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PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 4:14 pm 
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I took the quest out earlier and I've come to find that the seat is decent but I'm looking for more support. I missed out in some ways on the 2017 quest with the new vantage seat, (I didn't know that the 17 quest was such a big upgrade at my dealer) and since that seat can't be retrofitted to mine I was wondering if anyone here has made any sort of mods to a quest for a better seat or even replaced the seat with something more supportive? I'm under the impression that a pad will only do but so much.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:35 pm 
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Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 2863
Location: Central Coast NSW Australia
Welcome and congrats on your Quest purchase Mitnuie.
I have not used a Quest but what I have done to my Adventure (which I mostly paddle) should apply.
For paddling I don't like the Vantage seat at all. We have them on our '16 Oasis.
If you are after improved back support and a more comfortable base then this post may be of interest:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=57837
Be aware though that seat comfort is very subjective and you really need to demo before you buy.


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PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2017 4:18 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:27 am
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stringy wrote:
Welcome and congrats on your Quest purchase Mitnuie.
I have not used a Quest but what I have done to my Adventure (which I mostly paddle) should apply.
For paddling I don't like the Vantage seat at all. We have them on our '16 Oasis.
If you are after improved back support and a more comfortable base then this post may be of interest:
http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopi ... 11&t=57837
Be aware though that seat comfort is very subjective and you really need to demo before you buy.

I'm almost embarrassed to post as I have not signed onto the forum in over a year. I also believe I've lost my ranking. Anyway, on Tuesday, May 30th, I'm schedule to test paddle (not peddle) a Revolution 13 as it has the same hull as the Quest, the latter having a slightly longer keel. If the stability is present, I plan to purchase a Quest 13. My reasoning being I plan to resume rocky river fishing (Susquehanna, PA, and Potomac, MD) which I abandoned many years ago in favor of the Adirondacks, Boundary Waters, and Isle Royale. I refuse to take my Outback on rocky rivers as the mirage drive would be destroyed and the Outback is a tough paddle. I'd appreciate any thoughts regarding my plan as I don't want this decision to be an expensive mistake. The Quest will have the vantage seat, which I love. Of course, I will let everyone know my experience post purchase. Seeking input as there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info out there with regards to the Quest. Thanks for listening.


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PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2017 8:25 pm 
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I have an older model quest 13 and also an 11. The quest wills have better tracking when paddling than the revo. You are likely to find the revo wanders all over the place when paddling. For fresh water, rivers etc I default to taking the 11 as it is just as stable. maybe even more so as it is a tad wider just behind the seat area. it has just as much on deck storage and the weight rating is somewhat conservative. It is easier to port and to drag up and down iffy bank launches.

Both these boats are very stable, and due to the long water line for length (due to no rocker) they have more speed and tracking than similar boats their size. You will love the easily accessible front hatches. The flattish bottom profiles means they have shallow draught and when they do run up on a rock they dont tip as easily as a boat with a pronounced keel.


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PostPosted: Mon May 29, 2017 3:35 am 
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WAVERIDER wrote:
I have an older model quest 13 and also an 11. The quest wills have better tracking when paddling than the revo. You are likely to find the revo wanders all over the place when paddling. For fresh water, rivers etc I default to taking the 11 as it is just as stable. maybe even more so as it is a tad wider just behind the seat area. it has just as much on deck storage and the weight rating is somewhat conservative. It is easier to port and to drag up and down iffy bank launches.

Both these boats are very stable, and due to the long water line for length (due to no rocker) they have more speed and tracking than similar boats their size. You will love the easily accessible front hatches. The flattish bottom profiles means they have shallow draught and when they do run up on a rock they dont tip as easily as a boat with a pronounced keel.



Thanks for your input. At 6'2" and 240 lbs. I've always thinking legroom. However, your post got me thinking and I shall call my dealer today and see if he also has a Revolution 11 that I can try for size (they have zero Quests on hand). I never spend more than one night on a river and could easily make do with an additional 50 lbs. of equipment which would max out the listed weight limit. At this point in my life, I would especially enjoy hauling the 12 lbs. lesser weight than the Quest 13.


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PostPosted: Mon May 29, 2017 5:13 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
Posts: 3058
Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
We have owned several revo 13's, it is by a wide margin my fav, very fast and it banks on turns with turbo fins, and is a great kayak sailer with the optional Hobie kayak sail. I hear the revo 16 is even better, but I have never owned one. Unfortunately for us my wife anymore only likes tandem yaks, so we only own tandems now, (all of which are way heavier than any singles), but hey it is what it is.

