Poll: How many of you paddle your kayak?

You all must be wicked spoiled peddling away! We just love to paddle, but with a headwind always at some point during the trip, the peddling will come in mighty handy.

Just curious if your paddles pretty much hang on the side of your kayak or if you use them!

Lisa

Just use paddle to push off and reverse. I have on occasion just paddled, but if I'm fishing I use the drive.

My paddle gets used to reverse or if it's too shallow for the drive or to push off away from trees/cliffs etc. That's about it.

Before I got the Revo, I told myself I'd do a fair bit of paddling still to maintain upper body strength, if nothing else. But I never do.

Cheers,
Paul.

Agree with comments above...reverse, pushing off in very shallow water before inserting drive, and again back in after removing drive.

...but then again, I'm in a WideBack...err...Outback. Not a great paddle-yak, but who cares when I can pedal.

Best to you!

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"If I'm not at work, I'm Outback"

I like to paddle too. I have a Maui I use mostly for surfing. Great fun and exercise, good for the lower back and core muscles! Agreed, not all models are great for paddling though.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I mostly fish freshwater rivers and lakes in Central FL. I have a PA and an '07 Outback. Like others have said, the paddle is mostly for launching, landing and reverse. Also, sometimes to hold position if the breeze or current is moving me too much. I was on the Withlacoochee River near Dade City this weekend. The water was high and moving fast and I had to use the paddle quite a bit. I'd be concentrating more on fishing than my surroundings and the next thing I know I'm pushed up under a tree or in some flooded bushes or something.

I'm also thinking about cutting a small notch in the tip of the blade to guide down my line to free stuck flies and lures that get hung up too deep to reach. The paddle would come in handy for that.

I'm curious how many folks just use the t-grip handle on a half paddle? I always take full paddle but I still haven't figured out a good system to store and retrieve it easily in the PA. I'm also thinking about designing and building a one-handed paddle that I could use to make minor positioning adjustments.

Scott

I rarely use the paddle other than to push off from shore or back up or in shallow water in my PA. the paddle is a pain to store out of the way in the PA too. I found some plastic clips at West Marine that I attatched to the inside of the side rail on the left side, I used zip ties to secure the clips. I don't use the "T" adapator on half the paddle either, I use the full paddle.

Only have used the paddle for lauching and reverse. I have the Outfitter and have converted both paddles to use the t-handles, although we have only usd 1 paddle.

Oh, you can paddle a Hobie?

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'88 Nationals Blue
Hobie Alter Signature Model
Sail #11

Hobie Mirage Classic

Scott, checkout some websites for the disabled paddler. Some have pics of very cleaver adaptions so a one armed person can still paddle a yak.

As for paddling, I tend to paddle more when I am with friends with traditional kayaks. No, I don't feel sorry for them!

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Absolute kayaking corrupts absolutely.

If I wanted to paddle, then a Hobie would not have been my choice of kayak. But since I can pedal and paddle, it was. But then, I don't paddle much......................ck

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Never argue with an idiot, they will just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

I pull the drive and rudder when I get about a mile from the end of my trip and paddle the rest of the way.

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I'm right 98% of the time. The other 3% I don't worry about.

On a very long run, we sometimes paddle for a mile or so, just to relax a bit. I've also found it helpful to set the rudder for a slight "pull" (left or right, as needed) and use the paddle canoe style. It changes the load on the shoulders a bit, and is an easy way to go....very nice on smooth water! The boat actually travels in a series of shallow arcs, controlled by the pull of the paddle...fun method, and really useful when you are tired.

It really helps to pull the seat back straight up, and get the paddle out of the water soon enough, on each stroke. We get a lot less effort for decent paddling speed.

Speaking of which....we've been loading all day, and packing up for the High Sierras. First stop will be one of the Mammoth Lakes, then Mono, Tahoe, Ice House, Loon....whatever works out for the next 15 days.

Bye now!
JimL

My Mirage original has been great because I have nerve damage in my arms and paddling HURTS. I only paddle when I absolutely have to...getting to deep water or through weeds when I can't use the mirage drive.

I use my paddle quite a lot. I have to paddle where I normally launch because it is VERY weedy there. But I also do it for fun, or as a work out or to keep warm in winter. The adventure (ore AI hull only) is very nice to paddle (although not very manoeuvrable).

If I cruise I normally pedalpaddle. With that I mean pedaling and paddling (with the rudder up, of course, I hate having to stop paddling for correcting the rudder). You have to get used to it at first, but than it's great! This is not only fun in the adventure/AI-hull-only, I also like to do this in my (2008) oasis. Although the oasis isn't very good to paddle-only, because doesn't track really, it is very nice to pedalpaddle it with the turbo's. It tracks a lot better when you also pedal it! This probalby holds for the other hobie models too.

Pedaling-only is for during coffee time, or for crossing the lake in a lot of wind (need the rudder then, and I love the extra stability the drive provides). But that I am not pedaling long tracks may have to do with the fact that my knees don't allow me to pedal strongly for hours.

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skua