Hobie Cat Forums

Hi Everyone,

My wife went out for her first ride in her Hobie Sport and found it quite difficult, to the point where it might be tough to get her to go out again. Her main complaint was that the pedals felt "too high". Clearly there isn't a way to adjust them in terms of height. She was sitting in the seat position closer to the back of the boat and we had the pedals set at 2/3/4 at different times.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how we might deal with this so that the ride is more comfortable? A friend suggested the inflatable seat. I've already added a car gel seat on top of the standard one that comes with the yak.

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Dileas

I know of several smaller pedallers who have had no difficulties in getting comfortable - usually it is just a matter of getting used to a slightly different body position.

If she is new to pedalling a Hobie it might possibly be that she is trying to sit in a similar position to that required for paddling a conventional kayak i.e. back upright or even slightly leaning forwards at the waist, backside pushed back in the seat (and sometimes legs bracing - or expecting to brace - against the sides of the kayak). In this position the lifting of the feet to the pedals would be quite uncomfortable.

The Hobie Mirage requires a much more laid back seating position - quite literally; that way lifting your feet to the pedals is much easier and more comfortable.

If you shift between pedalling and paddling your Hobie you should notice a marked difference in the body position required for each method of propulsion.

Can I suggest you try letting the seat back down a bit if you haven't tried this already ? And perhaps you could try playing around between the forward and back seating positions also.

Has anyone cut the pedal shafts down a couple of inches and redrilled the pedal mounting holes? Yes, I realize this would void the warrantee on the pedals, even though you could replace them if selling the boat.

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Cheers,
Adam
http://www.yakfisher.net

I only pedalled a Hobie once, a hired boat for a few hours, but I also found it rather uncomfortable to hold my legs at the pedalling position, even sitting laid-back. I hope to get a Hobie of my own in the future, and I intend to add heel straps to help support the weight of my legs.

You can find details on Roadrunner's useful post here:
viewtopic.php?f=82&t=39389&p=160344

Mary

I appreciate the input. Although I'm leery to do so, I think Bubbleboy's suggestion is the type of solution I'm after. If anyone has successfully done such a thing that is what I'd like to consider.

We're taking the boats (I have an Outback as well) to P.E.I. in Canada for the last week in June (going to miss Bass opener here in ontario...sob...sob...sob) and that is going to be the next opportunity for her to try out the boat. I don't plan on modding it before then. That week will be a chance to see if she can get used to the boat without any drastic mods. We will try adjusting the seat positing (foreward and aft), as well as playing with the 'recline'.

If we can't get it to work for her I'll need to consider some mods like the ones you are all suggesting.

Dileas

If you do decide to attack the pedal shafts with a saw you might want to consider:
1) chopping a bit off the top and moving/adding a new pedal rather than chopping a bit off the bottom.
2) that reducing the length of the shaft will reduce the amount of leverage - i.e. pushing the pedal will get harder. Might not matter much with normal legs & standard fins but the effect might be quite noticeable with weak leg muscles and/or the larger ST Turbo fins.

If you chop I would be quite interested to hear what the iimpact of the extra leverage is like.

Bear in mind that replacement pedals are available from Hobie for a situation of "chop and regret"

Here's a great post on the subject by Josh over at his Yakass site that may give some ideas: http://yakass.net/articles/equipment/188-the-geared-mirage-drive

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http://KayakingBob.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2007, 2009 & 2010 Hobie AIs and a 2010 TI

My wife (5'2") and I (5'7") both have the same problem with our various Mirage boats. Suggest that you move the seat to the forward position. This will move her thighs higher up the seat well and make the height difference less. We also bought a couple of the inflatable seats. They make a huge difference.

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Mark N
Outfitter
Revo 13

The higher one sits, the less stable the boat. The smaller or narrower the boat, the greater the effect. Before considering any changes to the Drive, I would adjust the seat back to make it less upright as per Stobbo's suggestion and see if she adapts to the pedaling position. If keeping the feet on the pedals is a problem, try some heel straps. It is a bit different at first for many folks and can take a little getting used to.