Pedal Kayak as bike substitute for aerobic exercise

Thanks, Swfinatic and Roadrunner, for your input! I believe it is going to be worth my time to travel to dealers and audition some of the options.

I'm 64 and while compared to most males my age considered relatively fit, I'm certainly far from being a competitive athlete and far from where I was as a cyclist in my 40's.

If I decide to pull the trigger I'm sure that I'll have more questions about narrowing down the choices. From the online looking that I have done it seems like the Outback, Revolution 13, and Compass might be the best contenders. I'm going to guess that for simultaneous paddling the Revo 13 would get the nod due to its narrower width.

Sir one more thing to consider- you brought up the Compass which would be a good option especially for the price. Keep in mind some folks say the seat in the Outback is a lot more comfortable than the Compass. If you're not going to be in the kayak for more than 2-3 hours at a time it might not be an issue but wanted to point this out. The seat in the Compass is not the same seat that is in the Outback.

Take care.

Thanks for your input. I'm surprised to hear that a 36" wide kayak paddles as well as a 28.5" one.

Yes when I get to a demo the seat is going to be one of the top features that I'll focus on.

Thanks again for your help!

What a neat idea. I just have to try this on so many levels.

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic. ... ll#p181141

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic. ... DS#p295249

My take on using a kayak for purely exercise. It may be tempting to go for a short harder to paddle one. However, your enjoyment tapers off pretty quick so you give up. Get the best, sleekest one you can, you will enjoy it more and put more miles in. Think about it, cyclist who train dont get an old clunker from the chain store they still train on elite bikes. Kayaking is the same. You will also be able to get out in more challenging conditions. The wider ones are ok if you need the primary stability mainly at rest so you can carry out fishing activities, but if you are mainly moving all the time then it is not necessary. The sleeker models also allow you to vary it up a bit by putting in a stint of paddling. I have an old adventure which I have now converted purely to a paddle kayak which I dont use for fishing and it is surprisingly competitive in paddle races.

The motion by the way is more akin to a recumbent stepper than a recumbent bike.

A further note on paddling hobie mirage kayaks, you have no rudder control as it is hand operated. This creates huge tracking difficulties as the keel is not extended at the rear. Compare them even to hobies own paddle kayaks the Quests which have a more extended keel. The adventure/revo 16 is the best of the bunch in this regard, and can be substantially improved with addition of mini skegs, there's another thread on here about that. The lousy foot rests are another issue for paddling

The most effective option is the one you keep up and actually do, So that would depend if you end up going out for a couple of hours cruising around or prefer sitting in the same spot looking at the same old thing. That's a personal issue. Some folks love kayaking, others do not, so dont just think of it as just another piece of gym equipment

Thanks for clarifying. I have never paddled in simultaneous mode, and had not heard of it before this thread so I can't speak from experience. It's helpful to hear what works for you.

Thanks for your comments! Good point about how to base the pick. I'm going to have to think about possible future use (ie, would I want to start fishing?) as I try to narrow things down. The good news is that I have found a dealer not too far away that provides demos of multiple Hobie models.

I'm a little confused about your paddling comments, though. Won't the rudder stay centered if you go "hands off" or can it be locked somehow? I've seen so many comments online from users who describe alternating paddling with pedaling and who comment about the tracking of one pedal kayak vs another that I assumed that, while obviously not on par with a paddle only boat, the paddling of some pedal kayaks was decent/acceptable.

