Mirage for recreational (newbie) kayaking?

Hi all,
I have zero kayaking experience (zero boating experience). I'm 50, (female) 5'4" and think I would enjoy a peddle kayak as I have no arm strength. Anything I choose I'll have to trailer as I can't lift much over 20lbs due to back and neck issues.

I'm quite taken with the pro angler models, even though I don't fish (but might enjoy learning). Basically I'm looking for a stable kayak to tool around in on the lakes and rivers. The seating looks most comfortable on the PR's, which is important to me for the back/neck issues.

I had a question about the carts. Do these stay on the boat once you get to the water? If not what do you do with them?

Can the mirage kayaks be used on creeks or would the mirage unit need to be removed? Or perhaps a different kayak altogether is best used for creek floating and rapids?

Is there any model mirage that a German Shepherd could fit on? Not a huge issue, but I'd love not to have to leave him at home.

I believe the best all around Mirage Drive Kayak for what you want to do is the Revolution 11 or 13. If you want to take your dog, the 13 would be the better choice, although a GS is a pretty large dog and I'm not sure how well he'd fit into the tankwell area.

The PA is more a fishing platform, but that's not to say it wouldn't work for what you want to do. You won't likely be able to cartop it, and it's going to take a lot more work to get it to and off the water, unless you decide to trailer it. It would certainly be better for a dog, of course.

I think the new 2015 sport would be your best bet, it has the new comfortable seat you want and is light weight, might even fit in a hatch back with rear seat folded, the cart is removed and inserted upside down behind the seat if you need to take it along.

Welcome to the forum!
My vote is for the Sport which is the smallest/lightest mirage driven kayak in the lineup. I don't know how big the dog is, but just be sure your combined weight (plus whatever gear you take) is within the 225lb capacity. Its a very stable craft and since you are not used to kayaking, this might save you an initial dunking or two if you went with the Revolution models (you eventually learn the tipping point for these and find that they are pretty stable after all).

The cart comes out before you go in the water and you can invert it and put it in the "trunk" of the kayak securely.
I have no experience with rapids, but I would exercise extreme caution since these kayaks are not as flexible as an inflatable... oh wait, Hobie has an inflatable if you are into that?

Skip the PA, too heavy to port around single-handed with your conditions.

I have answered most of your question in RED print.

Remember that the dog will be another factor in tipping over. Until you and the dog get used to the rocking motion of the yak. It will be a learning experience for both of you. I would suggest you add some type of non-slip surface to the front of the yak for the dog to stand and lay on while yaking. Does you dog take commands very well? Like lie-down? If so then the dog might not be a big factor for you to adjust to the water.

You might want to find a dealer who will let you demo the yak before buying. The best way to know what you want would be to have the dog with you when you demo to get the feel for dog and yak together. Good Luck and happy yaking!!!

Hi Tinksquared,

For a little perspective, my mom (57, not much upper body strength, barely 5' tall) used my 2005 Sport this Summer on a very quiet stretch of river back in Virginia. She wasn't able to handle loading and unloading it by herself, so I took care of that. She absolutely loved riding in it though! She hinted that I should get a new one and she should 'inherit' the Sport, so I've placed an order for a 2015 Outback and will be surprising her with my old Sport at Christmas. If she plans on taking it out on her own, my dad will most likely drive her to her loading location and let her peddle till she's tired and then pick her back up when she's ready because even the old Sport is too cumbersome for her to lift. It's not the weight so much as the unwieldiness of it for her to lift confidently. Because you mentioned you'll likely trailer the kayak, regardless of which model you get, that shouldn't be a problem for you. Also, the newer seats on all the models should be more comfortable for your back and neck, so you shouldn't be restricted to the PAs because of that.

