Newbie with questions

Greetings all ,

I've been reading forums for almost a month now, and finally got myself to register and write a post.

My partner and I have been looking at getting a Hobie tandem kayak, and we are pretty much settled on the Oasis for it's smoother hull shape as compared to the Outfitter. (So that she doesn't get too wet in the front )

The kayak will be used for both leisure rides and fishing both solo and tandem.

However, I've still got a few questions that I need to clear my mind with before the final decision is made:

1) Storage: If I am to store the Oasis upside down, which part of the surface should I be laying the kayak on? Should it be around where the seats are just after the rudder control for both forward and aft? Or should it be just after the bow hatch + near the back seat area? Or should it be elsewhere?
Also I will most likely have to store it on sawhorses temperarily before having some sort of hoister system in place. What sort of padding is recommended to put on the sawhorses?

2) Anchor Trolley Kit: The locations for the 2 paddle holders for Oasis is not parallel like the Outfitter. For Oasis the back paddle is on the right, and front paddle is on the left.
I am thinking if I am to go solo I will most likely be using the back seat (please correct me if I should be in the front instead ). Would the paddle be in the way if I am to have the anchor trolley kit installed on the right side of the kayak? Or would I be better off having it installed on the left side? I am right handed.

3) GearTrac: I noticed quite a few people managed to install GearTrac on their Revolutions near the mirage drive, would it be possible to do the same for Oasis?

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks very much in advance

Welcome to the forums !

As to Q1: assuming you want a useable boat and not a museum piece I shouldn't stress too much about storing it upside down on sawhorses as you describe: the hulls are pretty tough. The underside is going to get scratched whether you like it or not (unless you hoist it into and out of the water, onto your car etc), so when you turn it upside down for storage is the least of your worries. A nice smooth piece of wood with the sharp edges rounded off to rest on should be fine - if you want to really cosset it a bit of soft material like foam on top of that should do the trick (though a long time resting on e.g. black rubber foam in a hot garage might end up leave a mark albeit one which should come off easy enough)

As to Q2 & Q3: can't really help much with these as I have never even seen an anchor trolley or geartrac

You have lots of latitude -- anywhere along the cockpit rails is good. Just try to equalize the load.

I wrap the top of the sawhorses with the heavy duty bubble wrap that comes with the accessories. Works great and you can't beat the price!

Regarding the GearTracs, they are very easy to install and will fit perfectly on the tandems. If you are not in a rush to make any modifications, the YakAttack line of products is in the process of developing a narrower version of the GearTrac specifically for installations where the gunnels are narrower.

You can view an installation tutorial I did a couple months ago.......

GearTrac Installation on a Hobie Revolution 13

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2019 Hobie Outback | 2018 Hobie Compass | 2017 Hobie Revolution 13
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Hi Laury11,
I have nothing to say about the geartracs etc. as I have no experience with them. I can tell you this though. When it comes to storing your kayak, like an Oasis, make sure the weight and the pressure points are stored on the gunnels. That's the raised area around where the seats go. That area of the kayak is extremely strong and can withstand the weight of the boat without warping or bending. As soon as you get a boat I think you'll understand just by looking at how it is constructed. The Oasis is a great boat for two and not bad for one if you counter balance the load with some form of ballast. Mine is an older model so when I am by myself I use 6 - 2 gallon kitty litter containers and place them in the front of the boat. That acts like the weight of a person, I can fill the containers at the launch site and when I'm done i just dump the water back into the bay without having to worry about carrying extra weight to serve the same purpose. I'm looking forward to you becoming an active member of this site and sharing your experiences with the rest of us. We all appreciate what we gain from each other as we share the fun we have with these great boats. Welcome to the group.

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Roger
2010 Oasis
Lucie Belle

Hi all, thanks very much for all your replies!

Stobbo: I was actually planning on trimming up foam mats for kids as padding for the sawhorses, and a thin layer of cloth on it in case of markings onto to kayak. Maybe I am just a bit over paranoid

Roadrunner Thanks so much for the photo! This gives me a very good perspective. By the way I like the bubble wrap idea

Hanover_Yakker Your blog was where I got the inspiration from to have GearTrac put onto the Oasis and yes it is not urgent, I shall wait for the thinner version of the GearTrac and see how it compares with the current one

RPL Thanks, I will definitely try with the ballast when I go solo one day. I too look forward to have more discussions in this forum. I am sure I will learn a lot from all of you

I have finally got the demo arranged for this Sunday, I can't wait!