I'm a long-time kayak fisherman who values being fast and light and so I've never made the move to a big, heavy pedal kayak. I saw the Lynx and decided this might be the boat for me! There are no Hobie dealers near me so I picked one up at Kitty Hawk Surf Co. while on vacation last week in the Outer Banks. I fished inshore for speckled trout and redfish and these are my first impressions of the Lynx:
I knew from watching YouTube videos it would be a simple, easy boat to use. I can carry it over my head, it's quick to rig, and I had no trouble covering miles on the water. It's fast and the helm is responsive. Because of it's so light however, it does get blown around a lot in the wind. But the weight is the main appeal, especially since it's light enough for my 9 yr old to pedal and fish from. Once we got a cushion on the seat back he had no trouble with the Mirage drive and easily out-paced me in my old Tarpon 120. Here's a picture of us exploring a salt marsh:
I didn't appreciate how just how different the Ace-Tec hull would perform relative to a rotomolded boat. The Lynx is loud! The hull slaps once you get up to speed, even in calm waters. I guess this isn't too surprising since it's not a displacement hull like a typical kayak. It's quiet enough if you're moving slow; I had no trouble stalking fish on the flats. Also, the solid hull transmits sound like a drum so I'll probably end up with the full EVA deck pad to offset this.
I knew it wouldn't be durable like a polyethylene boat and it developed a bit more rash than I hoped for after a week of fishing. Sand and mud only - no rocks - and I've already got decent abrasions starting on the forward keel and the midsection of the chines. I'm not too worried about this because now that I know where it's wearing I can order some PVC rub strips (https://www.keeleazy.com/). I'll post pictures when they're installed.
All in all I'm really pleased with my first Hobie. I caught my first redfish from it, which was a drag-screaming blast! I can't wait to try it on my local river for smallmouth.