Compass with 180 Drive ?

I see 2018 Compass' advertised with 180 Drive for about $225 more than base Compass, but when I asked dealer about availability he said he believed that's was a 3rd party upgrade and not actually available directly from Hobie. I asked him to check further and he said he would. Does anyone know if this is a factory available upgrade or is it being done by some retailers as a sales promotion ? Thanks

Some retailers are offering it. Not a direct offering from Hobie.


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Shipping different options from the factory worldwide just complicates the logistics. Dealers are free to do deals if they like, and if they have no problems selling the GT drives then why wouldn't they in order to make a sale.

To confirm: this is not a factory upgrade from Hobie at this time (2/5/2018). Standalone drives are available:


81188001
MIRAGEDRIVE 180 TURBO
US$ 836.00

_________________
Howie Strech
Parts & Accessories Product Manager
Hobie Cat USA

Thanks !

The prices for the Hobie fishing kayaks has increased steadily with each new improvement that is added to them. New seats added several hundred dollars to the base price of prior year models. Same with the 180 Mirage drive that added more than $500 to the price. A 2018 Outback has a price tag of $2,549. In 2014 the Outback sold for $1400 or $1,149 less than the 2018 Outback. $1,149 is a hefty premium that is being charged.

I wonder how many people would if given a choice buy a new Outback with the old seat and standard Mirage drive to save $1,000? The Compass at $1,949 is Hobie's faint hearted attempt to provide a less expensive Outback type kayak. At its selling price it is far from being a good value. Better to buy a used Outback or Revo 13 if saving money is important.

Well, I was able to make an "arrangement" with my very helpful Hobie Dealer to get the 180 drive swap for what I thought was a fair price add. I am very pleased with the Compass so far, but will upgrade to Turbo Fins soon.