Hobie Cat Forums

Have you all ever found others that look at you on your PA with a look of displeasure? I overheard several people saying that for the price we paid for the PA you they could've gotten a boat. Since I was in earshot, I just told the the truth...nicely of course

1. I have been out on my PA in the past couple of weeks than I have when I had my boat. Even more, than I have with my other three kayaks (Wildy Ride, LL Manta Ray, and Prowler 15). All were gread kayaks.

2. I don't have to pay for insurance, taxes, boat licenses.

3. Maintenance is very minimal compared to a boat. I had a problem on my boat that cost me almost $1500..

4. Portability is simple

5. Finally, GAS!!!! If I still had my boat, every outing would cost me, a whole lot.

I love paddling to get to my fishing destinations but I love peddling even better. I worry less about the wind.

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2011 HPA
2006 Wildy Ride 135

That's the thing that's great about ALL Hobie's. Once you buy the boat, you're done with mandatory costs.

A boat with a motor, not only needs gas, but often needs a larger vehicle to tow it. Any Hobie can be towed, or roof topped by an economy car. Less gas to get it to the lake, no gas on the lake.

The maintenance costs of a Hobie over a summer of use are peanuts compared to the maintenance costs of anything with a gas engine on the water.

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only time i ever heard a negative comment was when i had a Commander 140 and had it motorized. heard a paddler comment as they went by that i should have got a boat...umm, yeah, big difference between a kayak with a trolling motor and a boat.

i seem to attract the droolers and those green with envy and never any haters (at least that i have seen or heard) with both my PA and TI.

always seems like when i am out alone, and folks are nearby, they want to check it out, and have even helped out with the loading and unloading. (not that i need it, seems they just want to get up to it to check em out closer, but the extra hand with the TI is always appreciated!).

usually blows em away when i wheel up my PA to the truck fully loaded/rigged, pick up the nose to the bed, then around back and slide it on while watching others unload their smaller yaks.

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2011 Hobie Pro Angler - Papaya
2012 Hobie Tandem Island - Papaya

The only negative I can ever think of is in regards to the weight when loading and unloading. I have had a couple of friends on fishing trips want to see how much it weighs when moving it and they "gasp" at the weight, especially when loaded with on the water gear. That's when it's picked up by 2 people without the cart being used.

I think a lot of us buying the PA understand that depending on how much you load into or bolt on, it is not as light as a traditional kayak. Heck...Hobie doesn't list it as a kayak. Yes...mine can be heavy at times during the loading/unloading process, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. The positives far outway the weight.

Tight lines!

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Steve Stubbs
USAF (retired)

2012 Pro Angler - Dune
2012 Revolution 11 - Papaya

Biggest benefit I can think of when compairing to other kayaks is the ability to stand and fish. I like to site fish and the PA is the only rig I've felt comfortable enought to stand and fish. By far the most stable fishing platform of it's size and nature.

Yea it's heavy but it's worth it on the water.

Someone made the mistake of saying that to me once ............ I just told him that I have a boat ....... 2 infact and haven't used them in 2 years since I got my PA .......... it's not in the cost ........ it's in the enjoyment stupid ..... now take your jealousy elsewhere cause I've got fish to catch and fun to have ........

Or just tell them the same thing I do - "I already have several boats so it was either this or blow it on more cars and women."

I also have a boat and I have not used it since July 2011. I have never heard a negative comment about my PA yet, I went to a small lake nearby yesterday and a guy came up and was looking my PA, his comment was "you sure have a lot of stuff on that!".

Just wait until you run into a Native owner. I pulled into a SW FL bait shop with the Hobie loaded on the roof rack of my Suburban and walked in to find a few anglers sitting around. One of them just out of the blue said, "I always laugh when I see a Hobie". I said, "You appear to be a jealous Native salesman." He corrected me to say he is a fishing team member, not a salesman, and that I may have seen him in one of the videos on Native's website. He went through the PA talking point checklist; it's too heavy, can't fish shallow water (his claim that the Native peddle drive doesn't extend below the hull is complete B/S), drive not efficient, but his biggest thing was "you can't back up and I can". He has one of the models that has a peddle drive that looks like you are peddling a recumbent bicycle. It has a small prop which you reverse by peddling backwards.

I explained that I have a bad back and regularly put the PA on the roof rack with relative ease, I had just peddled the turbo fins for two hours through the bay against an incoming tide with no fatigue, easily fish skinny water by feathering the fins or stand-up poling, have room to spare even with my bait tank and dog, and that I have NEVER found myself in a situation where I wished I could peddle in reverse.

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_<>-+ copterchief

Well said. Most who go that route have simply never tried a Hobie nor the Mirage Drive.

What I do in that situation is to challenge them to go out on the water. I tell them to follow me. When I get too far ahead, I hold up and wait, then lead them into shallow water where I can feather my fins and keep going. At about 2 feet depth, the Native owners will have to pull their drives and get out the paddle.

In the tournaments that I fish...the "Native Mariner 12.5 Propel Angler" is the popular choice amongst local anglers. As I do like these yaks...they are just not for me.

When some Mariner owners tease about the Pro Angler...I just pull up next to them and carefully look both over...then ask if they are borrowing their kids yak for the day...lol

Seriously, it's just not fair to compare these two. The Pro Angler is a fishing machine...the Mariner is just a "bike boat". When they bring up "reverse" and they will at least a couple of times...I just say, you look like you were in reverse, when I passed you on the water today! ; )

Overall...I get a lot more positive feedback than negative. Seems I can't launch or load the PA on the trailer without having to answer questions from inquiring minds.

I have gotten more positive comments (or don't hear the negative ones). Guys on boats sometime will say how having a kayak is a good idea. I guess they take into account the cost to operate a boat. I upgraded to my PA b/c I love the totally versatility that this boat offers. I have fished deep and poled shallow flats without any problems. I love fishing from it, and welcome others to do the same.

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Kayak Corpsman, 2012 Hobie Pro Angler

Having "on demand" reverse could be nice in some situations, but the Native only allows you to hold, not actually reverse in any particular drive line. It can't be steered when moving in reverse so any motivation in that direction would only be for very short distances.

I have popped the Mirage Drive and trolled in reverse and was surprised to find that the boat was still relatively fast and... very steerable.

they are all hating on our pro anglers. I've got a lot of friends they are bashing me and our pro anglers cause they say they are not kayaks they are boats no (censored).....I tell them no (censored) Sherlock its called a pro angler and I wanna fish and I wanna fish hard and not have to paddle and try and cast. and they all say you could buy 3+ kayaks for the price of one pa. they are cheap and are a bunch of poor envious chumps.....well that's my 2 cents on em LOL. tight lines everyone

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buy AMERICAN