New Sport owner question

I bought a sport for fishing in small lakes, salt water estuaries, exercise & just fun in general. I was especially intested in portablity and debated between the i9s & Sport, got sport for ridgid hull & it loads on my Honda Del Sol easily. So far I have spent about 7 hours in the saddle & am really enjoying it. I am still amazed with the efficiencey of the Mirage system. Also amazed (& a little disappointed) on how inefficient it is to paddle -- man it takes a lot of effort to paddle this hull very far - real WORK!

Today i was out in the bay and paddled steadily for 20 - 30 minute intervals. I was surprised to find my feet started to get a bit numb - mostly on the bottom (numb as in lack of circulation due to pressure, not cold).

I am 5'7", have the pedals set at 6 (legs are almost fully extend at end of stroke), have ST fins & have the foot straps as wide as they can go. I wear Keen Sandals with a 1.5 mm REI neoprene bootie. Is this common? Any suggestions on how to to avoid this?

Another question is that my butt has gotten wet every time. Anyone using neoprine paddling shorts to help keep butt dry & warm? Details welcome

I'm not sure how to help you with your numb feet. I wonder if that's just part of the penalty of buying such a short boat. What you gain in manoeuvrability with a small boat, you generally lose in efficiency. That's why the fastest sea kayaks are the longest boats, (and also very narrow).

The Sport is short and wide, so it's not going to be the most efficient paddling kayak out there. The solution, of course, is the Mirage drive.

The Mirage Drive gives you quite a bit of torque, or pulling power, and no matter which Hobie boat you buy, right up to the Adventure, most users prefer the mirage drive over paddling. My adventure isn't a "great" paddle boat, but with the Mirage drive, that's not a big issue to me.

As far as the wet butt, that's also par for the course with these boats. I very regularly wear Neoprene (wetsuit material) shorts when I'm out on my Adventure Island, although not always when I'm in paddling mode. Neoprene is great if you want to stay warm when wet, but it's not really designed to keep you dry. So if you want to stay dry, you might want to look for another solution. For my use, they're very effective in a wide range of temperatures.

Hope that helps a bit.

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I have the same problem with numb feet, and my husband does too. I have a sport, and he has a revolution. We are new (and very happy) owners too! We traded boats last week, same numb feet. I go barefoot or with sandals, no difference. The biggest help for me is to vary my foot position on the peddles. Staying off the ball of my foot helps a great deal. So when numbness sets in I either remove my sandals, or reposition my feet so more of the arch or heel is bearing the weight. It is interesting how using the heel adds to the power of the stroke.

Hope this helps.

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Blessings,
Angel-Rose
2013 Revolution 11 (2 of them!)

the 2010 and newer Drives have pedal pads, but you can get them for older Drives as well. If you don't have them, you may find them helpful (pedal pad is on right, below)

Any kind of cushioned footwear helps.

I use heel straps and can pull the foot away from the pedal on the back stroke to keep some circulation going. Even with toe straps, unweighting the foot on the back stroke helps as well.

If that doesn't do it, maybe its time to take a short break.

If you're in fairly smooth water, closing the seat scuppers should keep the seat area dry, at least until some water comes over the side. I think they make several varieties of dry suits, but don't know anything about them.

My wife and I have several Sports; this might help you. Set your pedal length so you do NOT fully extend your legs, and learn to reduce the leg stroke length. If you don't bring the fins all the way up to the hull, AND, you don't bottom out the back of your thighs against the forward edge of the seat cushion, you'll find your long distance runs more comfortable. The fins drive the boat more efficiently when they spend more time closer to vertical....all the drive is fowards, versus trying to pull the boat down in the water as the fins approach the hull.

Use the long Turbo fins, with extreme low pitch (maximum swing of the blade as it flips at each stroke). This will match the Sport cruising speed very well, and slow down your stroke speed significantly. I actually lengthened the retaining eye link, to get excess pitch change.

We've done some fairly long runs, in Sports, such as a non-stop circumnavigation of Kingfisher Island, on Flaming Gorge Reservoir, and we believe the "low pitch Turbo fin, shortened stroke" method is magic. Besides....it's fun to cruise away from the other Sports while pedaling at half the speed!

FYI, we NEVER use the boats with the seat drain opened, and only get wet in rough conditions.

Regards, JimL

I guess I misread that. I thought your feet were numb when you were paddling, not pedalling. Guess I should have figured that out.

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Thanks for the replys!
I just saw Roadrunner's post about heel straps. Humm... might have to try to make some of those over the winter -- better yet, maybe Hobie will make some over the winter (hint hint! )

JimL: Regarding tuning your fins: I think I am going to stick w my ST fins (I am in shallow water alot & think that the longer length would be a negative for me)Do you have a photo to show how what the fin screw looks like with the type of adjustment you've described?

Thanks again for all the replys!

I have several Hobies with the mirage drive including the sport, outback suv, and adventure. I've tried paddling them without the mirage drive installed and without the plastic plug inserted in it's place. It doesn't work well. It works a lot better to install the plastic plug in place of the mirage. Give that a try if you didn't do it that way.

Good hint, I will give it a try. Thanks.

Do you have a picture of this change to the retaining eye link? Thanks for the help.

Here in S. Florida a wet butt not so much of an issue. Of all the books I have seen on kayak fishing and winter kayaking many people wear light weight waders with socks and a wading belt ( Kayak Fishing Show with Jim Sammons who wears them regularly). Other options are dry suits or pants.

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp? ... ry%20Pants

Numbness of feet > I have found mine reduced significantly after going to a gel seat pad (Skwoosh) or the icomfort inflatable seat Hobie offers. Makes a world of difference to cushion your hips. When it does happen now I just reposition feet for a while. I have done 14 mile excursions pedaling with little or no foot numbness.

Also make sure you are semi reclined when pedaling .. I found numbness increases if you sit too straight up when pedaling. Sitting straight up is good for paddling but not pedaling.

just offering up some suggestions.

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.