New Hobie Revolution 11!

Oh that's a problem!!

I used to have a nice sit inside kayak. My wife would wheel up to the water's edge with her Revolution, pop in her mirage drive, pop out her wheels and off she went! I'd be stuck getting my spray skirt on (big waves), unstrapping and breaking apart my wheels to put in a hatch, and then finally being able to launch.

Then I'd get hungry or thirsty. My wife would pedal and eat, then pedal and drink. I'd have to stop paddling to eat or drink, which only meant that my wife would get further and further away from me. I was always amazed that my wife, who is not an athlete, could go as fast as I could (and I'm in much better aerobic shape than she is). We could always keep up with each other, but don't even think about stopping to eat or drink if she doesn't want to! You'll work your tail off trying to keep up!

.... and..... that's when I bought my Adventure Island.

Congratulations on your new boat!

_________________

Better not get her the turbo fins then!

SO true!

_________________

Yes i will be paddling a Commander 120 great fishing boat not necessarily built for speed. Now I just need to tempts to heat up so can get her out on the water, I meant my Wife and new boat

Cheers

Hi all,
been really busy and hadn't been able to get new revo 11 out. We spent a week in OBX and I took the Revo 11 out in the Surf for the first time. Not ideal learning new yak in the surf but I managed. After figuring out a few thing like securing the rudder down cord in the cleat so it would stay in position. First time out I manage to get past breakers put rudder down and dropped the mirage drive in and thought I was home free. starting paddling and next thing I know I am doing left turns and could only go in circles. So after raising rudder up and down I decided to head in so I could regroup as I thought I there was a issue with my rudder and steering. So I pulled rudder and mirage drive up and headed in. I was paddling like mad ridding a wave in when I got a little sideways and wiped out. My boys on shore thought it looked cool but once I got in I realized I had lost my nice Oakly's and to make it worse my buddy who I went out with had told me not to wear my sunglasses and or get some straps. So off to ruff start. So a little frustrated went back posted to this forum and got quick response about securing rudder down cord in cleat.

So next day headed out and all was well. It was a little tough getting through initial breakers keeping yak straight without the rudder down. So I went about 1 1/2 parallel to shore enjoying the ride. One thing I did notice was I had to constantly keep hand on steering lever to keep it straight but wasn't sure if I was just over steering or not. Took it another couple time out enjoyed it once I got past initial breakers.

When we got back from OBX I decided to take family out to local reservoir. The Wife was in Revo with our eight year old and I was in commander 120 with our six year old. The Wife loved Revo she even toed me around I would hang onto side and she had no problems pulling the both of us. Below is a little video I took. Sorry for the hokie commentary so you can turn down volume if you like. Figured I would post this as when I was looking I was wandering if I could take our kids out in it as well. The answer is yes as you can see he is relaxed having a drink

Cheers

Greg

Hi, my friend has Mirage Sport kayak, but it is a little uncomfortable for me. Revolution 11 has a larger distance between the seat and the pedals compared to the Mirage Sport. How much longer is this distance?
Thanks.

The Revo 11 seat to Drive distance is about 2" longer than the Sport and 1" shorter than the Outback and Revo 13.

Oddly in the 2013 brochure, Hobie markets the Sport to "kayakers of all heights" but they advertise the Revolution 11 as "ideal for small to midsize kayakers". At 5'10", I max out the Mirage Drive adjustments in the Sport but have plenty of room to spare with the Revo 11. My 6', 250 lb. friend fits in my Revo 11 easily. He'll be delighted to learn that he is only "small to mid-size"! I can only guess they wrote this up on April Fool's Day?

Thanks Mr. Roadrunner

Hi

I've just moved to a new place in Tasmania and I'm lucky enough to be a stone's throw from the water. Actually, I worked out that I can take 61 steps from my front gate and catch an Australian salmon ... which is pretty cool!

Anyway, I've decided it's time to buy a fishing kayak. I figure the kayak should serve two purposes.

Firstly, I want to be able to take it across the street and launch it for some fishing along the shoreline and up and down the estuary I live on.

Secondly, I want to be able to throw it on my car and drive for an hour to take it up to the lakes for some fly fishing. Ideally I'd be able to stand and sight case.

I've done lots of internet reading. Initially I was sorely tempted to go all out and buy a Hobie Pro Angler 12, but it looks like an absolute brute of a thing to get up on some roof racks and carry long distances on top of the car, though it seems with a set of wheels it would be easy enough to wheel across the street and launch for some local shore bashing.

Then I came across the Revolution 11 and I’m thinking that might be a better bet for me. It seems to be light enough for me to muscle around while still having all the functionality I need for fishing both fresh water and the estuary (maybe minus the ability to support my standing and fly fishing idea). I’ve heard various views though on whether it’s comfortable for a tall person. I’m just a tick over 6ft2 but am slim at about 165 pounds. I can run (and pedal) all day but don't have great upper body strength ... so the lightness of the Revo 11 certainly appeals too in terms of being able easily to throw it on the roof.

I'd love to be able to go and sit in the cockpit of the Revo 11 and see for myself whether or not I'm too tall ... but alas the closest dealer to me is a very long way away. So I'd really appreciate any views on whether, at my height, it's just going to be too small or whether it's likely to be able to accommodate me.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

gregj23

You might fit a Revo13 better, but I cannot say with authority since I'm shorter than you (5'8") and fit my Revo11 perfectly.
But hey, if My dad (5'11") can fit in a SPORT, I'm sure you can adjust the pedals in the Revo11 to fit you.

Unless you have unusually short legs, the cockpit length would not give you an optimal pedaling position. On the other hand, the boat would seem to solve an important issue of light weight, easy handling. Your weight is not an issue for the boat at all. If you're not going far you may not need to get a full leg extension. That's the trade off -- light weight for somewhat limited leg length. Depending on your priorities, the Revo 11 might be the best boat for you despite its cockpit length limitations (1" shorter than the Revo 13). A boat that is hard to manage isn't going to get used much.

PS Unless you're a trapeze artist, standing up and fishing is out of the question for either the Revo 11 or Revo 13.

Hmmmmm. That is excellent advice ... but I hate trade-offs! I am now torn between the Revo 11 - probably too short for me but light weight and easy to use if I don't plan to go far, and the Outback - probably a bit heavy for me but able to support me standing and take me greater distances if I want to expand the scope of my fishing in future!

Hi Everyone, just about to buy 2 Hobies, one for me one for my wife. My wife is keen on the new 2013 Sport, and I'm torn between that or a Revolution 11. I've looked at the info supplied here but most of it relates to the old Sport. Does anyone know how the new hull design of the 2013 Sport compares to the Rev 11. We'll be using both mainly on rivers, lakes and some bays in and around Sydney. I'm really torn, I like the sound of the Rev 11, but the compactness of the Sport also appeals. Just wondering if there's much difference now the Sport has been upgraded, or even if I'd be forging ahead when we go out, and that'd create its own problems.

Thanks

The redesigned sport should be quite fun, stable, and faster than its predecessor. The Revo 11 is still the faster craft, being narrower and longer, but that also means its less stable for the novice. The Revo has more weight capacity too, so it might be more suitable for you (although I do not know your dimensions).
Why not get one of each?

I don't see the three pound difference in weight being noticeable. Two feet of length difference might or might be significant, depending on your loading and storage situation. There is a significant difference in cockpit length, so if you're 5' 10" (178 cm) or taller, the Sport would likely not allow a full leg extension for pedaling.

Here's more information on the Sport in case you want to review it.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=49343&hilit