Turbo fins

Thinking about turbo fins..... are they worth it? Good points? Bad ones? Are they a LOT harder to peddle with? Anyone get some and not like them and want to sell them? Thanks for any info.

The speed difference is huge. There is a Hobie sales number they quote % of better speed you get...but it really feels WAY faster. The only down side is if you do a lot of creek Kayaking, you will be pulling them up a ton so they dont get broken. Completely worth it if you are doing traveling in your kayak. Not so much if you are just slowly fishing.

Turbo fins and the sailing rudder are the best upgrades and "bang for the buck" you can get regardless of how you use your Hobie.
Shallow water operation is asking for bent/broken masts regardless if you have turbo fins or the standard fins.
You will find that with turbo fins installed, your hull/kayak speed is significantly improved, with less pedaling effort and the sailing rudder will improve the turning time once the rudder handle is turned/moved to change course.
Since I made these changes to my first Hobie Outback in 2010, I never looked back

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

My take - I fish VERY shallow and sometimes have a long pedal to my drops... the turbo's are good for speed and distance and that makes up for any issues with shallow water... also if you flutter kick with the turbo's you get more movement than the regular fins.

Which Mirage Kayak and what age/fitness for paddlers? Upgrading from the standard fin to the ST fin is a no brainer. I have two Outfitters and don't even remember where I put the original fins. Since the Outfitters are tandems we run the ST fins up front (usually with the weaker paddler) and the ST Turbos in the back. I am mid fifties and overweight but I have always used the ST Turbos, whether tandem or solo, without problem. If only two of us are going out in one of the kayaks we'll both take ST Turbo fins. Even average 10 year old kids have no problem peddaling the Turbos. The turbos are faster and we are able to go further. Yes they will hit sooner in shallow water but we switch to paddles anytime we might encounter shallows. We keep the drives in and flat against the hull when paddling, unless it is really shallow.

Turbos and rudder? Just do it. I echo everyone else's positive comments.

I don't understand why Hobie doesn't install Turbo fins on all of its Mirage Drive kayaks as standard equipment. They aren't any harder to use, and they are faster. If somebody finds them difficult to use, which I think is unlikely, they could buy and install the smaller fins. It would be interesting to know what percentage of Hobie owners who use their kayaks on a regular basis upgrade to Turbo fins. I suspect that it's very high. And I suspect that nobody who buys Turbo fins ever goes back to the standard fins. So my recommendation is, definitely buy the Turbo fins.

I initially resisted buying the sailing rudder, because the standard rudder seemed to be working fine. But I do a lot of deep downrigger trolling with a cooler for fish on the back of my kayak. I found that when downrigger trolling at slow speeds in strong side or tail winds, the wind catching the cooler would overpower the rudder and turn my kayak. I upgraded to the sailing rudder and eliminated the problem.

Hobie does not recommend this, but I attached the standard rudder to the sailing rudder to get a real good bite on the water. I cannot lift the double rudder with the up cord, but I have a real good rudder for all conditions. You just have to remember to hand lift the rudder. Good Luck

Thanks everybody! I had already upgraded to the sailing rudder and I echo the sentiment about "never looking back". Fantastic in troughs and strong tidal conditions. I'm definitely getting the turbos. As you folks said -- a "no brainer". Appreciate your feedback.

I just purchased a 2014 Oasis and have been considering the turbo fins. Looks like my mind it made up. Question... My rudder on the 2014 Oasis appears to be pretty large. Does the 2014 Oasis already come with the sailing rudder? I can't imagine a much bigger rudder than what I currently have.

Thanks,
Montauk17

Yes oasis comes with the sailing rudder

We have them on our Revo 13 boats and often go into muddy estauries where it can be less that 2 feet deep and have not had a problem with the turbo fins. Easy enough to do half strokes at the front end so the blades only come down half way until you get into deeper water.

For me the turbo fans felt like I had the right amount of resistance. With the standard fins it was like being on a bicycle in too low a gear and I had a greater tendency to hit the front edge of the socket where the Mirage drive sits. With the turbo I can do a half stroke going from about the 25 to 75 percent of the possible pedal range and keep up speed without a lot of effort.

I get going faster than others with the standard (or turbo) fins doing a full stroke. I figure that at the end of the pedal range the fins are not doing much work as they are close to being flat against the hull of the boat. It is not unlike using a paddle in a kayak where the most efficient practice is to end the stroke when the paddle is even with your torso.

The standard fins are about 11 inches in length and the turbo are only 2 inches longer and both have the same width. Not a big difference in the amount of water being moved or in the amount of water needed for them to operate. If you need 15 inches of water with the standard fins you will only need 17 inches of water for the turbo fins in the same boat.