Hobie Sport Change Wish List for 2013!!!!

I have an Outback and I love it. I have been considering the Hobie Sport for its lighter weight, but there are a few changes that I would love for Hobie to make for 2013:

1. Add molded in FRONT ROD HOLDERS like the Outback. I love the simplicity of not having aftermarket rod holders to install and not having hardware that gets in the way of fishing.

2. Add a FRONT HATCH like the newer Outbacks. I have 2 piece fishing poles that I can tuck in the hull via the front hatch of my Outback when coming back into the surf, This prevents them from being lost if I were to flip. I tried tucking them in the 8" hatch and it will not work with my offshore rods. Additionally, when I'm fishing, I take the Mirage Drive out and put them in the hatch and plug the cassette in. This gives me more room inside the boat to handle the fish.

3. Move the round hatch in the front to the rear. This hatch would be great for putting the battery of the GPS unit in.

With the Sport having limited changes all these years, I hope 2013 is the year they decide to take action. There is a huge market for lighter fully functional kayaks.

Thanks!

I was told my my Hobie dealer that the Sport will probably be going away next year - that the Revolution 11 will take it's place. Who knows>?

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!Delighted owner of a Revolution 11!
Hobie Sport (spouse)
1978 Mark Twain
1991 Side by Side Kawasaki Jet Ski
1998 Pro Angler
1995 Pro Line Cuddy
Pontoon, age unknown, but it's great for cruising.

I tried the Revo 11, but I still like the Sport. It's more stable and has more deck space.

I think Hobie needs to revive the Sport with a refresh and maybe add to the weight capacity.

Hobie has most of what you want, available today in a better kayak.

It is their Revo 11.

http://static.hobiecat.com/digital_asse ... 11_rec.jpg

Add the horizontal fishing rod holders on each side and you have a yak for you, children and grandkids. Kids seem to do really well in a Revo 11 as well as those of us who are older.

It is probably a safe bet, that the Revo 11 will replace the Scout.

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

Gee, I hope they don't get rid of the Sport - It is my favourite Hobie of the lot & I've owned an Outback & PA & tried the Revo. It fits perfectly inside many vehicles for easy, secure transportation, it even fits in my RV - the bigger ones don't!

Also, you don't get a wet butt on the Sport (unless it is raining & the seat area fills up with rain water) whereas with the Revo (having a lower profile) it tends to allow wash into the seat area for a very wet butt!

Yep - I reckon the Sport is nice & stable, too - it is a good size - if it ain't broke - don't fix it!!

However, as Eclipse504 has suggested, some slight 'modifications' could be made to make it that little more efficient for the yak fisho. I like the idea of the rear hatch - they've always had the 'ring' for it, but not fitted it. Matter of fact, I like all his suggestions!

As I've said here before, we are huge Sport fans for some really good reasons:
1. Exempt from licensing and Invasive Species tagging almost everywhere you go. If you don't think under 10 feet matters, try arguing at the Port of Entry at your various state borders. P.S. carry a tape measure so you can prove it..they will measure with the rudder down!
2. Can fit vertically, parallel, on the back of any motorhome or on the roof of short cars. Plus light and short enough to load in wind....like when a Colorado mountain storm blows up on you. This is the one that travels well.
3. Stable and tracks true in really rough waves and winds (like Flaming Gorge Reservoir in a thunderstorm, or Loon Lake in the afternoon!)
4. Dry warm hands, even when "catching the Catalina Express wake on Sunday afternoons". May not sound like much, but it matters as we age.
5. Dry seat and a seat position high enough that your legs don't tire as easily (my Classic was a pain on long pedals, wears a hole in your tailbone). This is a BIG deal to short ladies or some of us "old damaged soldiers".
6. Double stack and strap together for "two kayak" rolling down the ramps or sidewalks. Stack the drives, water bottles, VHF radio, etc...in the back of the upper boat. It unloads the front carry handle for those long "rolls".
7. Stores on it's side, next to the car, in the garage, ...even an apartment garage where you're not allowed to screw things into the wall. Also convenient to set on it's side when using public docks....doesn't block the way and cause problems.
8. 2 1/2 to 3 mph cruise is fast enough to go a long ways. It'll make it back against the ebb tide in Morro Bay...that's good enough.
9. Easy to get in and out of at the dock....or, for example, the portage dam on the Siltcoos River Kayak Trail (you have to get yourself up on top of the concrete dam).

