Cons of the PA14 360

Thinking seriously of selling my 2019 pa 14 and getting the 360. Plenty of pros out there, what about the cons?

I'd like to hear some pro-and-con reports about how the 360 drive performs when you're trying to hold yourself stationary over a point on the bottom when jigging.

I've had the 360 PA 14 for about 2 months now and had it out about 6 times, so fairly limited experience.

Once of my favorite things is the mobility and ability to change boat angle basically in place. Also if you turn the drive 90 degrees it acts kind of like a wind sock. Only took a regular Hobie PA out once. If tight/quick turns isn't needed then the regular PA is likely fine, but I do use the 360 more often then the rudder when under way.

Sold my 2019 pa 14 and purchased the 360. 6 months ago. No regrets at this point. The 360 system is totally a new ballgame has far as fishing goes, with it's manueverbility. The one thing that I am keeping an eye on is the fin breakaway feature. Most of the lakes I fish in are full of stumps so it's a good feature. But, on mine, the breakaway is kinda sensitive in such things as grass or pads. Much contact at all with the grass the fin will breakaway. It's an easy reset but does require lifting unit up for access to fin. That becomes a pain when in shallow water and trying to keep noise to a minimum.

bloozeharp the tension on those fins are adjustable. There is a black allen screw in front of each fin. Slightly tighten that screw to increase tension which makes it hard for the fins to break away. You want enough tension on the fins so when you kick them up with your hands they fall back down on their own. Careful the screw is plastic. If you overtighten the screw the allen head will easily strip. Don't ask me how I know this..

I watched a video where a fisherman has a PA 360 in the marsh. He was in 8-12" of water and using the flutter kick method to ease through the marsh looking for redfish. He came upon the end of a small creek and reversed out of there while flutter kicking! Supper impressive.

Thanks for the info finatic. My life sure would be a bit easier if I actually read owner manuals occasionally.

You should be able to simply pedal. The forward force of the fins through water pushes them forward and they lock back in place.

Note: The pivot screw it not for that purpose and should only be lightly tensioned. The fins should have enough hold-down force to make them pretty hard to kick up with your hand. Takes a fair force to lock the forward again.

The original design did not include a hold-down feature. This was added only to keep them from flopping around when installing the drive and when you coast... it is not needed at all for the drive to function.

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

Only on the MD180s and GT versions with kickup fins.

The 360 boom is stainless... no screws on the front. The 360 has enough locking structure and flex to lock repeatedly. so no wearable lock feature was added.

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

My apologies thanks for the clarification. Yeah I was thinking of the 180 drive.

I am new to hobie kayaks. Bought pa12 360 a few weeks ago. Been out in it a bunch of times. Hit a sand bar Tonight and the fins kicked up. When I got out of the water half hour later I noticed neither fin had returned to locked position. I was mostly fishing and drifting but did pedal a fair amount. Have seen a video where a guy says they need to break in? Suggestions? Thank you MJL

I've had my PA 360 12' since Dec 2020. Overall I'm very happy with it. As far as the cons (big and small) go here's what I've experienced:

1. The handle that rotates the drive frequently becomes directionally out of sync with the fins. For example, after some use the handle points left when the fins are pointing forward.

2. Somewhere in the area where the 360 drive connects to the gear that spins it, water gets in. In one case a LOT of water, causing an emergency bilge in a potentially dangerous situation. Distributing some weight to the rear seemed to fix this. But what would happen if I launched from the beach and went through a bunch choppy surf? Navigated some light rapids? Or got caught in heavy rain? I haven't yet found exactly where the water gets in. Be mindful of this and frequently check the center hatch for water inside the hull, especially on multi day excursions

3. Because there are more moving parts there are more things to think about, especially when beaching or going in reverse.

4. The built in rod holders behind the seat angle outwards quite a bit. I'm sure that's great for some but not for me.

5. It's pretty unrealistic to move this thing without a cart or second person. Unloaded it's not terribly heavy but it's so bulky that carrying it is incredibly awkward.

6. Hobie accessories and replacement parts are expensive.

Overall I'd say if you can afford it, store it, and transport it, this kayak is a complete game changer. I'd say this is a groundbreaking design and for me well worth the risks of buying a generation one (so far). My local kayak shop of 25 years just closed, so any repairs are pretty much on me at this point. That's not necessarily a con because it's specific to my situation. But keep that in mind when buying anything like this. If/when something breaks who is going to fix it?