Microboater:
I'm the same way anymore, I get very bored in flat water and no wind, especially in the hot Florida sun. That's probably why both my wife and I have included the sail kits on every Hobie kayak we have owned. We started out recreational kayaking on rental paddle kayaks (both sit inside, and SOT) and were comfortable going 2-3 miles max and staying very close to shore.
With the Hobie Mirage drives we were able to easily double our comfortable range. Then when we added the sail kits, we were able to double our range again, and were much more comfortable going a little further from shore (not too far though).
We were down in the keys last week with our Tandem Island. The people in the room next to mine had a couple Hawaiian outrigger canoes from (
http://www.kamanucomposites.com/) their single was 24 ft long and the tandem was around 25 ft long, I don't think they weighed more than 25 lbs ea. There is no way possible I could have kept up with them on my tandem island in kayak mode (which is Hobies fastest kayak). Of course just one of those Hawaiian outrigger canoes costs more than a Tandem Island complete with the sail kit and all.
So you are correct with saying a high end sea kayak/canoe with very experienced paddlers, are faster than any of Hobies kayaks (wind and waves or not). But then again we are getting out of the recreational kayaking realm at that point.
My opinion is Hobies kayaks are well placed in the marketplace. They are well designed and built and can be used for more serious adventures, and with the mirage drive, they rival some of the really expensive high end stuff, kind of the best of all worlds.
So my opinion is Hobie kayaks are the perfect selection for any kayaker who is serious and uses his/her boat regularly for many different things even if they are not a triathlon athlete they can have great adventures without polluting the environment.
Bob