I realize that I posted this in the "Open Forum - Kayaking" and that some responses might lean towards the kayaks, but I think this is an interesting question, and it could be fun to hear people's responses.
In the past, I can see the Hobie 16 run away with the "most fun" category, simply because of the speed that can be achieved on the boat. But today, I sense a change in the Hobie demographic, and I think people are defining fun in a much broader sense.
I've owned three mirage kayaks (Revolution, Adventure, Oasis) and 2 Hobie sailboats (Bravo, Adventure Island) And it's funny how each one is a completely different type of fun.
I loved the AI for it's ability to go anywhere in any condition. Big winds and waves, no problem. No winds or waves, no problem. As a kayak, the Adventure is my favorite mirage drive boat. It's fast, more playful in turns, and has great capacity. The only things that I didn't like about it were the fact that it was a little slow under sail compared to other small sailboats, and it always sailed flat. For some, sailing flat is a huge safety feature, but it also takes out some of the skill of positioning your body to counterbalance the boat. You can screw up, and not tip. Which is good, but in some cases, can be less fun.
I bought my Bravo CHEAP. Had money been no object, I would have gone with the Wave. But the Bravo has really impressed me! It is a great little boat that gets me on the water a lot more often because it's so simple to rig. It's faster than many people give it credit for, and takes the right amount of skill to sail. By that I mean, you get rewarded by positioning the sail, and your body exactly right. Screw something up, and you know it. Get it right, and you get a stupid Hobie grin that just doesn't go away.
What I don't like about it, is that it can be overpowered quite easily. It's such a narrow catamaran, that you can't hike out far enough when the winds get too strong. You can furl the sail to safely get back to shore, but it doesn't sail as well like that.
The Oasis is a lot of fun because tandem kayaks are nicknamed "divorce boats" for a reason. The co-ordination required between both of the users really make tandem kayaks a niche product. Not so with the Oasis. The mirage drive allows two people of different abilities to pedal instead of paddle, and the users can be completely out of sync and have a perfectly enjoyable time together. The dual steering and rudder deployment controls allow for a lot of flexibility, and it's a decent single person kayak, with a crazy amount of carrying capacity.
I think "fun" is completely dependent on how you use your boat, and what you expect from it. So which boat is the most fun, and why?
For years, I thought that a Wave would be my next boat. I would keep the Oasis, and be able to kayak, but buy a Wave for the sailing performance. Today, my thoughts on fun have changed. I now have 2 kids under 2, and there's no way that they're going to enjoy coming out on a Wave the way I like to sail it, until they're quite a bit older. My wife, also isn't really into the Wave's brand of sailing...
So my "Most Fun Hobie" has to be the Tandem Island. It will sail with similar speed to my Bravo, my wife would love to come out on it with me for more than 10 minutes, and it's the ultimate "trip boat". I really enjoy sailing, but the best times that I've had on a sailboat are the times that I'm able to share with my family, and explore new places that you can only get to by water. The Tandem Island will get through rivers with no wind, handle big waves with safety, and be able to take my whole family with the trampolines. Fun used to involve a bit more adrenaline for me, but to have a single boat that can do everything, and be able to share it with friends and family. You can't beat the Tandem Island.
So what do you think? Short answer, long answer, which Hobie is the most fun for you and why?
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Last edited by augaug on Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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