If Hobie comes out with a smaller/lighter and easier to get on and off our vehicles and in and out of the water PA, Hobie will not dc its current PA.
Hobie will just be satisfying a demand for a smaller, shorter and lighter PA.
Years ago, a member of our church went into a wheelchair before it became the law to have wheelchair ramps. She died and left money earmarked only for a wheel chair ramp at our church. So we put in a ramp with a lot of detractors before law went in.
Now we have several members in wheelchairs using that ramp, including
some who didn't want a ramp nor needed one when we put the ramp in.
There is probably a good market for a smaller PA. There is probably a market for a bigger and maybe tandem PA. If Hobie satisfies both demands, that doesn't make them a bad, dumb or evil company. It just means, it is listening to customers and potential customers.
charlief has an excellent message, and hopefully Hobie has been listening to users like him:
charlief wrote:
I think we can get a little blinded by the merits of a single model e.g. the Pro Angler. I have an Outback and think its just about perfect for what I do except for its poor manners into wind and waves. The Adventure owners seem to want something bigger. I am sure the Revo could do with a little tweaking to make a little more fish friendly - which is my reason for using Hobies fishing. So a slightly less bulky PA certainly has its attractions. I am in the market for a new Hobie at some stage in the next 12 months but if there is a sniff of something new in the air I am happy to wait.
Quote:
I do believe that as we move into the future most fishermen will gladly move towards craft that are more correctly termed "personal fishing craft" and away from what has traditionally been considered a "kayak." Let's face it - the traditional kayak is not necessarily the ideal fishing vehicle.
I agree 100% Tom and something that bridges the gap between the fishability of the Outback PA with good rough water handling and not too hard to launch away from ramps appeals to me - not asking for much am I
Being a member of this Forum certainly reminds us what a diverse bunch we are; from the Southern Flats fisher folk, the fresh water bass and trout brigade, Northern Calfornia open coast anglers, Hawai pelagic chasers and us down here in the Southern Ocean and everyone in between. We also have diverse needs in our craft - Hobie sure have their work cut out keeping us happy - they seem to do a pretty good job!