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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 12:06 pm 
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I've been doing some research on fishing kayaks and have a rev 11 on hold at the dealer. I was comparing the tarpon 120, and the Pungo 120.

The pungo was my favorite until my wife told me I could get the hobie.

One guy told me his Tarpon is much faster than the Hobie rev 11. I wanted to get some thoughts from current hobie owners on this.

What are your thoughts? Thanks.

The first thing I thought was, 'NO WAY IN H3LL'!!!


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 12:35 pm 
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It is possible that any similar sized paddle kayak could be faster in flat and no wind conditions. The MirageDrive creates incredible torque, but is limited on the top end. Paddles... once they get a hull moving... are better at higher end speeds with a skilled paddler.

But... add some headwind, gear load, seas, distance and the paddlers endurance limitations and the MirageDrive / Revo will kick butt.

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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 12:57 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:59 am
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mmiller wrote:
It is possible that any similar sized paddle kayak could be faster in flat and no wind conditions. The MirageDrive creates incredible torque, but is limited on the top end. Paddles... once they get a hull moving... are better at higher end speeds with a skilled paddler.

But... add some headwind, gear load, seas, distance and the paddlers endurance limitations and the MirageDrive / Revo will kick butt.


2X and what Matt said.. Over the long haul the hobie will outlast the others... Hobie are real good fishing yaks into the wind and have both hands free to fish... just like having a trowling motor and staying in place to fish...

If you get a chance to demo both then you will know for sure... Good luck


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 12:59 pm 
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No problem, buy an Adventure and suck an 8 pack of 5 hour energy down , you'll smoke em.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 2:14 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:29 pm
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Location: High Point, NC
The Tarpon 120 isn't fast - I bought one of the first two that came out of the factory and used it for many, many years on shallow, rocky rivers. It's a nice boat and very versatile.

I don't own the Revo 11 but do have a Reve 13. The Revo 13 is faster, both under paddle and certainly under pedal, than the Tarpon 120. With the rudder down, it tracks far better than the Tarpon 120, which really doesn't like to go straight to begin with.

Where are you going to be fishing? A shallow, rocky river with numerous shoals? Buy the Tarpon. Deeper waters, bays, oceans, etc., it's a no brainer - buy the Hobie.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 2:15 pm 
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Location: Oceanside, California
One thing is certain... he would never consider towing you back up wind or up current.

That is a common practice among Mirage users though. We see them towing other kayaks and even powerboats all the time.

A) You have the torque to spare
B) Your legs are stronger
C) Is is just plain difficult to tow when paddling

And then there is the fishing. Couple of weeks ago I watched two guys... You want to fish or paddle? It is impossible to do both at the same time. I watched this one guy in the ocean having to put down his gear... paddle out a bit and then put down the paddle to start fishing again. What a pain. Try that in a current situation... no way to stay on station paddling and fishing. His buddy in an Outback was fishing the whole time up and down the beach.

Mirage wins "Hands Down" ! :)

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


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 2:49 pm 
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Location: Amelia Island, FL
With the Revo you will be able to fish while the others are paddling. Do you realize that equates to 4-5 times the number of casts that your fellow paddle fishing buddies will make? That should also equate to 4-5 times the number of fish caught :lol:

I am 71 years old and fish with folks in their 40's and 50's. They cuss the "old man" all the time because they have difficulty in keeping up with me.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 4:53 pm 
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Location: Auckland NZ
Unless your skills and requirements are consistent with sprint kayaking any Hobie mirage drive kayak will be faster. The reason is that your legs are so much stronger than your arms and while a fit and skilled paddler might beat you in a sprint, slow and steady will win any distance race.

I would not say that Hobies are slow though: I can quite comfortably maintain 4.0 - 4.5 knots for an hour or so or I can maintain an average of 3.5 knots for 6 - 8 hours irrespective of wind conditions & sea state, and this has proven to be faster than any other recreational kayaker I have met out there (i.e. I am not talking about the full on competition paddler types).

Now factor in hands free for fishing/photography or W.H.Y., the ability to be pretty much unaffected by wind conditions, the sailing capabilities, the robustness of the construction materials etc and the Hobie is a real winner.

The competitive kayakers may get their kicks from the speed they go at, the rest of us get more out of the range of the boat and I reckon anyone will get far more sea miles under their keel in a Hobie than in any paddle kayak it doesn't matter how fancy, light, sleek or expensive.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:00 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:46 pm
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Location: Escondido
hacktorious wrote:
One guy told me his Tarpon is much faster than the Hobie rev 11. I wanted to get some thoughts from current hobie owners on this.
Speed is one of those things where there are lots of opinions but little evidence. I found only one actual measured speed reference on the Tarpon 120, as follows:
Tarpon 140 vs. 120 vs. Emotion Fisherman
Posted March 10th, 2004 @ 08:48pm by Erik J. Barzeski
The final issue? Speed. My GPS tracks my speed down to the point where I'll see a 0.2 MPH drop when I finish one stroke but have yet to begin the next. I could paddle comfortably at 3 MPH in my Tarpon 120. Heading into a wind I'd get anywhere between there, and paddling as fast as I could (i.e. for about ten strokes) I'd top out at about 5 MPH.


My Revo 11 easily covers 4.25 to 4.5 miles in an hour (GPS readouts, with properly tuned Turbofins) and can average 4.75 for an hour for a good workout. Sprint speed is 6.0 MPH, briefly. I'm not aware of anything in the 11 to 12' range that can touch a Revo 11 in cruise speed.

One thing to keep in mind -- whenever you pass someone in a boat it's natural to think your boat is faster. The person operating the boat (age, condition and motivation) and the propulsion equipment (paddle design or fin size for instance) all tend to be marginalized.

So when you hear boasts of speed without supporting data or circumstances, it's wise to take it with a grain of salt! 8)


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 4:37 am 
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Location: Homosassa, Florida
You may loose, but you can drink, fish, or wave at the girls during the race.

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:24 pm 
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Its a no brainer to me. I can keep up with almost any fishing kayak in my Revo11 with turbo fins. Plus I can troll and cast while still propelling myself with my legs. I was originally interested in a Tarpon 120 before being introduced to pedal-power, I am so glad I got talked into buying the Hobie (by both my wife and the cute sales assistant).


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