Hi team,
There is a great amount of discussion about fishing from a Hobie kayak but not much about general "cruising". I'm not a fisherman - and never have been - but I do like to spend a lot of time on the water. In Australia, there are many inland places, all of these are sensational photographic destinations, still only accessible on the waterways, even in the "Outback". (Search Google Images for Lawn Hill Gorge as just one example)
We are also blessed where I am - Brisbane, Australia - to have such an accessible and fun river but also a reservoir that has recently opened up for kayaking in the suburb of The Gap, only 10klm (6 mi) from the CBD. Also, over the hill are Wivenhoe and Somerset Dams for water sports of varying kinds.
Not to mention beautiful Moreton Bay and snorkelling off Moreton Island.
Also within easy drive are the Noosa Everglades, that can be explored & camped along by kayak/canoe, and the Maroochy River to the north and the Gold Coast Broadwater (near Surfers Paradise) just over an hour south. Sometimes we count our lucky stars and thank my uncle and aunt for having a little farm on the far upper reaches of the Brisbane River with a scenic little camp spot for us family and a little rapids run between two bridges.
We also do a fair amount of outback adventuring (thus mentioning of the hidden gems accessible by waterway) with the four wheel drive and our camper trailer.
I am out and about, doing a lot of
geocaching and there are more and more 'hides' being located near the water's edge (and some on islands within these watery locations).
An ordinary kayak won't cut it because I've had a shoulder reconstruction and have lost power and stamina in my right shoulder, so paddling will be an extraordinary rare event. (Hence a peddle powered kayak)
Because I'm a big bloke, 1.85 m (6' 1") tall and around 135 kgs (300lbs), I've kind of narrowed it down to two hulls, the 2017 Camo Outback or the Revo 13, but I'm not sure either of these are well suited to the rare times I'm going to be allowed go - although,
She Who Must Be Obeyed is forcing me out of the house to do much more 4wding and camping than she has been in the past…
I'm leaning towards the Camo Outback because of the load capacity (I seem to take a lot of junk with me camping....) but again, is this just overkill for these "once in a lifetime" events? Am I dragging around too much weight with the Outback hull every day when I could just take less stuff? (like, leave my stove top espresso machine at home for one night?)
Am I even on the right track with a Hobie or should I just stick with a blow up mattress tied to the bank with a beer in my hand in the local creek or favourite waterhole?
I need some convincing myself and I'm needing your assistance in giving the
Minister for War and Finance some added incentive to fork out AU$4,000 for boat and accessories to get me started.
I'd like your advice and I'd love to see some of your "non-fishing" videos posted to YouTube so that I can show the boss what I plan to do with my craft.