I know I should love my Outback, but I don't always.

I agree that the handle design on the Outback is odd. I like the handles on the Revolution. They're comfortable to use when moving the kayak, they are well positioned for hanging onto while pedaling, they don't stick out beyond the side of the kayak, and they provide a convenient rest for a downrigger ball.

Yeah, Hullavators seem expensive until you drop your kayak and rip the side view mirror off your car. Fortunately hasn't happened to me, but it has to plenty of others.

My old OK Scrambler was light and my old '98 Jeep GC relatively low, so I could just press it up there. The Outback on a 2010 Toyota 4Runner, that wasn't happening. I tried a variety of ways and while I could do it, it always left me pushing things to the limit and I knew it was only a matter of time before I had a catastrophic event, so I decided to spend the money on the Hullavator before I was spending it on body work.

Now that I have it, best money I spent. I get a lot more use out of my kayak since it is so much easier to load the tie down.

I agree with you..... The handles are not at the CG point. It does make it awkward to carry for any distance
After looking at a lot of roof racks we purchased the Yakima system with the loading Bar extender
Simple and cost effective. We have a Mitsubishi Montaro and loading both Outbacks by myself is easy
My wife just watches. I also use a rubber backed entrance mat turned upside down. I place one end (the bow) of the kayak on this while I lift up the other end onto the loading bar

We just put our Outbacks in the water for the first time two days ago. On both kayaks the pedals hit the right side foot wells. The pedals are adjusted to 7. My wife and I both are rather tall. So, when we are pedaling the pedal / drive kicks to the left each time the right pedal is forward. Not only is it noisy, I also think it will eventually damage the hull and the drive system

I called the dealer and they said they have never heard of this.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

You will find that there is no consistent CG that can be used for handle placement... for carrying. Best to hold one handle and the rail on the opposite side. You can move the rail-hand fore and aft to balance for wind, gear placement, paddle placement, changes in tilt angle... all throw off the CG.



Yes, can happen when you "pedal to the metal". You will discover that reducing the length of the stroke, so not hitting the "stops" will solve the issue and be quite and fast. Be sure the drive is fully locked into the click and go levers. If tilted to one side this can be a problem. You might consider adding a shim under one lock... to tilt the drive back to center line.

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

Hey Matt, I'll buy another Outback when you revise the handles and the hull/bow design to minimize hull slap (like you did with the Sport). I have faith you guys at Hobie will do [at least one of the two] in the next few years. Just saying...

Bump....

Here is an update for 2015:

I have Hullavators for my surf ski.

Tried loading my 2015 AI on them and wound up bending something inside the devices which made them unable to lock in place........

Managed to bend it back.....then bought a trailer.

FWIW I had some success with a side loader that I dummied up.... and my sense is that a T loader would work too.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

What does an AI weigh?

As for clean and jerk loading the outback on to the roof of an SUV, anyone who can do that is impressively strong and damn tall. I'm 6'5" and in good shape and the one time I did that loading on to my sedan, I said 'ok time to find a better way on the Hobie forum'

I do as the 2 fellows above mentioned however since the kayak has to go up and over the trunk
A) it's even easier than lifting it to the back of an SUV as the sedans trunk is even lower so you only have to lift the front end 3 feet

B) I bought a thick, 6 foot rug at home sense (like tj/tk maxx) with rubber backing for 20 bucks. That's covers the trunk and back window right up to the first bar on the roof rack, which makes sliding the outback up the slippery rug a breeze. The rubber bottom on the rug means it holds in place nicely on the car and won't slip out of place.

Push from behind up and onto my roof rack and the hard part is over.

As for stopping it from sliding backwards you can do two things:

1. Pre tie your front tie down rope so it's tight when the yak is on the ground before you start the loading (maybe more work than it's worth)

2. Put something like a used kart tire over the stern tip of the kayak. This also protects the kayak and rudder section from seeing any scratching or damage in the process while you lift the front up as it bears all the weight. Props to Francois for this tip.

I think the "Book" weight is 106#.... call it 110 if you leave a paddle and/or various other stuff in or on the hull.

Besides the sheer weight making me uneasy, another thing that pushed me to the trailer was the prospect of rust.

Others have reported that their vehicle roof has rusted out because of salt water dripage from the hull.

That happened to my '98 Suburban's roof from carrying windsurfers for a few years - and I took care not to load obviously-wet boards.

Part of my trailer rationale is that the cost of a trailer plus being raped at every toll both still compares favorably with the cost of premature vehicle replacement.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

Very interesting about the salt! Never thought of that. I'm in Ontario Canada and fish nothing but fresh water so no fear of salt corrosion here. Road salt on the other hand...yikes!

A friend moved from Toronto to San Diego and brought his SUV with him. It had about 80,000 miles on it. When he took it to the dealership for service the first time, he was wandering around the waiting areas then suddenly noticed a huge crowd of service techs crowded around underneath his car looking up and pointing. His service Advisor too was in there. When the Advisor came out my friend asked him what was wrong. The reply was that everyone was shocked at the rust and corrosion. 'They'd never seen a snow state car rusted so badly'.

Pretty funny. The friend from San Diego he shared an apartment with had another problem...they lived right on the ocean and parked outside. As a result the paint on his car was almost fully corroded due to the salt air. Pretty neat.

oooh thread revival!
BTW, I ended up trading my Outback for a 2015 Revo13 and have been very happy since.