Fat man in a little Kayak?

Hey Everyone. I am really looking into the Hobie quest 13 model as my first kayak. I had a old hobie sailboat as a kid and always have been partial to them. Their kayaks look good from what I see online But I have a couple concerns that I have not really found any answered to online anywhere. I am looking to paddle in rivers and lakes in Michigan, Being a large guy I am concerned about the stability of the hobie for me. I have only used a couple Loons before on kayak trips. One worked well one was too small for me with the whole rear of the kayak underwater while I was on the river.

I am about 6 foot 300 pounds. I also wondering how much water would be in the boat because of my size. Trying to figure out how wet the boat would be for me?

Any help would be greatly appreciated .

I don't know about the Quest, but the Revolution has a very similar hull design, and it became less stable when there was a larger user on it. It sounds like you're looking for a PADDLE kayak, instead of a PEDAL kayak. If you were able to consider a pedal kayak with the Mirage Drive, I would steer you towards the Outback. Hobie doesn't make a paddle only version of that boat, but it would be great for someone like yourself. Maybe a used Outback is the way to go, if cost is a concern?

_________________

Honestly it is a very small part cost. It is more that I don’t see a need for a pedal boat for what I will be doing. Most of my time in the boat will be on rivers. I don’t really see the need to pedal there. Some of the rivers are also very shallow or with logs below and I think it would cause an issue with the fins.
I would look into an outback, But if I am not using the drive it would just be a kayak with a big hole in the center for water to get in right?

I have always been a Kiss person with stuff.

I am looking at getting a couple boats for me and my girlfriend and this one looked to coolest to be for myself.

I hear that!!

I'm not the best person to help. Most dealers will allow you to try the boat before you buy. See if you can find a dealer to do that for you. Hopefully someone else on this board will be able to give you a better idea.

_________________

Faygo, welcome to the forum. I think your instinct is correct -- get a paddling kayak for paddling. In the case of the Quest 13, it has an excellent reputation. Its sister kayak, the (Mirage Drive) Revolution has a similar shape, capacity and cockpit size, but lacks some of the hull details that would allow it to paddle on par with the Quest -- notably a skeg (important for good tracking).

That said, a Revolution would make a decent demonstrator. Many dealers have the capability for demonstrations and if there was no Quest demonstrator available, a Revo would give you an idea of fit.

Hull capacity should not be an issue. Hobie is conservative with their ratings -- here's a Revolution (same 350 lb. rated capacity as Quest) with about 500 lb. of guys on it:


The seat area may be below the water line for you (lower seating = better stability), but if that happens, you can close the seat scuppers. Likewise, the foot area may get swamped, but that shouldn't get into the seat area. Those scuppers can also be plugged if desired.

My only concern is whether the seat area is wide enough for your comfort, depending on where you carry your weight. Thus, a demonstration from your nearest dealer would be really helpful.