I didn't like the "instant wet seat" and constant "rudder attention in gusty wind" when I tried out the Revo11.
Anyway, get your Sport before they are gone....if that's where it's headed. CJ5?....FJ40?...if you know what they are, you know what I mean.

Thanks, Hobie, for a remarkable boat.
JimL

....Stores on it's side, next to the car, in the garage.... Good point, Jim - I'd forgotten that, as I've now re-arranged the garage so I can roll it in & out without taking my gear off of it!!

I'm only a shortie & an older female to boot - and the main rule when I got the yak was that I had to be able to load & unload it myself - without enlisting the aid of others! Initially, I was pushing it up onto roof racks of a small car, but this damaged bits along the way, plus the salt water on the car wasn't all that good an idea - I bought the Outback as my first Hobie & even had difficulty putting the wheels in after a long day's pedal - mainly cos I couldn't reach the holes, let alone see where they were! Putting the Sport on the wheels is simple as! They DO double deck well, don't they!?

I've been in some really blowy conditions, with big wind & strong tide against me - & all others have come in soaking wet, from the sloppy conditions & tho I may arrive a little later (having only ST fins on) - I was the driest of the lot! Even tho people reckon the Sport slaps the water a bit - I often outfish the so-called 'quieter' yaks!

I hope they don't discontinue the Sport, as I recommend it to all folk, depending on their size!

How long has the sport been around in its current form?

Thanks,
Kerry

The Sport came to be in early 2004 and there are no plans that I know of to discontinue it or modify it anytime soon. The Rev 11 covers so many of the things people have wanted to change about it so we'll stick it out in its current configuration for the time being.

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Brendan Castile

I think Hobie is moving in the right direction with trying to make smaller, lighter kayaks that are more practical for transport. But I don't think discontinuing the Sport is a good move. I think redesigning and remarketing the Sport to be more capable for an adult is the way to go. It fills the lightweight stable market whereas the Revo 11 fills the lightweight speed market.

I sometimes decide to not take the Outback fishing knowing the amount of effort it will take me to car top. I end going with my other lighter yak, but it's just not as outfitted as well as the Outback is. I only take the Outback whenever I fish the surf.

Anyone from Hobie out there reading this thread? Thoughts?

I think most Hobie owners will concur the Outback is a very versatile fishing model....I own one and love fishing from it.
If car topping is a concern due to the weight or bulk/mass, consider a light weight trailer.....the one Hobie sells made by Trailex.....an all aluminum trailer that is only 4' wide and weighs less than 150 pounds.
This is a good solution to the above concerns and in fact, you could easily step up to the Hobie Pro Angler...the ultimate, gonzo fishing platform.
So, there are some good alternative solutions out there for less than $1200 and you can stack two kayaks on the trailer....easy to load/carry and unload.
Tight lines!!

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

I really like my Sport. I bought it to photograph wildlife from. On many trips I am pulling a travel trailer and put the Sport in the bed of my Dodge D-250 with the tail gate up. I have been using the Sport to fish with a lot lately. You can do it but there so many simple things that Hobie could have done or could do to improve this and all their boats for fishing. Rod holders in front !!!!!!! A flat place to mount fish finders or gps etc. A rail system to mount other stuff without drilling lots of holes. A larger recess in the bottom hull for the transducer. A better hatch in front of the seat with a better tray system for tackel. I`m 165 pounds and have this 7 pound weiner dog in my vest. I would say that this is the max weight for the Sport. The well where the drive is is allways full of water.