I've read a good bit of praise on here for the Outback. I've owned one for about 3 weeks now, and unfortunately my experience has not been as good.
First of all, I'm not an advanced kayaker but have been a casual kayaker for about 15 years now - first on ponds and slow-moving rivers and now on coastal marshes, backwaters and rivers. I am not an ocean kayaker. The Outback is the 5th kayak I've owned, counting a couple that are/were my wife's kayak and which I've paddled quite a bit. I sold a Maui and a Mirage Classic in order to buy the Outback, and I dearly loved both of them. My perspective after 3 weeks -
If your only kayaking interest is fishing, the Outback is probably a good platform. If you're also into recreational paddling, even casually, the best way I can describe the Outback with a paddle is like trying to row a concrete block down the highway. Hobie doesn't make any claims to the contrary, so there's definitely no false advertising involved. If you're considering this boat, I strongly recommend insisting on a test drive. I did not, and that was a seriously dumb mistake on my part. I should have known better.
Secondary stability is probably fine, but primary stability sucks. That really surprised me, given the profile of this boat. It's possible I'm not sufficently loading it, but I'm 5'8"/170#, and the Sport did not offer me the space I wanted. This may just be a personal problem because I haven't seen anyone else complaining about it, but after the stability of the Maui and the Classic, I expected more.
At least with my boat, getting the pedal drive in place and locked down while in the water is all but impossible. Sitting on a stand, I'm able to force it into position, but in the water it takes more strength and agility than I possess. Once again, doing this was a breeze with my Classic, so it was a real shock. I've taken it back to the dealer regarding this issue, but his assistance amounted to trying a different pedal mechanism (it was worse), filing away some plastic on the inside of the "U" of the locking knobs, and telling me to "keep working at it". I'm not certain, but I guess that "working at it" means going to the gym and working out.
Bottom line, I fell in love with this kayak from the website, this forum, and the showroom. I should have done more homework where it counts, but that was my mistake. I'm still a fan of Hobie, but not this particular boat. If you're considering the Outback, I recommend proceeding carefully.