Quote:
, she won't catch fish, she won't clean fish, she won't cook fish, and she certainly won't eat fish!
LOL, that’s me 100%
Haven’t posted on these forums in years, but when I saw this question, I thought I should add my two cents.
Just like your wife, I have had shoulder surgery, great ROM, but can’t paddle a conventional kayak. When I first came across a Hobie mirage back in 2008, I was sold on the concept. Rented one of the inflatable ones for a few hours and knew I would buy a Hobie mirage kayak one day.
As it happened, my husband found an ‘09 demo at a local shop 10(?)years ago. Since the price was right, and it was the only demo they had available, I tested it for an hour and knew right away this was the one for me.
It was fast, comfortable, felt solid, secure, and seaworthy and has tons of storage. I know it has a “narrow” width at 27.5”, but with a low center of gravity, I have never felt it was tippy and even got on and off it from alongside a dock. My kayak was pre “vantage” seats.
I have taken the Adventure out in fairly rough coastal waters (San Francisco bay) and off shore in SoCal. It punches though waves and chop easily, whereas my husband’s Revolution 13 rides over them. Against the wind and tides, I will easily stay ahead of him. The Revo 13 has a better turning radius. Both kayaks have been outfitted with turbo fins and larger rudder.
The Adventure tracks very well due to its length which is a huge plus if you DO have to paddle it which will undoubtedly happen.
Weight: The Hobie kayaks have definitely gone up in weight over the years and I won’t lie: it can be a chore to wrangle two kayaks on top of a truck, but with two people it is not bad at all. My Adventure is lighter than the new models, so if your wife wants a fast kayak, you could look into getting a pre- 2014 Adventure. I believe my Adventure weighs in at 62 lbs, which is the weight of a new Revo 11!
We’ve gone kayak camping and have more than enough room for all our gear. A small cooler easily fits on the storage area behind the seat.
I have a sail kit too. It’s a lot of fun sailing the Adventure as it tracks very well, but this is where you will experience more side to side movement than the wider yaks. I never got the side kicks that will give you that extra security, but then again, the Adventure is the only stand-alone model with a dagger board slot.