As far as having a German Shepherd on the kayak with you, I have a German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix that I wanted to include on my trips as well. The only problem is that there isn't enough room on the Sport (and I think you'd be pushing it on the Revos as well due to the shallow sloped angle of the well) for that. I could see him being able to sit in the well behind the seat in the Outback or on the PAs, but another thing you'll need to take into consideration is that even if the dog is well behaved and will stay laying down most of the trip, he will get HOT as the sun beats down on him back there. When I was growing up, I went on several float trips in a large 17' Grumman canoe down the calmer sections of the upper James river with my grandpa and his black lab, Prince. He was an EXTREMELY obedient dog and laid on the bottom of the canoe for long stretches of time, but if we didn't stop every now and then to let him out to swim around and cool off, he would have overheated. If you are dead-set on taking your dog with you, I would do a test run or two with him to see how he handles being in the kayak and to see if it's too much of a hassle, and only plan to take him out when the weather isn't too hot/humid.

As far as recommending a model, I'd suggest you find a dealer near you that you can visit to be able to see first-hand the dimensions of all of the available models. When you're looking online, it's hard to decide, but once you see them in person you'll quickly be able to see what you can and cannot handle. Also, if your dealer does any demo-days where they'll have some models out to test drive on a lake, pond or river near you, that would be ideal. At the very least, I'd see if they can bring two or three that you've narrowed your choices down to somewhere for a test before you buy...these aren't small purchases and that little bit of customer service I think isn't too much to ask. After all, you wouldn't buy a car without a test drive, would ya?

Good luck with your decision and I'm sure you'll have a blast with whatever you choose!

-Dan

I have 30 years of whitewater kayaking experience, and I use a 13' Revolution for kayak fishing. I recommend that you not try to use a Mirage Drive kayak in moving water unless it is very reliably deeper than about three feet. It takes time and some juggling around to pull up your Mirage Drive, pull up your rudder, and get out your paddle. In moving water, particularly if the water is at all muddy, you could have very little warning that the water is getting too shallow for your Mirage Drive and your rudder. If you go over a shallow rock or gravel bar in moving water while using a Mirage Drive, you could bend the fins, break portions of the Mirage Drive, and/or break the rudder. So my recommendation is, don't try to use a Mirage Drive or a rudder in moving water. Leave the Mirage Drive at home and your rudder folded up, put the plug in the hole where the Mirage Drive goes, and paddle the kayak.

It's a lot easier to get a kayak onto a trailer than it is to get a kayak on top of a vehicle. But in order to get a kayak onto a trailer, you still need to be able to lift one end of the kayak up to about waist height to set it on the rack on the trailer, and then lift the other end and slide the kayak into the rack. And you'll need to lift the kayak onto and off of a kayak cart when moving it down to the edge of the water. Try lifting a kayak to see if you can manage the weight, bending, etc. If you can't, you'll need to kayak with somebody who can help move around your kayak.

Thank you so much for all the replies. I will do some more research!

Twenty pounds is a heck of a limitation. Even with a 60 lb. (with the Mirage drive, etc.) boat and a trolley you will need to lift 30 lbs. of weight. The only practical way to get around this is to have a special trailer so you can back into the water and float the kayak off (and back on again at the return).

All of the kayak trailers have the cradles too high off the ground for launching the boats directly off the trailer. One option is to buy a used jet ski trailer and have it modified with cradles for a boat. Hobie sells cradles for the Pro Angler boats.

The Sport, Outback, and Pro Angler will be the most stable and provide the least chance for tipping over other than going to the Adventure with its amas. The Adventure Island can be used with only one ama and it can be equipped with a trampoline between the boat and the ama for your dog.

The Sport with a jet ski trailer is going to be the easiest to manage overall. Leaving your dog at home is going to be the safest tack to take. If the boat flips and your dog is in the water in a river or the middle of a lake what are you both going to do?

I'm an old guy who would rather not lift too much if I can. A trailer IS the easiest way weight-wise to move a Hobie to a lake, so you are off in the right direction. I have a Sport and an Outback, and the Sport IS much easier to move because it is lighter and shorter. Both are very stable boats.

It was mentioned that if you use the Hobie plug-in wheels, you'll have to lift the kayak off of it at the lake shore. That's not totally true. I pull my Outback till it dangles a bit over the back of the trailer. I then insert my plug-in wheels and use the little "rod latch" to keep the wheels from falling off the bottom of the boat. Then I unload and walk the boat to the water. IF I'm at a boat ramp or a beach-like shore, I simply push the boat into the water with the wheels still mounted below (yes, I sometimes get stares from passerby's). I then take the boat out to about knee deep water, reach under and pull the wheels down and out, and place them in the scupper holes behind the seat. I found that my Hobie wheels float, so there's no worries that you'll lose them in the water. I reverse the process after the paddle.

