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When we first started kayaking in 2007 we mostly rented paddle yaks, once we decided we wanted our own boats we went to several demo days events at the local Hobie dealer (Economy tackle in Sarasota fl). After many discussions and trialing many boats with the dealer we settled on an Oasis for me and a Revo 13 for the wife both with the sail kits. At the time we traveled a lot with our RV all over the country dropping into any body of water we could find, we actually wore out two Yukon Denali's doing this (we are now on our third Denali). We bought a second revo and used the two revos for a while leaving the Oasis for when we had kids along (we have 6 kids, all grown up and gone now). My wifes and my physical abilities differ greatly, and many times she would get tired and I would need to tow her the 5 miles back to launch exhausted. By then we were mostly only kayaking in salt water near our homes off of Sarasota and Key West. We quickly found out distances in the ocean are great, and our favorite past times were kayak sailing and snorkeling. We quickly figured out we much preferred tandem kayaking where we could take turns pedaling and give each others legs a break once in a while. We loved that Oasis. Personally I found it easier for me to load/unload and rig just one boat vs two complete boats every time we went out. When running mild class two rapids, or when operating in surf and rough water we discovered quickly that your double sided paddles in your hands are your main tool for stability and staying upright and balanced (just FYI). If you watch pros in surf on those $6000 dollar surfski's and sea kayaks that are up to 24 ft long and only a foot wide their double ended paddle is their main tool. With the Hobies you have an ace in the hole with the fantastic mirage drives, you can go much further expending much less energy. When things settle down we just drop the rudder, strap the paddles to the side (giving our arms a much deserved break).
So in direct answer to your question, with the right technique (paddles in hand) you can master rough surf in any model Mirage kayak ( the only one I don't know about for sure using that technique is the PA, someone more familiar with them will need to chime in).
Yes we understand completely that all tandem yaks are bigger and heavier just by their nature.
In 2010 we traded in the Oasis for a Tandem Island. When kayaking (no big sails and AMA's) the TI we found it to be no more difficult to load/unload than the Oasis, at the same time it is much faster and has tons of capacity and storage (way more than our Oasis), in my opinion the fastest best kayak Hobie makes. The best part is if you ever want to go out in big water and sail for real, they include "free" a giant sail and AMA's, with the tramp option we can easily carry 3-4 people. We eventually sold our revos because they sat in the garage for two years unused. We found the TI to be the perfect family boat for us.
True story, we have been out way off shore off Key West scuba diving with the TI, two days later we kayaked the lazy Sante Fe river (no sails or AMA's), then a couple weeks later we were running the rapids on the Huron river in Ann Arbor MI in kayak mode. On the same trip we also sailed in lake michigan near traverse city, and also lake superior near Mackinac Island, then either sailed or kayaked every body of water in the UP we could find, before rounding our way back thru Wisconsin. We had a blast, all with just the one boat that we can configure for whatever we could ever dream up. When we get home we just rinse it off throw it in the garage where it sits until the next weekend where we plan our next great adventure. I know of nothing out there more versatile that can be configured for anything you can dream up, truly the SUV of the industry, where literally one day we can be screaming far off shore with our full 260 sq ft of sail flying and our twin big outboards roaring, and the very next day quietly kayak up the Crystal river. We just configure the boat for what we are going to need that day. We are now on our third TI, it's the perfect boat for our lifestyle and obviously we use the heck out of it every weekend pretty much all year round.
Sorry about running on about this stuff, but the possibities are endless with these Hobie's (pretty much all models) If you can imagine it the boats can do it.
DISCLAIMER:
Obviously I'm a Hobie addict and admit it, but boy do we have a lot of fun, I'm not recommending any one model over another, they are all good just pick the one that fits your lifestyle (the Mirage drive makes it all possible). Keep in mind Everyone at Hobie are seasoned sailers, and every mirage kayak made is designed from the ground up as a sailing machine, whether people even realize or use this feature at all, its there, just drop the sail in and your off.
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