If rudder left alone unwedged or held it will turn itelf as the cross winds start to cause weather cocking (tendancy of kayak to turn into wind as back is blown around). You will then be fighting against the rudder to bring it around. It dampens the movement but wont stop it. In a foot operated rudder system your foot on the pedals hold it in the desired position

You can devise a way of locking lever in straight ahead position (effectively turning it into a fixed skeg), how easy that is depends on model, usually involves wedging something under the lever. The problem with that is you loose all manoeuvrability/course correction, especially if you go the big rudder options. I resort to that only in strong cross winds and I am struggling to stay straight. kayaks with purpose designed skegs have them about 3/4 down the hull to retain some manoeuvrability, and preferably have them adjustable in depth to suit conditions

some more reading on the issue of putting skegs on a hobie adventure/revo 16 here:

https://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=60698&hilit=mini+skegs

WAVERIDER makes a solid point about paddling a pedal kayak. In windy conditions or when there are a lot of waves you can find yourself interrupting your paddle stroke to adjust the direction of the rudder. That said for me it's not a big hassle since I don't paddle more than a mile or two on most trips. Yesterday I was out just for some exercise and paddled roughly 1.5 miles and peddled 2 miles (it was hot- heat index was 108). That was all I need but my point is I did have to stop paddling and adjust the rudder steering handle maybe every 20-30 strokes as there were quite a few waves and wind gusts to deal with. While paddling the time I spent stopping my paddle stroke and adjusting the rudder wasn't an issue for me. I understand it's part of having both pedal and paddle power.

WAVERIDER not disagreeing with your comments at all. Certainly something to be aware of.

TM3 let us know what you end up going with.

Great advice!

I have to disagree on this point. True that the Mirage Drive Hobies don't track with the rudder up, but the purpose of this is to gain maneuverability with the rudder. Anyone who has trouble tracking using the "Sailing rudder" with the rudder down, has their rudder improperly adjusted. If the rudder directional lines are snug, the rudder will not move without manual input.

With the Revo 16, it's true that frequent rudder controls are sometimes required while paddling because it's hard to get the rudder set exactly right, and paddle and edging corrections are not very effective. Frequency of corrections varies depending on how accurately you set the rudder and how precise your track needs to be. With the Revo 13 and Revo 11, on the other hand, once the rudder is set, you can make minor corrections by edging (lean-steering) and the paddle without ever touching the rudder except for a sharp change of course.

You don't need a wide boat for fishing. All the Hobie line is used for fishing; the "fishing" models mostly just have more pockets and spaces to carry tons of fishing equipment. For example, here's an Adventure (Revo 16) ocean fishing:


and a Revo 13 fully equipped with everything possible:


Of course, this "conjecture" is not the case at all. Olympians exceed 12 MPH paddling their racing kayaks. Daft may be thinking that one paddles at the same rate as the pedaling stroke. In actuality, the paddle may or may not be linked to the pedal stroke. In my case, one paddle stroke is taken for every 3 pedal strokes; each paddle stroke launches off the stroking foot. For example, right paddle dips with right foot stroke; left and right foot strokes occur while paddle exits water and sets up left side. Next (left) paddle launches with left foot stroke, etc. etc. Everybody has to workout their own rhythm. At first it can be arms hitting knees and thumbs scrapped along the gunwales (especially with the wider boats), but with practice, the foot, hand and breathing patterns merge into a symphony of motion.


Revolution 16


Revolution 11

Great stuff, RoadRunner! Thanks!

I get one heck of a workout paddling on a larger, windy lake, which is why I'm planning to purchase I peddle kayak for fishing soon... I spend most of my time getting a great workout fighting the wind and not fishing... I have temperamental knees and feet so it's a great option for getting an intense cardio workout when they're acting up. The great thing, and what may be a bit limiting in your case, is the peddle drives are very efficient, so if you're in decent shape already it may not be the workout you're looking for by default... my very out of shape buddy in a peddle kayak barely breaks a sweat on the same lake I'm working hard against the wind on with a paddle... now, nothing says you can't peddle out and paddle back though, or add a drift sock to up the difficulty. If you've not bee exercising regularly, then peddling would be a fantastic start, but if you're in decent shape you may want more of a challenge. I'd definitely recommend paddling for cardio if nothing else, and if the extra cost isn't prohibitive, I'd go ahead and get the peddle option... I wish I had originally... even if you're not into fishing, it can leave your hands free for a camera, snack, etc and give you extra range if you decide to tackle some bigger water.