Designers - There is a need for Speed

If you want to experiment with fin power, you can add small dowels to the ends of your masts, extending your fins out. I would suggest starting with 1/4" extensions. You can experiment with extending the length of your clew adjustment as well.

If you break something just don't blame Hobie!

Hey Ya'll
I use a Camelbak hydration system while cycling and was wondering if that would have helped Rynksters race time by allowing him to continue pedaling and paddling without having to stop doing both in order to reach into the hatch for a cold drink. The hydration pack and bladder could be lashed to the hull and the water hose extended to eliminate the need to wear it as a backpack.

Sure its been covered already but trimming some weight off the hulls and adjusting hull shape to increase efficiency and reduce drag, even a little bit, might help increase overall average speeds.
Perhaps a specific hobie "racing" version hull would evolve if it made sense from a sales perspective ,as in there were a "potential market niche" out there to justify Hobie building them. (see discontinued Hobie Tri Foiler as example)
Just not having to overbuild the hulls structurally to carry touring payloads and increase general purpose, long term recreational usage and durability could free up the design team to build a one design mirage racing hull.

Hope to get out soon as the season here is getting going. Been windsurfing a bit as NW winds have increased. Any chance Hobie will build an SUP model that can be windsurfed as well ?

Have fun out there

You bring up a valid alternative. A hands free Camelbak system might have improved overall time. Another option would have been to keep ALL the drinks in the back within reach.

Wouldn't modifying the drive unit (other than fin replacement) be akin to cheating? Hmmm, interesting. If NASCAR builders can do a mod to go faster and get away with it, why not do it on Mirage Kayak? Most people wouldn't have a clue if the Mirage Drive was modified. Good thought, but for now, I'm testing out my new Adventure kayak using standard ST Turbo fins to see what is going to break next under NORMAL use. Using mods is out of the question.

You posed the question about big fins. I merely proposed an equivalent using existing equipment.

Cheating? It depends on your point of view. There was a paddler who liked to brag about beating Hobies with Mirage Drives (evidently with standard fins). Later when he got waxed by someone using optional Turbofins he whined about the use of Turbos as cheating. Some might consider it cheating by using Hobie's original factory issued Turbo masts which were 1/4" longer than the current masts (no longer available); using a different lube than Hobie-approved; customizing the clew settings, etc. etc. Then there are those who think the use of any Mirage Drive is cheating -- unless -- they win!

Personally I don't think making your boat go faster is cheating whether it be by having a longer slimmer lighter boat, streamlining your existing boat or optimizing your Mirage Drive, unless you're in a formal race with specified class rules. I don't use mast extensions (but have tried them and think they would work for a stronger person), but would have no qualms about racing someone with them, someone with a pedaling prop or whatever they find works best for them.

I occasionally race a guy who builds his own custom fins; I modify the fin angles and clew settings on my Drive -- we're both free to steal each others ideas. He cheats though because he's more fit!

Good point Roadrunner. All is fair in love and kayak racing. I entered my Adventure in another kayak race this past weekend. In the Recreational Class of Plastic Boats 16 feet in length or less, which was the original class I was categorized under, the Adventure took first place. But, they yanked me out of that class. Photos from the race can be seen here: http://mobilepaddler.blogspot.com/2010/04/4172010-bluzcruz-kayak-race.html

Word must be spreading among the kayak racing community about pedal boats. Pedal boats, once thought of as being a toy used on a park lakes, now seem to be a threat to regular paddle kayaks in races. Soon as I entered the Hobie Adventure in the BluzCruz 22 mile kayak race (http://www.bluzcruz.com/), a new category called Pedal Boats was instantly created. That way racers who only paddle their narrower kayaks of similar length as the Adventure can have an opportunity to win a race, too. Sure hope to start seeing more pedal boats in the races so I have something to compete against instead of surfskis, which have their own racing organization (http://surfskiracing.com/) and high performance kayaks. Where is the Hobie racing organization when it comes to Mirage kayaks?

In the last mile, I ran even with a 17 inch wide one person outrigger and eventually moved ahead of him by several seconds. The GPS track indicated completing the 21.1 mile race in two hours and twenty two minutes (2:22) which is an average of a little over 8.9 mph. The inflated average speed comes with the aid of river current as the majority of the race was downstream. My Adventure took 7th place out of about 63 boats overall which means it completed the course in the upper 15 percent - about the same upper percentile as the last race I was in. (Official results still not available but will eventually be posted on their web site.) **Update: Official results here: http://www.bluzcruz.com/2010results2.pdf

So, Matt - the Hobie advertising department can rest easy with the claim that the Adventure is one of the fastest recreational kayaks on the market today.

Sounds like you have some pretty cool races there and you're obviously making a great showing for the Mirage Drives!! You also make a good point about the importance of race strategy with respect to currents and route planning.

There is one race here in the San Diego area called the "Bay 2 Bay". There are actually 2 races -- a 20 mile Mission Bay to San Diego Bay, and a 5 mile race in San Diego bay. Any human powered boat can enter. There are lots of classes by hull length and type (i.e. SIKs, SOTs, tandems, surf skis, outriggers, paddle boards, canoes, rowers, etc) but no distinction for propulsion methods. So the few Adventures that enter (15 to 19' SOTs) pretty much clean up their group. Last year there was a 16' custom pedaling prop that also did well, but couldn't quite upset the Mirage Drives. The more competitive paddlers seem to find a different category to enter -- smart move!

There are different launch times so it's impossible to go head-to-head with all the others. On elapsed time though, about the only boats usually faster then the Adventures are the surf skis -- but not always. I also noticed headwinds and rough conditions favor the Mirages more than light winds and calmer waters. They do well either way, but in bad weather, they have plenty of extra time for a rescue and still maintain a generous margin of victory.

Thanks for keeping us posted on the latest racing news there!

Mirage drive on a stand up paddle board. Add a drive well, take off the peddles and add handles for her pleasure. It would make surfing similar to punch jogging.

There is another Adventure pedaler here who has been perfecting his technique simultaneously pedaling and paddling. For the one hour runs he is definitely getting some solid gains from the use of both! If I want to keep up, I have to ride his boat wake.


He does a great job of towing though!