What the hobie Outback is capable of doing?

What is the 'Hobie Outback' capable of doing for example: coastal touring, rivers, sea-fishing, surf, etc. As I am living in Plymouth UK, which is right next to the sea with an inshore bay which is sheltered from the sea by a breakwater as seen from the image below.

Fishing, touring, exploration etc. are all on the agenda However I will be yaking solo unfortunately, hence the query. Waters can range from smooth to fairly rough'ish inshore, past the breakwater barrier waters can be from smoothish to crazy.

I just wanna make sure I know what the kayak is capable of performing b4 I leap into things

If it was me in that area, I'd consuder the Adventure and if the pocketbook allowed the Adventure Island.

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

The adventure is good, but I also want a stable boat. Not bothered about going fast, am more of the experience. lol forgot to discount sailing as being one of the activities that I would not do Tried sailing in the past, just couldn't get into it as much as other activities i've done, deff prefered kayaking overall.

A local fisherman had an Outback and a Revolution. He used the Outback for the lake and the Revolution for the ocean where he had to launch through mild surf.

They are both very stable -- the fisherman had only one leg and managed both boats well. The Outback is more stable on flat water but tends to bounce around more in a choppy sea (because of the flatter, wider hull). IMO between the two, the Revolution is the more seaworthy -- can handle wind and chop better and make better headway against an unfriendly sea. It's an excellent all around boat.

To answer your question more directly, I think the Outback would be great in flat water up to moderate chop where it will start to pound and bounce a bit. For open ocean I think it is also OK as long as the weather is reasonable.

Like reconlon, I personally like the Adventure best for bad weather if you think you may be caught in it. I don't think of it as unstable at all. Though you're not interested in speed, it does extend your range, comes in handy fighting currents and tides, and against sudden weather changes. It's a very smooth riding boat. The added length can be a problem for some people though (transport and storage).

Regardless of choice, I recommend the large rudder for maximum controlability and Turbofins for enhanced performance.

Cheers Roadrunner for the advice.. think am gonna av a test drive in both the outback & revolution first, just hope I can test drive them first b4 i make up my mind.. only way to be sure am making the right choice..

If you are going to test drive Hobies, think about trying the Adventure too. It may feel tipsy, but lean over some, and you'll feel the secondary stability which is great. By trying them all, you'll find what YOU like. Good Luck

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

Fair enough, I'll test it out for the sakes of 'killing the cat' you would say.. But to be honest reconlon my mind is saying outback & at the same time conflicts with "are you sure" Curse my mind for being so indecisive lol

I second Reconlon's advice, try them all.
I had my heart set on a Revo after much online research but Hobie's are not cheap so I joined my dealer's demo program since it wouldn't cost me anything extra to try them all.

For me, the Outback was very fun, very stable and had tons of space for mounting accessories. Plus, I usually kayak with my 75 lb dog and I could barely feel him moving around back there (unlike the other models). But, in the end, the Outback was a bit too slow for me after trying the faster models. If this was my first kayak (of any brand) then I probably would have bought the Outback.

After about 6 weeks of trying different Hobies every weekend I ended up buying the Adventure Island when my dealer offered me a great deal on the demo I had just used that day.
I couldn't be happier with my decision even though it cost a bit more than I had budgeted for. Originally I wasn't even planning on demo'ing the AI (just the Adventure) because i didn't think it was worth the money, but since it didn't cost me anything to try it I did. All it took was taking the AI out on a windy day (I have no sailing experience by the way). The grin on my face that afternoon along with the great deal my dealer offered me caused me to reach a little deeper into my pocketbook with no regret.

Any Hobie you choose will be a blast but why not try them all to make sure which feels more comfortable?

Well wud you believe it, I phoned up my local hobie dealer to ask if they hire out demo boats for me to try. And low and behold they don't hire them out on the basis that they are too expensive to use as demo boats... So now, am either gonna have to find somewhere else that hire demo boats to try or find someone who would generously let me have a go (chances of that... 'Nil')

This place is so different to the states in way of hiring demo boats out..

I have had both outback and revo. Between the two, choice would be revo. It's a great yak. I use it in ocean. It handles in all conditions. I have been in some rough seas with it. I have used a adventure too. It handles nice too. I didn't like its length. harder to transport and navigate around it while on it for reaching storage.

You should add on the big rudder. I have the ST fins. I use to have turbos. I fish close to structure and would bend the mast around. The ST give me all the speed I need and less chance of bending. just my opinion on fins...

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John

k I admitt it, the reviews keep saying revolution hands down for use on in-shore/off-shore sea conditions. Main reason I am wanting a kayak is to fish/touring/camping etc. so stability and weight capacity are important as I am some what of a medium built fella 240Ibs who plans to spend nites out under the stars camping. Shame the revo didnt accommodate a higher weight load, if it did, i would go for the revo easily on the basis I can fit camping/ safety/spares etc for those days I stay out overnight.

However the outback has a greater weight capacity as the revo. Another thinking point is that forum members are going on about the speed of the revo compared to the outback.. Is the diff in speed a major factor, worthy to take into account as if its just a small drop in performance? is it worth the sacrifice of weight capacity for speed??

Has anyone got a speed comparasion chart 'revolution vrs outback'

Every boat has its advantages and for you the Outback may indeed be the best choice. It's certainly a great boat in a variety of conditions, very rugged and well laid out for fishing, great turning and as you pointed out, excellent capacity. For me it cruises at about 1/4 kt slower than the Revo in smooth water, the difference growing somewhat with wind and chop.

Nobody is really trying to talk you out of the Outback but only to point out some alternatives for you to think about. Then too, we each have our personal preferences based on our own priorities.

If the Outback is the boat you think will best suit your needs, then that's the boat to get. Nobody knows better than you how you plan to use it. You also know your local waters best. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. Add the large rudder and one of the fin options and you'll have an excellent performing boat with the Outback!