With this method, I don't have to lift anything but the front of the boat to wheel it to the water and back to the trailer. Mind you, the outback's wheel holes are a little too far back of center, so the bow is a little weighty. The Sport should be an easy tow by comparison.

_________________
Absolute kayaking corrupts absolutely.

BTW, I DO take my Hobie on some rivers, …but never rocky rivers or rivers less than 1.5 feet deep. We have deep enough rivers here in Omaha for Hobies, but one has to be very aware of sand bars and snags (trees or other debris) in the river. A river paddle usually means removing and replacing the drive from its well, and raising and lowering the rudder, as river conditions arise. I have 2 short bungie cords on my front hatch that I can quickly slip my drive flippers into for storage when needed, And the drive is ALWAYS tethered to the boat with a strong cord/latch connector so I don't lose the drive into the river during such transfers.

Having said all that, I'd advise against river paddling till you've gotten very used to your boat and acquired enough paddling skills (yes, you WILL need to paddle a Hobie sometimes) to maneuver with enough skill to be safe on a river.

_________________
Absolute kayaking corrupts absolutely.

I think the mirage drive are more rugged and durable than some are giving credit to. We have literally thousands of miles on our Hobies with the mirage drives in and have never had a breakage, yes we have had a couple bent shafts, but have always straightened them easily. The whole trick in shallow rivers is to stop pedaling if you hit something, and park the pedals against the hull with the provided bungy. We have leashes on all of our drives and quickly pop them out on long class 2 rapids, but put them right back in as soon as it's deep again. The only exception is weedy rivers, where we raise the rudder, pull the drives an paddle thru the weeds. Our favorite kayak is the revo 13, in pretty sure you would enjoy a revo 11 (I'm a big guy so the revo 11 is a little small for me).
I'm just sayin don't be afraid of ranging the mirage drive, they are very durable
Bob

It's a kick, isn't it Fusioneng, to pedal and maneuver against a strong river current in a Hobie! And you are right, the drive almost never breaks, though the rods will bend when hit hard enough.

I take my drive out of the well mostly because a smooth-bottom hull can clear tree limbs and sandbars much better than with flips up against the hull. That little half inch of drive sticking below the boat is surprisingly good at catching and sticking to underwater thingies.

_________________
Absolute kayaking corrupts absolutely.

Thomas:
Before getting into mirage kayaks I was a canoe guy (Boy Scouts), I have admit I love the mirage drive and the Hobies a lot more. After a yr or so using the mirage drives I found the distance I could cover in a day quadrupled, my wife's endurance isn't quite as good so we typically tandem, with a tandem we can take turns pedaling to give each other a break once in a while, when our legs get tired we paddle. We always had the sail kits strapped to to the sides of our kayaks and if we had any usable wind we could also sail. One of our favorite things exploring rivers to their headwaters, lots of portages as they get narrower but it's always an adventure. All of our kayaks are all scratched up but it's amazing how rugged the hulls are.
I'm really glad I got into kayaking it has changed my life (I'm way more fit than I used to be), and get to experience nature at it's best.
Bob

Welcome to the world of Hobies! You will fall in love with the tranquility of lake kayaking. We have a houseboat and when we first bought my wife her own Sport model several years ago, she would never get out of sight of home base. Now, she is gone for miles and hours, and comes back so relaxed and laid back you would think sho was on tranquilizers!

After shoulder and open heart surgery, I am severely limited on the weight I can lift. I purchased a used small-boat trailer from a newpaper ad cheap, had a much handier friend modify it for my pair of Hobies. He added boat rollers (Overton's) on a rail at the rear. I back the trailer into the water, slide the Hobies off with the bow ropes at almost zero resistance, then when I am ready to leave, load up the same way in reverse, pulling the Hobies onto the trailer with their bow ropes.

You will love joining the Hobie Nation! And the trailer solution makes loading and unloading a stress and energy free task.

Leave the puppy home. It's asking for a dunking for both of you.

Oldguysrule