Outback or revolution?

I peddled out on a local lake yesterday with my fly rod, lunch, tackle bag containing way too many fly boxes, anchor, drift chute etc. It was a beautiful autumn day and I trolled a fly alongside the weed beds checking out the bush covered hills and cliffs that surround this particular caldera. After an hours cruise checking out the bird life I arrived at my destination - a stream mouth that flows over a deep drop off. There were trout around and I managed to score a nice 4lb fish - not a great catch for this lake but still my first on a fly rod off the Hobie I have owned for about 4 months. I was stoked at how great a fly fishing platform the yak was, it was way easier than I expected. I was also confident that if things blew up the Hobie would get me home again. I have been mucking around in small boats, surfboards and yaks for as long as I remember, and thats a fair while. I did a lot of research before purchasing my Hobie, including talking to Scott Lovig, one of the bigger Hobie dealers in Australia. I visited him when I was in Australia last year and told him I would be buying a Hobie back here in NZ, so he wasn't tryingto sell me anything when he said he felt that the Outback was the best fishing yak for hisstyle of fishing. I felt the same after trying the Revo and the Outback, thats because the Outback is the best yak for the fishing I do, lake fishing with my fly rod and a ton of stuff, bait fishing in the local harbours and bays and a bit of salt water lure fishing. I don't do big missions on the wild blue chasing pelagics and I don't peddle miles to my destination, nope I go fishing. Sometimes I go out for a cruise with my wife who has a Sport.
I've put turbo fins on the Outback and it cruises along just fine. Yes you do get a bit of hull slap and splash in the rough stuff but I have been out in 5 foot swells with the wind on it without a problem, much worse than that and I would probably stay home. And yes it paddles like a bath tub probably because it's shaped like one! In saying that I feel that I could get myself home if the drive failed.
When I was doing the by now famous Outback - Revo, Outback - Revo, Outback - Revo stress trip a guy on an Aussie forum remarked it doesn't matter which one you get they are both great yaks, you won't be dissapointed and he was right after 10 years of kayak fishing I can say the Outback is the best yak I have ever owned for fishing, if I had bought a Revo I would probably say the same about that.
Now don't tell my wife but those Proanglers look just the rig for fly fishing

Charlie I agree with you on this one. I fished stake mats this week for crappie and outfished all the guys in our group that were wading. We were mostly in 1.5 to 5 feet of water. There were about 1000 mats on about 50 acres of water, just guessing, about 20 to 50 feet apart. I would take out for a mat hit the rudder and circle the mat jigging all around in the mat and take off for another. The wind was terrible and the hull slap didn't seem to bother the fish. The guys were amazed at how fast I could go from mat to mat and fish each mat so well. I can't imagine another boat that could of carried all that gear, myself and a live well with ice and about 40 pounds of fish and performed any better. I put in at 5:15 am on Saturday and loaded the boat up at 5:45 pm that evening and never once got out of the boat. That is after fishing 8 hours the day before. I took a lunch and drinks and snacks for the day. I wasn't even sore from sitting in the boat for over 12 hours. That's a testement to the engineers at Hobie. The guys that were fishing from motorboats and wade fishing were all complaining about being so sore.

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Mike
2015 Pro Angler 12
Yellow with Humminbird side imaging

One thing that i have noticed after using both numerous times ,is that if you plan on standing up to throw a cast net or to better see the surroundings the outback is far better, and being able to stand is a major factor for a lot of people now, just look at the Malibu stealths and many others coming out these days (people want a boat that they can comfortably stand in.

I easily stand in my outback which i made a custom fitted standing platform for and its fantastic. Although i tried to get it to work with the revo it's just a bit too narrow. And when standing (i pole with the outback all the time now) the added width of the boat makes it work.If you can transport a Pro Angler and deal with the weight thats the ultimate, but if not, and standing and poling are important to you forget the Revo and anybody saying the revo is easy to stand in, and a good choice for standing is BS ing you.

Its nice to be on the water and easily stand up to stretch or whatever, but you better not mind having to be in the seated position for the majority of the time with the Revo. If poling and being able to stand are not important to you then i agree go with the Revo.

Do you have any details and, or pics of the standing platform you made?

Thanks

Yes, as a matter of fact i copied the one from (POGIEEH) titled (DRY DECK). I have two different versions and they are not split in the middle like his are, SEE PICTURES under above title. I made them extra strong for standing, not just keeping your feet dry.They are fantastic.

I'm the new guy...
Hey!

So if I don't have the option of doing a demo, How do I choose?

I plan on buying a Hobie in the near future, I'm a long time fisherman, and last... Never been on a kayak. Plenty of row boats and canoes, but no kayaks.

East Coast (Atlantic) fishing is all I've ever done, from surf to offshore. So I'd like to continue...

Sounds like from all the comments the Revo would be the best for me. I can't afford the PA and not sure I want that style. I also want to just cruise around from time to time, swim, scuba and snorkel too.

