Which Hobie to buy

The wife and I are planning to buy a couple of Hobie's. We rented a outback and a Revolution 13. We both agreed the outback was a dog compared to the Revo 13. Is there that much difference in performance between the Revo 13 and the Adventure as between the outback and Revo 13? Any word on major changes in the new 2013's that are coming out next month or is it just wait and see? I weigh 225lbs so I am thinking I am a little big for the adventure. We are both sold on the Revo 13 as of now. Any opinions?

Revo is the best all around boat. Fast, stable, fishing machine and light enough to lift by yourself. Add turbos or ST fins and a sailing rudder and you'll have a blast.

Outback is slow and even in small chop has annoying hull slap.

Adventure is an awesome wet ride, it paddles extremely well and you can fly if you peddle and paddle at the same time. My big issue with it is the storage space is very tough to access, its a long boat yet my revo has more usable space. At 225 you might want to demo it first and take it out in some chop. It feels tippy but the secondary stability is solid.

I've been told by a dealer no major changes, at least with the revo.

_________________
Currently own: 2012 AI, 2 - 2012 Revo 13's, 2012 Revo 11,
Sold: 2-2011 Oasis, 2010 Outback, 08 Outback, 08 Adventure, 06 Kona

I just tested an Adventure and a Revo 13 last night, both equipped with turbos. As biased as I was towards the Adventure before the test, I chose and bought the Revo. The Revo was nearly as fast as the Adventure, turned on a dime, was more stable and has adequate storage for overnight or weekend trips.

Keith

If it was me, (having owned both in the past) I would buy the Adventure again and put a sailing rudder on it to help with the turning radius, which really isn't that much worse than the Revolution's turning radius. I suppose if you spent a lot of time in tight rivers, that might be an issue, but if the turning circle is a few feet bigger, does that actually matter for most of your use? It didn't for mine. I was never in a situation where I could U-Turn in the Revolution, but not in the Adventure. If we couldn't turn around, it was both boats that had to quickly grab the paddle, and assist in turning that way, never just one boat.

Having said all that, trainsktg has valid points too. When he mentions that the Adventure isn't all that much faster, he's right, but I liked the extra speed that it did have. It's one of those things. He noticed the turning radius, I noticed the speed. Both are incremental differences.

Certainly initial stability is better on the Revolution. The Adventure isn't really that tippy, but it does allow you to roll the boat a bit from side to side. The Revolution stays flat to the water at all times.

It really is personal preference. My wife wouldn't buy the Adventure again, she'd buy the Revo in a heartbeat.

We have the Tandem Oasis now, which is why we don't have the individual boats anymore.

_________________

Also, on the Adventure, if you use a daggerboard, the turning radius is half what it is without the daggerboard in, making it tighter turns than the Revo 13.

_________________

Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

Actually... I just re-read your post ZX14. If you're buying a boat for both of you, you could consider the Oasis too. It turns sharper than the Adventure, but is also faster than it. We have one without Turbo fins, but adding them is something that we're considering. You can solo the Oasis, but at that point it becomes a little more like the Outback.

The Oasis also has plenty of weight capacity.

Negatives to getting one boat over two. Aside from the obvious that you can't get away from each other You obviously lose overall storage. The Oasis alone isn't going to have nearly as much storage as two separate boats would have.

Sorry to add to your decision making! Just know this; You can't go wrong with a Hobie!

_________________

I have all three. I do not consider my Outback to be even remotely slow, although the Revolution is faster. Trade-off is that it has much less cockpit room.

For really big water I'd almost choose the Adventure, but I've found it a much wetter ride than the Revo.

If I was not intending to sail and could have only one, I'd keep my Revolution 13. It's the best of all worlds. Outstanding kayak.

My regular $0.02 contribution in response to these FAQs: don't forget the sailing capabilities!

