Outback/Outfitter?

Hi I am new to this forum.
I have been yak fishing here in New Zealand for 6 years in conventional kayaks. Currently I am fishing in a tandem paddle yak that has a central seating position which makes it well balanced for solo fishing. I have it rigged so I can remove my fishing crate and fish cooler and convert it back to a tandem so my wife and I can paddle together. Just wondering if others use the Outfitter as a single/tandem and how they find this yak for fishing solo? I set up the tandem as I got sick of carting the tandem and my OK Prowler when we were going on holiday or camping weekends.

The other option is to keep the tandem and buy a Outback - back to carting 2 yaks. I like the idea of the Outback over the Revo because of the room and options for placing rod holders etc. I have found with the tandem that the extra room and ability to move around and stretch, stash gear etc outweighs the more leisurely pace you have to adopt. Although when paddling with friends I found I wasn't much slower anyway. I am just wondering how well does the Outback handle wind, chop and swell? I fish on lakes, estuaries and open ocean, (although don't tend to take on the ocean when it looks like getting gnarly).

I have enjoyed the information on this forum and am looking forward to my first mirage drive. There is only one dealer here in New Zealand and he is 160 ks (100 miles away) and has limited demo models. I have tried the PA and my wife and I took the Outfitter for a test.

I currently own both the outfitter and outback. 99% of the time I use them I'm fishing offshore, but the outfitter does not have any perminent attachments so it can be used for pleasure cruises or whatever. After spending tons of time fishing in both of these yaks, I have to say that once i got the tandem rigging figured out I never really fished the outback again. Here's why:
Speed - They are both very similar in speed (once you have the outfitter weight distribution figured out)
Stability - They both are very wide and stable, but the outfitter is pretty much untippable when solo. The extra stability makes moving around very easy, you can also stand up and strech, cast or get a better view.
Capacity - Although the weight capacities are similar, you can bring alot more stuff on the outfitter. This makes the boat sooo much more versitile...you can sleep on it, OFFSHORE BAR- put a huge cooler in the front and anchor it outside your favorite surf break in the summer (drinking alcohol is illegal ON our breaches), load it full of camping gear and go for it (try catilina islands), build a rack from PVC and put a longboard or two on top to get to those "boat only" breaks, run five hoopnet solo with ease, mini dive boat, ohh yeh, ITS A FISHING MACHINE... and probably soo much more. I have not had to drill a hole in mine yet!!!
Surf manners - this is not really important to alot of people, but the outfitter, when fished solo has excellent surf manners due to the width and the rear seating position keeps the nose up when riding a wave in...this is the main reason i use the outfitter so much more.
Here is a pic with the outfitter in full offshore fishing mode, the blue box is a oversized custom bait tank (helps keep the boat riding level), next is a soft 30pack cooler, next is the ammo can fishfinder/GPS (it actually floats) with external clamp on transducer, then I use the milk crate for extra rod holders and any light stuff i bring along (drybag). The cooler also fits inside the milk crate for tandem missions or if i need the extra room for a big ol' white seabass, halibut or yellowtail. Hope this helps. I will be posting more pics and text reguarding outfitting the outfitter soon. Hope this helps.

I think i already addressed the surf/swell issue the outfitter rocks.
As for the wind and chop, its a hobie!!!! I try to keep mine as low profile as possible, but the wind (even 15-20kts with whitecaps) is not much of an issue...you just go slower and get a little wetter....nothing like a paddle kayak where wind is your worst enemy.

Tandems are amazingly versatile. They do everything a single can do and more (and in greater comfort). From the back seat, the ride is drier; space and capacity are amazing. Their only disadvantage is they are sometimes a little more awkward to load and transport if you're going solo, but that's not really a problem for most folks. As scallywag says, proper ballasting is the key. The further forward, the less you need. I think you'd be money ahead with the Outfitter.

Thanks for that guys, just returned from a camping trip to the far north of our country. Took the tandem and once again found the comfort and the carrying capacity to be a real plus. The Outfitter or Oasis are certainly going to get a second look.

Like your set up Scallywag, look forward to some more photos. I have a removable fish finder set up on my tandem, the transducer is a through the hull set up and I use a gland to run the cable through the deck, this can be unscrewed, the cable stashed in the hull and a gland filled with silicone plugs the hole.

Cheers
Charlie

Ditto. Please post more photos Scallywag!

Thanks.

Here's a pic of my buddy's set up in tandem fishing mode. In the front is the soft 30pack cooler from wallyworld, then the girlfriend, then the FF mounted in the sail post via ram mount (made for hobies sail post, the battery is in the pocket behind the front seat and c-clamp external transducer makes it easily removable). Then the bait tank is in the crate in the back, we have been using simple hand bilge pumps to fill/circulate the tank water. This setup will keep two people fishing all day, with cold drinks, food and live bait. If you don't need the bait tank, you can put the cooler in the crate. This pic is from a Catalina Island trip (not a lake)..... Very Cool!!!

Looks like you have to be a forum member (bigwatersedge.com) and logged-in for that image to show. Maybe look for the direct url to the image?

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)