I've checked all the kayak stores in a 100 mile range of me and none of them have the Revo to demo, let alone to even look at.

Now back to my question, How do I know the Revo will be ok for me?

(Btw I love to mod things to fit my needs, adding gear to any kayak will happen )

Thanks and thanks for the cool forum

How far round trip would a normal outing be for you? If only a couple of miles, get an Outback. If more like five or six, then probably the Revo. If even further, get an Adventure. (All else being the same).

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

What's your height and inseam? The Adventure has a slightly longer cockpit than the Revo or Outback (which are about the same).

Surf launches? Adventure or Revo are both superior to the Outback.

Chop and weather/tide issues? Adventure is best, Revo next.

Don't buy until you demo different models. Period. No matter what !

I'd like to be able to go as far as I need to get fish or just to wander around (explore).
I'm 5 11 32inseam. 190lb.
While getting to do a demo on any of the models seems nearly impossible, I'm 4 hours from the coast (used to live 40seconds away)... I've contacted the local kayak clubs and none of them have Hobies, mostly sit ins.

I plan on launching from all sorts of places, from tame lakes to the wild ocean. So I'll need a kayak that can do it all and hopefully keep me dry as possible.

I must be part fish, I could stay on the water for days on end... and have in the past albeit in motorized boats. But I honestly don't think a kayak will shorten my length of time on the water.

So now you have a little clue about me, Educated recommendation?

thanks again!
Btw, my name is Rob.

A tip I wanted to add for those who are wondering what kayak is best for them.

One fact very few consider is WHO are you paddling/pedaling with and what kind of kayak do they use.

If your kayaking buddy/buddies all paddle sleek touring 16' long kayaks or some of the very quick paddling SOT fishing kayaks you best look at a comparable length or you will be working hard to keep up. I have found even my revolution with turbo fins at a sprint can be left behind by a 15' Ocean Kayak Trident Prowler for example though against a headwind the odds are more even. My first kayak was a 9 foot paddle yak and the kayaking group I paddled with all had longer yaks. I worked twice as hard to keep up. You do want to be in the same class as those you plan to kayak with.

The other thing is what do you plan to carry with you. Weight = Drag
If you have a short slow kayak and you add 40 plus pounds (cooler, baitwell, tackle box and all your gear) you will be that much slower.

The longer the kayak the longer the glide length the faster you will go with less effort ... to the max of hull speed that is.

No one wants to be the anchor in a group.

Revo

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I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.

I demo-ed a Revo but went with the Outback. I like the added convenience of the side rails for one thing. Something that's missing on the Revo. I think for traveling long distances on flat water the Revo may be a hair better but not by much. One of my fishing partners has a Revo. I keep up with him pedal for pedal and I'm 10 years older than him!

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Pam Funk (ShesaManiYak.com)
Hobie Fishing Team
TFO Flyrods Pro Team
YakAngler.com Pro Staff
CanoeKY.com Fishing Team
KyKayakFishing.org, President

The outback is also a drier ride. I hate getting soaked

I have read the thread and as anyone can see, both are great yaks. I tried a lot of them, including paddle only. The drive was the first and easiest choice. Second for me was long distance but using my legs made that a non-issue. When I went out fishing the first time with a baddle only friend I stayed with him easily for about a 6 hour day. We never stopped moving as we were trolling. He is going to get an outback when he buys his next boat but that may be a while. If I am pumping hard I could go faster on some of the others, like the rev but at an easy all day pace, no real difference that I could feel. Fishing from the outback, and I fish lake and ocean, is just great fun. I am sure the others are too but I like the stability. When nature calls, that stability turns out to mean a lot. But the hands down reason for my choice was that I also scuba and skin dive both to take pictures and to spear fish. I jumped into the water and tried a couple of yaks and the only one that I managed to not flip over was the outback. If I am some distance from land and a little tired crawling back into the boat I don't want to recover stuff from the bottom after I have flipped the boat. Can you flip an outback, I am sure you can with some effort but I flipped the others I tried with very little effort, more like a mistake getting back into the boat. All the yaks you peddle will be great I think and you will be happy with any. If you also swim/dive/spearfish etc . . . then for me the outback had a few advantages over what are seen as some of the dissadvantages. I have owned many boats both power and sail and I love them all for their unique abilities. I have to admit, I am having a blast on the outback. All the best to you. I think in the end you will find you will be happy with your choice no matter what it is. After all, it is just a boat and you bring your own fun. If you didn't want to get wet or work a little bit you probably would not be getting a yak to start with. There are dryer and powered options out there. Take care.

Sorry to bring this old thread back, but, I'm about to buy a Revo as choices are slim here.........well actually none, I'm in Costa Rica and can only find a Revo, well and PA but at a price way out my range. I read about the Revo not being as good for fishing standing up, but what if I add one of these Sidekick Ama Kits?

Thanks in advance
Dan