I am sure that the Revo will beat the Outback by a country mile in most respects for most users. And it is no doubt a very worthy competitor to the Adventure in many respects and might well beat it in some. But the Adventure wins hands down w.r.t. sailing because it is the only Hobie kayak (as opposed to Hobie trimaran) that is equipped with a daggerboard - as a result it sails much better upwind than any of the other boats...

...if you haven't tried/thought about trying sailing them (I suspect that many buyers do not) I recommend you do so - it's a blast

Good point about the daggerboard; they did not include it in the test and I forgot to ask. It did have the sailing rudder though.

For pure looks the Adventure wins hands down. It has the elegant profile of a sleek battleship. The Revo's looks like a German u-boat.

Keith

Thanks a million for all the responses. One thing I forgot to mention about the Outback, the water came 1 or 2 inches above the mirage drive well like it had too much weight in it. The revolution was fine with my weight in it. I thought it would have been the opposite. Also the revo was easier to do a self rescue than the outback. The wife and I are going to pick up two new Revo 13's in the morning. We are stoked. We have a 15,000 acre cypress pond 1/4 mile from my house that we will be using it in quite often, so the shorter boat would best fit our needs. But boy does that adventure look sexy.

Not at all! As you can see in the blue Adventure, you're not anywhere near my friend's size (he's not pushing the Adventure's capacity either). He traded the Outback for the Adventure for speed and loves it. It has the additional advantage of being about 1" longer to the pedals (significant if you're tall) and wider in the foot area than any of the other convention Hobie singles.


After trying out his boat, his petite wife upgraded to the Adventure as well, so she could better keep up when they cruised together.

In a fast cruise, the Adventure runs about .3 MPH faster than the Revo. That may not be big to some, but over distance, it adds up.

Unquestionably, the quietest and smoothest running Hobie, the Adventure really distances itself from the rest of the fleet in heavier wind and chop. It pretty much cleaves the chop and its small frontal profile defies the wind.

But, as has been noted, the Revo has its advantages as well and is an excellent all around boat. You really can't make a bad choice here.

I look at it the same way i look at HDTV,s and the aluminum fishing pier carts. In both instances people always regret not going with the larger or roomier model.

If your not a minimalist you will really appreciate the storage availability with the Outback because your always looking for places to put things and the Outback offers it.

I really don't know how people get by with such a lack of storage on those Revo's. Those little 8" hatches fill up instantly, and no matter how little i try to carry on me while yakking i always need the additional side storage availability on the Outback.

I guess i just like to be able to stand and stretch and have some room, the Revo is so cramped, but if you like it that's all that matters.

I look at it the same way I look at sports cars. People always regret not going with the faster, sleeker model.

The fact is that people have different priorities. For some, a minivan is great. For some a Mazda Miata, for others a Porsche 911.

Choose the boat that's best for you. If this board can help you narrow down your priorities, that's great. One thing that others can't do for you, and only you can do for yourself, is choose your boat.

_________________

Personally, since I am looking for a good deal on a used Revolution, I think everyone should buy a Revo 13. Then, the small subset of people who would be happier in a different hull would be offering their boats on the used market and I might find one at a reasonable price.

Seriously, though, you've done a demo ride in the two of the most common and popular hulls. What does your heart tell you?

As far as your weight in the Adventure, I took a spin in one last year when I was around 240 and found it very usable. It wasn't the driest ride, but the boat was entirely stable and comfortable to pedal. A little water in the foot well isn't an issue on a Hobie when your feet are up on the pedals anyway. If I were planning to go far in straight lines, an Adventure would be on my list. I don't plan on going quite that far, and I do plan on doing some fishing, so I think the Revo is a better platform. I also plan on doing some paddling so I am ruling out the Outback as I think it will be a lot harder to paddle with the extra width.

-bob

From Holland

THE revo is THE best dry and stabil boat ever
But now i have the al
Super wet but very stabil
It give me big big fun
I Will go fore THE adventure

Ron