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PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 3:26 am 
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Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 3:19 am
Posts: 2
Hello,

I live in Sydney Australia and kayak mainly for fitness, so I like to paddle. I also fish and like the idea of the Mirage system. I usually kayak in Sydney (Middle) Harbour, which is semi open ocean as well as sheltered harbour. Waves can be a few feet and there can also be swell and wind.

I would probably kayak for fitness (paddling) 80% of the time and fish 20%. I am 6" and 200 lbs.

What would everyone recommend? I "test drove" an Adventure and was very very impressed on the pedal power and can see how it would be a huge advantage for fishing but not 100% convinced that it was the best kayak to paddle.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Kevin


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PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 3:38 am 
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Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 3:49 am
Posts: 43
Location: Canberra, Australia
Hi from Canberra Kevin and welcome,

Im sure you will find the versatilty of the Adventure a definite plus...it is a delight to paddle and does track well but once you get into the Mirage drive of things Im sure you will find it the preferred propolsion!!

...and dont forget the sailing option as well. Overall its great for paddling/peddling/sailing/fishing/touring etc etc.

I have had a few issues with my Adventure but nothing that Hobie havent or are fixing and the support from Hobie should be very reassuring.

I have posted a few reviews in the Australian kayak Fishing forum if you want to check it out:

www.akff.net

Another great forum is Kayak Fishing Stuff:

www.kayakfishingstuff.com

Good luck with your decision!

Cheers
Mark


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PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:28 am 
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Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 6:56 am
Posts: 822
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Hey kevin,
Welcome to the Hobie site! Great folks and great info here. Probably the two best Hobies for paddling are the Adventure (fastest at 16 ft.) and the Quest. However, the Quest lacks the Mirage drive, so if that is important to you, then the choice is simple--go with the BigA. Just my $.02.
Best,
Dick

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:47 am 
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Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 3:08 pm
Posts: 44
Location: San Antonio, TX
Howdy Kevin, I also welcome you to the Hobie site.

I have both a Quest and an Adventure (BigA). After trying many other brands and models, I feel the Quest is the hands down best all around paddle only kayak 14 feet long or less; fast, stable. handles very well and is easy to fish from. I used to use my Quest everywhere but since I acquired my BigA I use it mainly on our rocky, snag filled rivers here in south central Texas where a Mirage drive is problematic.
For all other uses, the BigA is now my Kayak of choice. It paddles as well as any other polyethylene SOT I have tried with the advantage of the Mirage drive as well. It's speed under paddle or pedal or paddle and pedal if your are coordinated enough (I'm not!), is excellent. I have reached 5.8 mphs (GPS). under paddle power alone but would not be able to sustain that speed for long. A good cruising speed under paddle power alone would be maybe 3.5 to 4.0 for a good exercise pace where the same effort under pedal power might give you 4.0 to 4.5 mphs (GPS). With the storage options available in the BigA, one can easily take long trips (several days) easily. Then...there is the sailing option... :D

Hope this helps Kyt


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 1:17 am 
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Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:46 pm
Posts: 3017
Location: Escondido
kevininsydney wrote:
Hello,

I live in Sydney Australia and kayak mainly for fitness, so I like to paddle. I also fish and like the idea of the Mirage system. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Kevin


I also kayak mostly for exercise, but enjoy a little photography along the way. I like to pedal and paddle; would not be willing to give up either.

Your best choice for speed and distance, load capacity and versatility (including sailing) is the Adventure. It paddles well and cuts through the wind chop with a minimum of pounding. Overall, it is well-mannered and deceptably fast.

Another excellent choice for primarily pedaling and paddling is the Mirage Classic. It's greatest shortcoming would be use as a fishing platform (thought certainly not a stumbling block). It also lacks a sailing capacity and carries less weight. On the other hand, its manuverability in close quarters is much better than the Adventure. It also costs less and is somewhat easier to transport. It paddles and pedals just as well, but not quite as fast. Like most of the others, it does pound a bit heading into wind chop. Overall, it may be a little bit more fun to drive.

Both are excellent for all-around exercise. But in a large, open harbor, the Adventure should serve your needs best in my opinion. 8)


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:43 am 
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Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 3:19 am
Posts: 2
Thank you for your help, I will book another test drive!


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