Yakabout - Hobie Revolution kayak test run

Home

News

Hobie Revolution kayak test run

PDF

| Print |

E-mail

Tuesday, 26 June 2007

Paddles great, pedals equally well... yep, I'm getting one

Blue suede revo!

Fishy beach was calling again this morning and although I did go prepared to try and catch a fish or two, the real reason I joined Poddymullet, Eberbachl and Hobie Vic today was to try out the Hobie Revolution kayak. As mentioned in this blog, I've started to weigh up the pros and cons of stability vs speed and considered that the Revolution might actually suit my (what will be many) needs better than the trusty Outback. I'm glad I got a chance to sample the Revo in the flesh because my deliberations were spot on.

Even though I purposely rocked the boat around I was never in any fear of tipping it... immediately my concerns about stability were erased. Then when I started paddling the Revo, I was pretty much hooked instantly. Unlike the wide bodied Outback, the Revo actually paddles nicely and is really very pleasant to propell the traditional way. This probably shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did, because the Revo is based upon one of Hobie's paddle only yaks (the Classic). I certainly appreciated that attribute and I was equally impressed with the performance of the Miragedrive as well. Fitted with the new medium sized ST fins, pushing the Revo along steadily was effortless. Matching the speed that I typically achieve in my Outback (with turbos) wasn't terribly difficult either. Infact, I probably surpassed it and could have easily had I pushed it hard enough. I can't wait to see what a Revo can do with turbo fins attached and after todays experience, am confident the results will be good.

The Hobie Revolution lacks some of the bells and whistles of the Outback (most noticably absent being the moulded-in tackle trays and forward rod holders), but with a bit of creative thinking it wasn't hard for me to envisage rigging it out to suit my needs perfectly - and this time I'll make sure I don't mount anything where it may get in the way of a good broad paddling stroke. I'll create a bit of an article following my rig out process as I go, and will follow that up later with a full review of the Revolution when I've given it a few months of good honest work. No doubt by then I'll have a lot more to say about it.