Making revolution more competitive with performance kayaks

Great comments in general. Obviously the Revo 16 is not built as a paddle-dominant boat and is not particularly competitive as such. Redesigning the rocker and chine is also moot. Losing weight is something many of us seek but rarely achieve.

There are two main areas that have not been exploited on this topic so far:
1. The Mirage Drive has to be optimized to it's best efficiency. It needs to be tuned to operate as smooth as butter. The fin set-up can make a significant difference. If left stock, fins need to be loosened (clew outhaul adjust) to direct the thrust applied to a forward direction.

2. The hull has to stay on its "lines" as much as possible to maximize the waterline length available (closely related to the length/width discussion). This is done with a small weight in the nose. This varies according to cruise speed, kayaker's weight and of course boat model. For the '16 we're finding 7-8 lbs in the extreme nose works up to about 5.8 to 6 MPH. The weight penalty for this is extremely minor but the alternative of shorter LWL due to hydrodynamic lift at speed is far worse. This will add up to about 1/10 MPH at fast cruise. Exact determination of weight is decided by observation -- must be enough to keep the bow in contact with smooth water at the user's sustainable cruisee speed. 1/10 doesn't sound like much, but the little things add up over the course of time, distance and fatigue.

My friend Mike, who can regularly cover 5.75 to 6.0 miles in an hour (smooth fresh water) with his Adventure, also does a couple of other things. for smooth water, he goes back to the small rudder for less wetted surface and has added a small winglet mounted horizontally on his rudder. It sits above the waterline at slower speeds. but engages as the stern squats at faster cruise speeds, assisting in keeping the boat level (back to the LWL) (this is in addition to the bow weight).

There are some pedaling techniques -- subtle but noticeable, that can assure maximum performance. Obviously full leg extension is important. Lifting the recovery leg on the stroke is a good habit to get to get into. Full strokes (once at speed) keep the fins engaged longer). A comfortable seat to keep good blood circulation to the legs pays off in the long run. More small things.

If you know the Revo 16 can cruise at or near 6 MPH with someone who is fit, has a streamlined boat, tuned and adjusted Drive and good pedaling technique, you'll be pretty darned competitive! It takes a little time and effort to get it all dialed in, but the results are there for those who want to achieve them!

Shallow water does complicate things -- the shallowness dictates the options. ST fins are two inches shorter and should be able to yield a respectable cruiseof about 5.5 MPH if full strokes an be achieved. Beyond that, Turbos along with an advanced flutter kick would probably still be faster than a paddle. viewtopic.php?f=11&t=55309&p=259904&hilit=#p259904

Finally, there is always the pedal/paddle option. It takes a lot of practice to harmonize the two simultaneously, but does add speed and is great exercise!

In south Florida at low tide (specifically the north half of Sarasota bay and the areas west of key West) the water depth is too shallow for regular mirage drive use. When approaching those areas I typically stagger my mirage pedals so when pedaling the fins make an X, verses pedaling thru. In my case I set one pedal to position 5 or 6 and the other in position 3. Of course having your rudder locked down ends up with broken rudder pins. With our TI we found that we can still steer ok with the rudder locked up at about a 20 degree angle so just a portion of the blade is in the water. Yes you can have the rudder horizontal but leverage is not your friend in that position. When operating in shallows I typically have my paddle in my hands and use it for minor course corrections and balance when operating in rougher water when in kayak mode. With a Hobie it's not like your arms are doing anything anyway (lol), might as well use them once in a while. No need to paddle like a wild man, you just end up getting exhausted.
The TI has an adjustable centerboard, we found steering is slightly better with the centerboard down 5 or 6 inches, letting it bounce off the bottom doesn't seem to hurt anything, actually resting your arm on the centerboard control arm is the best depth finder, basically if you feel the centerboard dragging you know it's time to release the rudder and stop pedaling thru.
All these little tricks work in both kayak mode and full adventure sailing mode, where I can sail right over sand bars which can be in different places everytime you go out (especially near the passes).

All my mirage drives have been upgraded to the latest glide tech (definately worthwhile doing). I also discovered that replacing your fins with new ones once they get all stretched out and wavy reduces your pedaling effort quite a bit. Roadrunner has lots of really good pointers on how to maximize mirage drive efficiency. It's a good idea to try different settings and test/see the results for yourself.
Most of these pointers can probably apply to any Hobie mirage kayak, we just happen to own a TI.

I'm no athlete by any stretch of the imagination and have no interest in extreme physical endurance type stuff. However I'm a strong believer in conservation of energy and utilizing what you have available to maximize your effort without killing yourself physically. I have nothing to prove to anyone, I just want to go out and enjoy myself. By careful use of all all the power sources available to you on a Hobie you can easily go 50-60 miles in a day without being the incredible hulk (I know of no other boats you can do this with). As an example by simply adding a sail kit to your Revo 16 you can easily double your achievable range. We have been kayaking with our Hobies since 2007 nearly every weekend and have never taken our Hobies out without a sail kit strapped to the side of the boat (these boats are born and bred from the ground up as sailing vessels (this applies to every mirage yak made)). Actually we purchased the sail kit along with the boat on every Hobie we have ever bought. In my opinion with the smart use of the tri-power capabilities (peddle, paddle,sail, and supplimental propulsion (ie... Hybrid or electric propulsion) of these amazing boats you can out perform and out distance anything else on the water including the best athletes on the most expensive surfski's ( and those 62 yr old females that are currently blowing your doors off (lol)). Why beat yourself up physically when you have the best tech available on the planet at your disposal, you only need to just know how to utilize it properly. Specifically the boat you already own (revo 16) if used wisely is by far the most capable kayak on the planet when properly equipped (in my opinion).
Hope this helps
FE