2020 Compass Review

Likes:
8" hatch in front of seat. Love it.
Seat. Very comfortable after 3+ hours per outing. Love it.
Mesh covered bow storage. Like it.
Rear storage. Very nice.
Mirage drive with flip up fins. Like it.
Light weight paddle. Like it.
Tracking. OK.
Dislikes:
Rudder. Always dragging and bending it when loading and launching the kayak. Hate it.
Paddle holder bunjee. Hard to hook/attach. Annoying.
Cup holder. Worthless.
Seat strap hooks. Almost impossible to attach if seat is positioned first. Must attach hooks first then seat.
Weight. Heavier and harder to handle than I anticipated. My fault.
Hull. Seems to scratch very easily. Must be me.
Side carry handles. Hard to grasp, Would prefer outside strap type handles.

David
Vero Beach Florida

You nailed it. I’ve had mine about a month. At least the rudder seems durable. I’m the only one in my group with a peddle drive. Gotta say it’s fun having the fastest most nimble boat in the group. Now I need to learn how to fish.

>>> Paddle holder bunjee. Hard to hook/attach. Annoying.

I do not have a Compass but I replaced the paddle-retainer bungees on my Oasis with a pair of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Hobie-PA-PADDLE-CLIP-ASSY/dp/B00CP242S2/

Not a cheap solution but but well worth it if they will align properly on the Compass.

This forum post has pictures showing how they look installed.

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=62746

Peter

Paddle holder bunjee. Hard to hook/attach. Annoying. Couple of nice mods for this on YT. Got a 2019 and my biggest issue. I don't find the rudder being big issue (For me).