Hobie outback

[slothparade]

I'm looking for which Hobie would be best for offshore and which will be cheapest? 

So far I think I've narrowed it down to the revolution and the outback, leaning more towards the outback. 

Also any fist hand experience would be great with either the revolution or the outback 

Edited May 28, 2022 by slothparade

[dirvin21]

I've known a couple of fellas who haf outbacks they used to take offshore, they were happy with them

[slothparade]

Can someone please verify this is actually an outback. 

Also is there any issues with the older outbacks 

[Green Hornet]

I’ve owned an Outback and they are an extremely stable kayak and comfortable to fish from. Some offshore guys prefer the narrower hull of the Revo as its quicker through the water and handy for travelling longer distances, plus they cut through chop a little better.

The photos you’ve posted look to be an early model Outback. I can’t remember how now, but you can tell the year of manufacturing by the serial number along with where it was made. A Google search should help you there.

Some of the early hulls suffered cracks around the hole where the Mirage Drive fits, otherwise they were a sturdy unit. Check the Mirage Drive for smooth operation, excessive free play on the fin axel and damaged or bent fin posts. 

If the kayak has excessive scratches on the underside, check around the nose and back of the keel to ensure it isn’t almost worn through. Do this by shining a torch on the outside of the worn area and looking through the hatch for a bright spot.

[slothparade]

Thanks mate, really helpful, it's a 2012 one I think, but there's heapes of them for sale. 

As I free dice off the kayak, stability is an absolute must. I'll get him to send the pics of the serial. Apparently there's a small hole that just needs some welding. 

The drive has got new fins. Maybe if your free next weekend, could you help me have a look. 

I plan to tap it and see if my hand goes through. It's been used almost exclusively offshore so should be fine. 

Thanks for the tip with the torch. I'll get some more pics to you when receive them 

[Green Hornet]

Mate, I live down the south coast roughly 3 hours drive from Sydney, so I can’t help you with a visual inspection, but feel free to send some pics if you have any concerns.

My Outback was a 2013 model and Hobie had sorted out the hull cracking problem by then, so at a guess the 2012 should be okay, but still have a good look.

If you end up getting it, seriously look at getting a set of Turbo Fins for the Mirage Drive down the track. They’re the same fins as what’s fitted to the Pro Angler range and will improve your speed and efficiency significantly.

 If the hull needs welding, ask the owner if he possibly kept a holesaw cut out or some shavings from drilling holes when fitting the sounder to use for the welding repairs.

[slothparade]

2 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

Mate, I live down the south coast roughly 3 hours drive from Sydney, so I can’t help you with a visual inspection, but feel free to send some pics if you have any concerns.

My Outback was a 2013 model and Hobie had sorted out the hull cracking problem by then, so at a guess the 2012 should be okay, but still have a good look.

If you end up getting it, seriously look at getting a set of Turbo Fins for the Mirage Drive down the track. They’re the same fins as what’s fitted to the Pro Angler range and will improve your speed and efficiency significantly.

 If the hull needs welding, ask the owner if he possibly kept a holesaw cut out or some shavings from drilling holes when fitting the sounder to use for the welding repairs.

How would you compare the Hobie outback and the revolution 13. I have 2 options, either a reasonably new revolution 13 or a older outback like pictures before 

[slothparade]

Going the revolution 13

[Restyle]

I have a pa12, although slow it has tons of storage for my cliff trolls. Id have a live well and a esky with ice + tackle bag on the back and the front would contain random items I don't use often like spare rope, sea anchor etc. Rigged up with a duel battery 12v setup, 1 battery just for the live well, keeps everything powered for a whole trip comfortably, sounder/gps, lights and a phone charger if needed.

it is extremely stable, haven't come close to fishing, when when going side on to large wind chop. Personally i wouldn't even bother buying a kayak second hand id just fork out a bit for a new one. When i was in the market for a kayak upgrade i was torn between outbook and pa 12 and eventually just grabbed the pa 12 for the storage space, a area to piss (in the mirage drive hole while standing up), stability which wasn't much of a selling point, but how much more you can do to it with upgrades etc and it still be real stable and have plenty of space to spare. 

With welding, plastic HDPE (milk bottle caps usually) melted down should work.

I'm much more concerned about how much people drag them around, especially up boat ramps. see it a lot just so they dong get their feet wet. for owning my pa for about 3 years the underside of the hull is near brand new.
Id go the outback though. storage and the potential for future mods!

Edited May 28, 2022 by Restyle

[Green Hornet]

12 hours ago, slothparade said:

Going the revolution 13

Good choice I reckon if you’re going to be spending the majority of your time offshore. If the Revo has the newer model seat, that’s a bonus as well.

As @Restylesaid, the PA’s are the best overall fishing kayak from the Hobie range, though I chose an Outback over one because of the lighter weight and one place I really like to fish the PA was only just too wide to gain access.

[Ganguddy Goodoo]

Hi SP,

I've got a revo 11 which I'm happy with. Mainly fish fresh and so far I've only been out max 800m in the ocean. I chose a small yak as easy manhandle and my kids can also use it. If I was fishing more offshore I would have gone a revo 13. If you have a bad back an Outback would be worth a 2nd look as you can stand up periodically to relieve tension which would make longer sessions way more comfortable.  I think the latest generation of Outbacks are meant to be quicker than older models.

