Does anyone own a 2015 Sport or Revo 11 or tested them

2015 Revo 13 review:
I had a previous 2012 Revo 11, I enjoyed it but sold it after a few months because I hated the seat (back issues) and felt very maxed out weight wise at 185-190 lbs. It seemed like the boat and it's seating position was trimmed too stern heavy and the bow popped high out of the water when pedaling fast. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new Vantage CT seat. It is about as good as it gets-just as comfy and supportive as the Pro Angler Vantage seat just slightly smaller/different. The adjustability is great. The boat has excellent primary and secondary stability even in the high position with the kickstand up. The Revo 13 is very quiet and dry in operation. The new drive vs the old drive side by side at the dealer in hand and by feet in the air- you will notice that it's smoother and easier to move (much less stiction/friction) I wanted to try the ST fins first before automatically upgrading to turbo fins. I am happy so far after a few trips out on the water with the ST fins. They are super easy on the legs, on the water-less fatigue and slightly less top end speed. I'm not racing so my easy pace of 3-4mph is just fine for me. The seating position/trim(slightly reclined is natural feeling when pedaling) on the Revo 13 still seems a bit stern heavy when pedaling at a faster pace popping high in the bow. It still responds very fast and seems very agile and maneuverable. I installed the large rudder as it seems to need much less steering correction and turns much faster. I tried a few times in no wind/no current flat conditions to pull up the rudder and put in the drive plug and just see how the boat paddled like a regular kayak. It paddled worse than I thought. It zig -zagged even with gentle short paddle strokes and the rear end quickly kicks left around on you -bow always to the right. The right side is also where the speed drain sticks out like a bulbous pod underneath- maybe coincidence but maybe not? Overall it's a great comfy fast-ish kayak and not too heavy feeling in hand especially when using a scupper cart. The 13 has more leg room than the 11 for sure and feels more roomy for my 6' tall frame. The fit and finish and quality overall is above average. You certainly won't keep up with a touring kayak but you'll be much more comfy. I'm not a fisherman but this will make an excellent photography/birding platform.

Thanks for an excellent review of the Revo 13.

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

I picked up my 2015 Sport on Xmas Day (a friend picked it up for me the day before!)

I've been out in it about 6 times now & there are quite a few changes from the 'old' Sport

The hull is a totally different shape & design - it is quite 'flat' in comparison, so you get a much quieter ride due to less 'hull slap'.

The yak is also bit 'wider' and a tad heavier than the old one.

The new seat is very comfortable and supportive, but the angle that you pedal the Mirage Fin is totally different from the old yak & you use different muscles in your buttocks to propel the yak - a bit of sciatic discomfort may occur!

Altho you CAN have the seat 'higher', I found that it was quite unstable on this setting, so have it 'low down'

On the old Sport, the mirage setting was in the middle for me (5ft 3"). On the New Sport, it is on the highest setting.

The new Mirage Drive is very smooth.

I am looking forward to many happy outings in my new yak

I fish in the PA 12 and travelled to Texas in September 2014 and had a chance to fish out of the Revo 11. It was a nice kayak to fish the Guadalupe River in. It didn't have anything mounted to it since it was a demo boat but it moves very smoothly in the current and handled the shallow water well when I had to pull up the drive. It was a breeze to get in and out of when I wanted to stop and fish certain areas. Hope this helped.

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I've put the rear of the seat on the little legs & left the front down low & it isn't affecting my hip so much now - but my knees are still complaining!

I am sure I'll work my way thru it tho

Thanks for the excellent reviews.

Looking for more reviews and specs on the new Sport and Revo 11.

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

Speaking of a squeaky GT drive, I made a brief video of mine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqc9uJGyNlI

It's easy to reproduce the problem, and I'm certain that the squeak comes from the ends of the delrin roller bearings on the main axle rubbing against the spine. In particular, there does not seem to be any noise coming from the bearings rubbing against each other. I haven't used any grease, but I'm skeptical that that'll solve the problem without constant re-greasing, which requires taking the chains off. It seems to me that a "squeak-free" fender washer (stainless? nylon?) between the drum and the spine would be a more permanent solution. Anyways, I'm open to suggestions. Thanks.

When I made the "GT conversion" to my PA-14 Mirage drive earlier this year, I decided that "packing the bearings", using marine grease was a good idea and could not do any harm.

I "packed the bearings" with Evinrude-Johnson, Triple-Guard Grease.....This stuff is blue in color and really "sticky"....it does not wash out, but due to the excessive amount of grease I used, on my first outing, a small "ring of grease" oozed out the open end of the bearing housings.
It was easy to wipe up/remove the grease with a disposable paper towel........after the third outing and 18 miles of use, the grease oozing has all but stopped.

There is no noise/squeaking when pedaling.

The next time I service my Mirage drive, I will use a smaller amount of grease since it really stays in place and lubricates the plastic bearing to stainless steel shaft interface.

One other area that can potentially cause a squeak is the foot pedals......I use the same grease on the pedal shafts since it plastic to stainless steel rubbing against each other.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

OK, it sounds like grease is probably the first thing to try.

Btw, in my case, it's not the Hobie pedals since I'm, using bike pedals.

I greased the bearings on the main axle (the 1/2" stainless that the crank arms pivot on) and was on the water pedaling nonstop for 4+ hours today---problem solved. I didn't add any grease to the other bearings, so those don't seem to need it.

It would be nice of there was a way to grease the bearings without disassembling. That would be particularly useful if grit works its way in there. I've seen that someone has added a grease port, but that seems overkill. A small (like 1/8") hole would suffice, provided there was some way to plug it without interfering with the bearings...

I bought the revo 11 about 6 weeks ago and overall really enjoy the kayak.upgrading from a 3 metre kayak i wanted a good all rounder.

- Something i could fish off (mainly bay fishing in calm conditions. I am not much of a fisherman)
- something with plently of storage for our 3 or 4 day touring camping trips we do storing all camping gear on kayaks
- something not too big i could use often and easily load onto my car.
- 2015 model with new seat and gt drive
- i am shortish at 170 cm

On a camping weekend i lined my revo11 against older revo 13 and an adventure 16. both older kayaks had turbo fins. The 11 was slightly slower than the 13 and 16 but has a great turning circle.

the 2015 model is great, plenty of changes to the hull are all great improvements.

the new seat is fantastic and dry and i find it very comfortable touring on the highest and also stable enough. in wind and chop i keep the seat on the lower settings. However the seat has alot of moving parts and i have had an issue with the seat back adjustment failing. It was fixed by my dealer who had not seen it before bit did advise if it happens again, new seat under warranty.

Hope any of the info helps

Thanks for your excellent report on the Revo 11.

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

It took a good 8 weeks for me to 'get used' to the new seat/pedal action of the new 2015 Hobie Sport ..... and I am loving it now - both hips and knees!!

It is much more 'responsive' to the rudder direction change, too.

Thanks!

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder