Sport or Revo?

I have used a friend's Revolution several times and I am close to buying my own Hobie Mirage. I really like the Revolution and understand how it goes in the water, stability, etc. I am wondering though about the Sport. It would certainly be more portable to haul/carry, more maneuverable in tight water than the Revo. I just don't know how a Sport goes in the water compared to the Revo. I don't expect any marathon or long distance trips, but I would use it frequently for fishing streams and small rivers and general recreation.

Can someone knowledgeable compare the two for me?

I don't know if I qualify as someone knowledgeable, but since no one has responded, I'll give my biased opinion.

The Sport is nice, but I'm a big fan of the Revolution, and I'd recommend it to you based on your concerns. Here's why:

- Sport or Revolution Portability:
Yes, the Sport is shorter and lighter. Now the question is does that really give you an advantage in portability. For me, I have to rooftop the boat whether it's 9'7" or 13'5", so the shorter length didn't help me. The weight difference is only 10 pounds, and for me, that didn't make enough difference either. So in my case, both boats were equally portable.

- Manoeuvrability in tighter water.
There's no question, that the size difference allows you to have a boat that can turn around in tighter rivers. The one thing that I've found is that for my use, I'm rarely in water that is so tight that I can't turn around the Revolution, but I would be able to turn around the Sport. I go through some tight areas all the time, but there is only a very small window of my use, where I get in to areas that, 1) I'd have to turn around in, and 2) I'd be able to turn around the Sport, but not the Revolution. For my use, most of the time I'd be able to turn both boats around, or neither boat. Adding the Sailing rudder to the Revolution would help the steering response of that boat which might close the gap between the two boats.

-Differences in how the Sport and Revolution move in the water
If you're going to go fishing, only in very tight places, and really need a shorter boat, the Sport is good. Although I'm not a fisherman, I'd still vote the Revolution for the following reasons:
1) The Revolution will allow you to get to the spot faster and with less effort
2) You will have more room on deck especially behind the seat, with the Revo, and more room is usually good for fishing.
3) Both are great fun as a Recreation boat, but I'm would think that a Revolution would allow you to go faster, farther, and with more stuff, and that's probably going to mean that you'll enjoy it a little bit more.

-Advantages of the Sport
Great "little" boat. It's a bit wider, which might mean that you have a bit more stability, although the Revolution by kayaking terms is incredibly stable. No one that I know would refer to the Revolution as intimidating in it's stability, but some like a bit wider boat, and the Sport has that.
It's also cheaper, and that's always a nice thing to have. More money for accessories, or other life priorities.

In Summary, in a head to head competition, I think the Revolution would win every time as the better boat. Now if you don't have a place to store a boat that's over 13 feet long, or if the lightest weight is very important to you, or you feel that the ultimate in manoeuvrability is the most important thing, or price is crucially important, then you may have a case to buy the Sport instead. If you're looking for the most versatile boat between the Sport and Revolution, I think the choice is clear.

But again... I'm biased!

_________________

The sport is the lighter more maneuverable boat. The revolution is fast, carries more gear, and is a very nice boat to paddle. You know where you were paddle, does the revolution work well for those locations? The revolution will be more versatile if it isn't too big to handle for you off the water. That would be my choice.

_________________
bobby nabors
Florida, USA
[email protected]
www.LiquidSurfandSail.com

My primary fishing yak is the Adventure. Last year I picked up a Sport for it's lightweight/maneuverability in calmer back bay fishing. Found it to be a little too cramped, I'm 6', 190lbs. Also, I didn't like the 'hull slap' and handling when the wind & chop picked up. I wound up trading it for a Revo and couldn't be happier.
Demo both if you can, only way to decide what's best for your needs.

_________________
Bob
Proud member Kayak Fishing Association of New York

If you are a six-footer, don't bother with the Sport. I don't know about the Revo, but the Sport is seven inches shorter than my Adventure between the drive well and seat pegs. I'm 6'-3" and my knees were almost at my chin. I'd try the Revo.

_________________
Southwest Hobie Island Club
http://www.facebook.com/southwesthic

I had both the Sport and Revo and found that the size/weight difference is quite noticeable.

I'm not weakling (5'10", 85kg), but found the Revo to be a back-busting proposition when lifting it onto the roof of my Kia Rio hatchback.

Never actually weighed them, but the Revo is markedly heavier and the extra length makes it much more cumbersome to load/unload.

On the water the Revo is faster and cuts through the water much better - without the hull-slap of the Sport. The Sport is more stable and much more manoeuvrable, due to it being much shorter and wider than the Revo.

I also found the 'deck' of the Sport much more fishing friendly than the Revo. The Sport has little tackle 'trays' that the Revo does not, and they're just so good for placing tackle, knifes, bait, etc. The Revo does have two mesh-covered pockets, but they're nowhere near as practical.

The bottom line is that you really need to take both for a 'test-drive' and see what you think.

Cheers,

Mike.