2015 outback changes durring production

Saw and demoed a 2015 outback today. I noticed the speed drain IS NOT part of the kayak as pictured before ...anyone know the reasoning for this? Also have concerns of the seat material around the frame area as being really thin....I have a 2014 now with a Jackson seat, may add a 2015 in the future after I know things are good with the new design ...

The 2015 Outback does not have the speed drain system. It does not come with speed drain as the seating area is higher than some of the kayaks that do have speed drain like the Revolution 13 and 11. As far as the thickness of the seating area on your kayak, I would advise checking with your local Hobie kayak dealer. If there is a problem with the hull Hobie will take care of it for you.

Thanks for the clarification, I too thought it was a staple of the new deck design.

I too thought the speed drain was part of the reworked seat well and would be standard on all models.
Doesn't the Outback get water coming in over the sides when it's choppy?
Can Hobie please clarify just which models are getting this feature?
Revo16?
AI/TI?

My 2013 Outback seat area is a swimming pool fairly shortly after I head out to play in the waves on a windy day. I don't get much water over the sides even in fairly heavy chop, but any speed at all into the waves generates a ton of spray, much of which lands on me and in the seat. Of course the worst case is when I'm pedaling hard upwind, come down off one wave and bury the bow in the next. Get the top of the wave right in my lap! Ah, I miss summer already...

One of the guys at my local kayak shop posted some pictures of a new Outback they just got in, and it appears the deck is fairly flat so perhaps the OB doesn't need the drains since the water will just run back to the pedal drive hole. For a minute I thought I was looking at a PA!

The seat area is flat to accommodate the new seat frame.

With the new seat, you cannot reach the old style scupper drains underway, but if you're sitting above the water line you can leave the seat scuppers open to automatically drain the seat area. If there is a concern about water surge, the drains can be partially opened, thus limiting surge and still able to drain slowly.

With the new seats you are presumably sitting off the deck so any small amount of water in the cockpit shouldn't cause an issue for those with delicate bottoms.

I would venture to guess that Dogdad was referring to the material of the seat webbing or fabric being thin, and not the hull HPDE... my $0.02.

I actually saw a video on YouTube that showed a 2015 kayak(couldn't tell what model) and its features ...the Hobie spokesman said it was in the Outback and another model....I called Hobie and they said the person was mistaken.

This is a still from the original trade show video that announced the 2015 model upgrades. From what I can make out it appears to be an Outback? Looks like there is only one drainage hole now?

Appears to be the scupper that leads to the transducer cavity. Water would still drain out from under the seat through that hole.

If someone with a new OB could confirm that, it would be appreciated.

_________________
Cheers,
Adam
http://www.yakfisher.net

[quote="RandomJoe"]My 2013 Outback seat area is a swimming pool fairly shortly after I head out to play in the waves on a windy day. I don't get much water over the sides even in fairly heavy chop, but any speed at all into the waves generates a ton of spray, much of which lands on me and in the seat. Of course the worst case is when I'm pedaling hard upwind, come down off one wave and bury the bow in the next. Get the top of the wave right in my lap! Ah, I miss summer already.../quote]

Two summers ago before our great California Drought I was fishing on a local reservoir, and the waves at the end of the day over a foot high as I and other yakers came in. When we made our turn/approach to the launch/landing site, we were vulnerable to the wind and waves crossing our bows. Two guys in the older Sports and a guy in an Outback, were first class members of the wet butt club. I posted about my observation, and was informed that I was mistaken and that didn't happen.

I was in my Freedom Hawk Pathfinder with the raised seat and my scuppers were half open, and I was dry on my butt area due to the raised seat and my feet were rather damp. The partial open scuppers work great on getting the water back out.

Hobie's new raised seats should be great for keeping our butts dry besides being more comfortable and the added safety of being able to see more from the raised seat and being seen better by those in boats.

Kudos to Hobie for the yak redesigns to accommodate what appears to be excellent raised seats.

_________________
2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

I took my 2015 Outback out for a quick shakedown run today and I can confirm that there is only that single transducer scupper hole under the seat. The wind was just a slight breeze and the water was as slick as glass, so I can't tell you how well it works, but I bet it will work just fine.

It was a great ride with the Bluefin ST's and it could turn really rapidly with the upgraded sailing rudder, the only thing that is bugging me about it is that it seems like the scupper holes on mine aren't quite "even". I have to really work to get the Hobie Heavy-Duty Cart in there, almost like they're not molded correctly...just slightly off. I then tried to use an off-brand cart I used to use with my old 2005 Sport and it was a tight, slightly off-kilter fit for it as well. Both carts fit the 2005 Sport like a glove. I'm still resting from the trip, but will give it a good look-over tomorrow with fresh eyes.

-Dan

I have a friend that said the same about the cart not fitting in the 2015...could possibly be a factory mold offset?

There have been issues with carts not being consistent as well, so when a hull is wide and a cart is narrow... there could be a fit issue. I would review using a current cart.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

My friend has 3 Hobie's currently...the only problem he has the cart fitting is the new 2015 Outback..