Hobie Mirage Eclipse

We have limited inventory, so dealers are only starting to get these and in limited 4 packs. We have a World market to fulfill and have been overwhelmed with it's acceptance. As ready as we were... we are now very far behind!

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Matt, will the Eclipse fins be too stiff for Adventure or Tandem Islands?

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Engineers said they would not be good on a sit down drive. They ran some tests again last week to confirm. Aside from more load on the well (which is a real concern), you just can't push them easily. Very stiff. Would require tree trunks for legs maybe. Not advised.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Thanks Matt. I could well imagine that the forces applied to the Miragedrive mounts would be massive in the stepper application

This begs the question... while I appreciate that users can change the "gearing" by standing closer or further from the pivot point, I can also envisage that Hobie could also have different stiffness fins to cater for different users.

I guess I am imagining that a 100# user would be hard pressed to operate the same fins that a 200#+ user could, even by standing further out on the pedals. Is Hobie likely to release a "softer" fin for the Exlipse, that could do double duty as a "firmer" fin for other models.

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Tony,

Corrrect! So these are adjustable. There is a way to adjust the length of the mast for easier pedaling.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I'm sure Hobie is being overwhelmed with orders and have a limited supply to start, but are those that have already purchased one being given priority over new requests? I imagine that most dealers are wanting to get as many as they can, and high volume dealers probably feel that they should be given preferred treatment. I understand that the big dogs eat first, but I hope those of us that already bought one are given proper consideration.
Thanks

They are being sold in sets of 4 only and as evenly distributed as possible. And yes... overwhelmed! Amazing!

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Finally saw a Solar 10.5 at my local yak store, great looking craft!

Can't wait to get mine!

Observation: The yellow glass deck had a little round ding on an otherwise flawless skin. Looks like when the Mirage drive is out, the peddles sit "flush". There is a screw head underneath the back end of the peddle that extends beyond the black drive arm deck cushion. Pressure had to be put on the peddle that pushed the screwhead into the deck about 1 inch aft of the black cushion.



I will be attaching a high density foam under the peddle ends to protect the deck from this occurring!

(Reposted from another thread)

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Wil Thoms
Newport Beach

Hobie 16 with Tequila Sunrise sails (in the past)
Hobie Revo 11 for peddle, paddle, fishing and sailing
Hobie Eclipse 10.5 Solar Yellow
SurfTech 12' Touring SUP

Wonder how much of the kayak market will be cannibalized by the Eclipse? Although expanded overall.

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Mark
Tandem Island- 2013
2 - Sports - 2014

Totally different beast, but certainly pulling a lot of attention.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

For surfing my kayak, I use a strap that is at my hips instead of a rigid seat. Feet plated in the foot wells... works awesome, I am locked in. Like you noted, you have to be able to throw your weight around to catch and maneuver in waves. I lean aft all the way into the cargo well to begin a carve. Just like a surfer, weight aft... Then you also have to have a bottom shape on the kayak / board that has sharper rails and rocker. I found that the Hobie Maui is perfect for me in all of that and shreds waves.

So, new idea? Not. Big seller? No. The Maui is no longer offered and no manufacture has done well in surfing kayaks. They are specific to oceans with the right sized waves. A limited market. But I love it!

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Very interesting statistics, daft, thanks. But you northerners should take into account that we southerners only make up 10-12 per cent of the world's population. So what the seasonal pattern shows is northerners are a bunch of fair weather sailors.

Understand my strap runs from forward eyes and around behind my hips as a low back / butt support. By pressing my feet into the footwells and pushing back into the strap... I lock myself in without locking myself ON the kayak. I ease tension in my legs and I can pop right out.

I don't want to be strapped into the kayak, although many types of surf boats do have over the lap belts and foot straps.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

What he said Daft (NOW I get how you got your handle! ).

Australia has a population about 5 million less that New York alone. I think Daft will find that we carry our weight" extremely well on a per population basis. In addition, we also contribute to those spikes, as year-round sailing is quite possible here...

Try this one, what proportion of crew on America's Cup vessels are from the Antipodes? I rest my case!.

Perhaps I could also add that if Hobie supplied the down under market more enthusiastically during our summer, rather than supplying snow-bound dealers in US during northern winters, we could "carry our weight" even more.

PS. Not wishing to boast about our year-round sailing conditions, but who else "up north" carries a 1 litre container of block out? (and no, it doesn't need any anti-freeze! in it!)

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

uh oh, we Australians too are "fair weather sailors" - there is a massive summertime peak shown in the attached diagram for Australia alone. Evident are the same broad trends that Daft identified, except the term "kayak" (but not "kayaking") is trending upwards.



Thanks again Daft (="Thinker"), I learnt about a useful source of info today (though I think it needs to be used carefully).