Our current boat is a TI (really big, and heavy), that we use often in just plain old kayak mode, (leaving the sails, motors, AMA's, etc ) back at our campsite when on inland rivers and such.
We often like to explore shallow areas and rocky rivers. On most of Hobies mirage boats you can buy the larger sailing rudder and cut the bottom of the rudder off so it isn't so darn deep in the water, (great for shallow class 2 rapids). Also the mirage drives are way more durable than you may think if used carefully and setup right. When we are using our mirage drives in rock shallows what I do is go to home depot and buy some 1/16" x 1" wide aluminum (comes in 3' strips). I then cut off about a 4-5" piece and fold it over the bottom of the front of the mirage fin. You can use any adhesive shoe type glue (for tennis shoes,like goop) to glue it down, or just do as I do and just wrap it in 3m black electrical tape, (like you would bicycle handlebars). Wrap up the bottom 3" or so of the bottom of the fin with several layers. As it gets cut up it's easily removed and replaced (one roll will last years).
What we do in rocky water is as soon as we see it coming we put the bungy on one of the pedals, this is to force the fins up against the hull (where they are safe) when you take your feet off the pedals. You can still pedal like normal even with the bungy on (it just stretches while your peddling). Most rivers have deeper areas and shallow areas, we pedal like normal in the deep areas, and shallow pedal with our double ended paddles in our hands in the shallow areas. The double ended paddle is your friend in shallow and rough waters because you can use it for stability and additional steering control, once you get used to using the paddles you will likely never flip again.
What we do in iffy waters is set our mirage drives up to shallow pedal. To do this you set one pedal to say 3 and the other to 6 or 7 and just pedal like normal. This makes the fins flap up and down like a birds wings vs swinging all the way thru an arc. Believe it or not peddling this way is almost as fast as regular peddling but way safer in iffy waters. We still keep the bungy attached to one pedal so when you take your feet off the pedals they fold up harmlessly against the hull. Yea your goin to still bend a mirage post and cut up fins once in a while hitting oyster beds and big rocks, but most of the time they are easily straightened. You shoud see the mirage drive hubs, the fins, and the bottoms of all our Hobies, they all look like they have been thru WWII. These boats are way more durable than you may think.
All the mirage parts like fins, posts, hubs, sprockets, cables, etc are what I call consumable and replacable items.
We carry spare fins and straightened older rods in our repair kit (usually older used stuff, (not new), looks like crap but still works fine.
Hope this helps
FE
Edit: I suspect that any of the non-mirage Hobie kayaks will track better than any of the mirage kayaks with the mirage drives removed. For those who only paddle and don't intend to ever use the mirage drives, the Hobie non-mirage line of kayaks are very high quality boats, and well made, and should last many years of use.
Down here in Florida there are kayaks sitting on the back yard of every other house, most just sitting unused rotting in the sun. Most are brittle after about a year in the sun.


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:17 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:27 am
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I just ordered a Hobie Quest 13 with rudder. It will take about five weeks to arrive as it has to come from the factory. First off, I would like to thank those who provided advice and assure them that I carefully considered their suggestions. Secondly, I would like to relate my experience when choosing this kayak. For many years I have fished and camped at the deeper lakes in the northern states and also redfish the southwest Florida mangroves every year. My Outback is prefect for these situations. Recently, I decided to return to my love of rocky river smallmouth fishing (Susquehanna, PA, and Potomac, MD). I will not take the Outback as I believe these rivers will destroy my mirage drive and the Outback is not a fun paddle. As I've aged, I have also lost interest in battling the wind in a canoe. Stability was also a major consideration. Thus, I needed another paddle craft. My outfitter had no Quests on hand, however, he agreed to loan me a Revolution 11, a Revolution 13 (both had vantage seats), and a Not-Hobie. The Revolutions and Quests both have identical hulls although the Quests have a slightly longer keel . The Not-Hobie was very stable and paddled well. The R11 paddled well but was the stability was absent, probably because I'm 6'2" and 240 pounds. My butt got wet in the R11 and there is no step up. With the legs engaged, the stability was worst. The R13 exceeded my expectations. Very stable and I completed the majority of the paddling time with the legs on the step up. The Not-Hobie was rejected simply because I'm a Hobie guy and willing to pay a little more for the brand. Thanks for listening.


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 6:49 pm 
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Stability will feel better in the quest than the revo even if only because you have better foot rests and wells, paddling the mirage kayaks is a bit like bracing yourself against the sides of a bathtub. Rudders are useful for maintaining directional control when you stop paddling, to cast and retrieve lures etc, where otherwise kayak starts to veer. A real pain when you have two troll lines out or want to throw repetitive casts at a particular spot.

In tight spots manoeuvrability is better with rudder up and spinning kayak on its axis with the paddle, allowing back to slide around, which is prevented with rudder deployed.

Enjoy you made a good choice


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 11:59 am 
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WAVERIDER wrote:
Stability will feel better in the quest than the revo even if only because you have better foot rests and wells, paddling the mirage kayaks is a bit like bracing yourself against the sides of a bathtub. Rudders are useful for maintaining directional control when you stop paddling, to cast and retrieve lures etc, where otherwise kayak starts to veer. A real pain when you have two troll lines out or want to throw repetitive casts at a particular spot.

In tight spots manoeuvrability is better with rudder up and spinning kayak on its axis with the paddle, allowing back to slide around, which is prevented with rudder deployed.

Enjoy you made a good choice



Thanks for the advice. FYI- I seldom have two lines in the water because as I've aged, I find my dexterity not what it use to be and usually end up with one or both lines snagged. Happy fishing. :roll:


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