The pedal-driven SUV of kayak fishing

Hobie Outback 2007

Although there was absolutely nothing wrong with my Hobie Sport Fish kayak and that I'd never tipped it or encountered any problems whatsoever, after several months of use I started to wonder if it was really suitable for an indefinitely long trip around the coastline of Australia. My primary concern was stability - I'd had a few close encounters in some rougher waters in Port Phillip Bay (right near the heads specifically). No doubt I'll find myself in similar conditions over and over as I venture into unfamiliar waters, so more stability could only be good.

Geared for action, Inverloch

At first, most of my attention was drawn to the Adventure and Revolution. The reason for this is that I had tried an Outback the previous year and found that my light Nancy boy frame (at a modest 66kg) was too light to hold the hull deep enough into the water, resulting in a strange tippy feeling. There's a lot to like about the Adventure and Revolution models, for various reasons (of which I'll expand upon another time) but when I walked into the showroom at the Vic dealership, again I was attracted to the new Viagra enhanced 2007 model Hobie Outback Fish.

The most noticeable modification (to me) was the fatter hull, which better accommodates people who weigh less than 80kg. So with the issue I had with the previous model erased the Outback was once again a contender. The trade off between the Outback and the Adventure and Revo is speed of course, at the gain of room, stability and maneuverability. In the end I found myself cautiously favouring the later traits. So the 2007 Outback it was and some six months after replacing the Sport with it and having given it a thorough thrashing, I'm feeling confident I've made a good choice. That said, I think I'd have been equally happy with a Revo as well (although I would probably have had to adopt a slightly more minimalist approach to my fishing).

Big waves taken head on, no worries

There's a reason that the Outback is labelled the SUV of all Hobie kayaks. At 12' 1", it's not terribly long and this is the one aspect of the Outback that caused me to hesitate momentarily. I knew that this would likely mean that it probably wouldn't slice through rougher waters much better than the Sport. On the flip side, it would also mean that the manueverability would also likely be pretty damned good. What the Outback lacks in length it makes up for in a bulging width of 33". This, coupled with the new hull design makes for a very stable ride. This is probably the first thing anyone will notice when they start pedalling along in the Outback. It feels firmly planted in the water - so much so that I'm quite comfortable standing up in it in calmer waters (I wasn't game to do this in the Sport). It's also rock-steady enough to take out into rougher waters, although I was right about the length. The bow does have a tendency to lift up over waves and when it lands water often splashes up and gives the user a free shower. Stability is a handy characteristic to have when kayak fishing in a whole plethora of situations and the Outback passes this test with flying colours.

MirageDrive installed top

MirageDrive installed bottom