Good luck.

GG

[slothparade]

8 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

Good choice I reckon if you’re going to be spending the majority of your time offshore. If the Revo has the newer model seat, that’s a bonus as well.

As @Restylesaid, the PA’s are the best overall fishing kayak from the Hobie range, though I chose an Outback over one because of the lighter weight and one place I really like to fish the PA was only just too wide to gain access.

Yeah thanks for the help. I deliberately chose the older one, firstly there aren't any newer ones available, secondly less weight, as I plan to freedive and I'll mostly likely just roll out of the kayak so it's easier to flip back over. Also I wanted to sit as low as possible as I'm 6'3 or 4. 

I'm sorry to disagree with the PA, from my standpoint such a big thing, in fresh water for cod, bass, ect would be a disaster waiting to happen, then needing a trailer to transport, storage agh, the logistics does my head in lol. Maybe out on an open harbour or lake, would be perfect, but weaving around I'd much prefer something more nimble, that's just my opinion. 

[slothparade]

20 hours ago, Restyle said:

I have a pa12, although slow it has tons of storage for my cliff trolls. Id have a live well and a esky with ice + tackle bag on the back and the front would contain random items I don't use often like spare rope, sea anchor etc. Rigged up with a duel battery 12v setup, 1 battery just for the live well, keeps everything powered for a whole trip comfortably, sounder/gps, lights and a phone charger if needed.

it is extremely stable, haven't come close to fishing, when when going side on to large wind chop. Personally i wouldn't even bother buying a kayak second hand id just fork out a bit for a new one. When i was in the market for a kayak upgrade i was torn between outbook and pa 12 and eventually just grabbed the pa 12 for the storage space, a area to piss (in the mirage drive hole while standing up), stability which wasn't much of a selling point, but how much more you can do to it with upgrades etc and it still be real stable and have plenty of space to spare. 

With welding, plastic HDPE (milk bottle caps usually) melted down should work.

I'm much more concerned about how much people drag them around, especially up boat ramps. see it a lot just so they dong get their feet wet. for owning my pa for about 3 years the underside of the hull is near brand new.
Id go the outback though. storage and the potential for future mods!

Yeah I can definitely see the attraction of one, but can also see how impractical it can be. I know if I had one, the bbq would be coming along lol. But for what I want really not practical. It's good your enjoying yours though..here's my main problems with it, due to shoulder injuries, I won't be able to pick it up, need the trailer to load it. Then image trying to launch that thing offshore or if you flip, can't really recover with a bunged shoulder, hence I wrote it off from the beginning. Thanks for sharing your experience though, appreciate it. 

The reason I'm Buring second hand is, it's going to cost me like 4-5k less and I can sell off the mods I don't want. Yeah can see the awesome advantage of pissing through the hole, I can just use my water bottle technique though (the bottle for bailing). The outback and the pa both look nuts I don't see much advantage of one over the other though I own a seak Mako and a Revo so I can't talk much. I kinda feel like the pa would handle like the Mako, just an absolute tank, bit of a slug, gets the job done, reliable, but the Mako is a bit unstable. That's one down side of the Revo tho, the limited space to mod, though how much do you actually need. I'm planning on kitting mine out like a stealth fish pro. 

Thanks for the tip, this one came with a bag full of shavings for welding. 

All the scrapes on the Mako aren't from my, expect the one in the front (I drive up a rock because I wasn't watching), they're from the original owner. 

You should offer to do it for them, if they're that lazy. I never drag mine up rocks, or try to avoid at all cost. I do drag it across sand however. 

Thanks for the advice but went the revolution, as it is more built for offshore which is kind of the whole reason for a new kayak, and the fact that someone almost drowned after rolling almost the exact same kayak and could right it. 

[slothparade]

[slothparade]

On 5/28/2022 at 1:33 PM, Green Hornet said:

I’ve owned an Outback and they are an extremely stable kayak and comfortable to fish from. Some offshore guys prefer the narrower hull of the Revo as its quicker through the water and handy for travelling longer distances, plus they cut through chop a little better.

The photos you’ve posted look to be an early model Outback. I can’t remember how now, but you can tell the year of manufacturing by the serial number along with where it was made. A Google search should help you there.

Some of the early hulls suffered cracks around the hole where the Mirage Drive fits, otherwise they were a sturdy unit. Check the Mirage Drive for smooth operation, excessive free play on the fin axel and damaged or bent fin posts. 

If the kayak has excessive scratches on the underside, check around the nose and back of the keel to ensure it isn’t almost worn through. Do this by shining a torch on the outside of the worn area and looking through the hatch for a bright spot.

Is there a way to fix a worn through keel? 

[Green Hornet]

3 hours ago, slothparade said:

Is there a way to fix a worn through keel? 

I don’t know it they still do, but Hobie used to sell a sacrificial cover that went over the back of the keel for the purpose of protection when dragging over rough ground.

Contact a Hobie retailer and see if they’re still available. That’s assuming the keel is worn right on the back corner. 

If not there may be another product or just fill over the thin area with plastic weld. 

Edit: I just googled “Hobie keel guard” and there’s plenty to choose from.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Green Hornet