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Hobie Mirage Adventure: 1st impressions

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Friday, 09 November 2007

A+ for the Big A

Same colour, different yak

It was less than perfect kayaking conditions yesterday at Townsville, which is exactly what I was hoping for to test out the new Hobie Adventure on a maiden voyage. As previously mentioned, my main inspiration for upgrading to the Adventure was it's ability to handle rougher conditions better. So with 15 - 20 knot winds belting in from the south east plus a wishy washy chop caused by a changing tide it was pretty much perfect to see if I'd made a good decision.

Launcing from Palleranda and heading towards middle reef, I was paddling directly into the wind and doing this provided me with my first answer. Without question, the Adventure is less effected by oncoming winds and definitely pushes through with less resistance. I figure this is due to it's slightly narrower and lower profile. There's a green tick right there.

Upon paddling out from the launch spot it took no time at all for me to note that the stability of the Adventure is marginally better than the Revolution. Not so much that it should be a dominating factor in determining which one to buy (it's not like the Revo isn't a stable kayak after all) but the difference is there. Again, the lower profile is likely the reason for this, making for a lower centre of gravity. Tick.

My GPS ran out of batteries only minutes after launching, but that was enough for me to note the extra speed afforded by the Adventure. With the same sort of effort I'd use to reach a cruising speed of about 6 kmph on the Revo, I was able to manage 7 kmph. I put in a quick burst to see how fast I could get it and despite the on coming winds, I hit 10.5 kmph. Later I tried peddaling and paddling at the same time and although my GPS was dead at that point, I know I was travelling rather quickly - probably faster than I'd ever moved in a kayak before. Tick.

Rod and GPS mounts, well out the way of a broad paddle stroke

I was pleasantly surprised by the extra room in the Adventure, both in terms of storage as well as the ability to attach rod holders (and GPS mount) well forward from the seat position. I was always able to paddle the Revo without too much trouble, although I did have to place any forward mounted rods in a vertical position. That's less of an issue now, allowing me to paddle while trolling with rods up front. The extra storage space in the rear well is a bonus as well. The only drawback I found here is that the front hatch is a bit trickier to get to than that of the Revo, nor is the hatch opening as large. That said, I was able to reach it easily enough, as well as fit my larger dry bag into the hatch. Tick.

One thing that I was surprised about is that the Adventure didn't seem to handle the chop all that much better than the Revo (although certainly much better than the Outback). This isn't any kind of negative spin on the Adventure, more so a positive one for the Revo. The extra length of the Adventure did make the ride a little smoother, but not by much. Any improvement - however subtle - is a plus in my book though, so another green tick here.

I also noted that more water splashes up from the bow as well, although in 32 degree heat, that was fine by me. Perhaps the fact that the Adventure has less freeboard has something to do with it - I'm not sure. The extra couple of kgs of the Adventure didn't bother me when carrying the kayak around. Taking it off my roof rack was simple and clean & jerking it back on was pretty easy as well. Another small characteristic trait I found is that the Adventure seems to be a little better balanced on the wheel cart while hauling it along. It just felt less inclined to tip over when rolling it over bumps and rocks. Perhaps that was my imagination to, but if not, tick.

Many thanks to Mal from Sunstate Hobie for arranging to get it to me so quickly. I'm really impressed that it only took 2 days to get it from Cooroy to Townsville.