the Oasis could benefit from being made a couple of inches narrower and a foot or two longer, with a big hatch in front. If such a boat were held to 17’ or under (to ride the ferry to the Islands), that will get my money."
|
Login
Register
FAQ
