# Hobie "gear failures"?



## Ozzybass (Jun 29, 2007)

G'day,

This is only my 2nd post on AKFF after introducing myself recently. Unlike all the "pro" kayak fishers on this site, I've been fishing out of an Australis Bass for over 11 yrs now and while it does the job for what I usually do (small rivers, FW & estuary, etc) I've been lusting after the bigger SOT's like the Ocean Kayaks, Wilderness Systems & most of all, the Hobie pedal ones. Of course, I know the Hobies are very expensive, even here in the USA. Anyway, since I've been visiting this site, I can't help but notice the number of posts which mention "gear failures" or "problems" with Hobie yaks. I realise that some of the problems are operator-related (running into beach/rock/whatever with the Mirage drive), but many are not.

I get the feeling that there are too many "problems" for a yak which costs US$1500 or more here and probably more in Oz. So, what's the consensus out there?

Thanks!


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## Eberbachl (Jun 21, 2007)

Really? I haven't noticed an excessive number of reports of failures?

The Hobies I've tried have been great, and I get the impression that the vast number of Hobie users are very happy with their yaks.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

I havent had any problems at all with mine, apart from a bit of trouble with raising the rudder which was easily fixed with a quick adjustment to it. Im very happy with my hobie and wouldnt trade it for anything else. 8)


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## JT (May 25, 2006)

Gidday Ozzybass,

I have a Hobie Outback, have had three drive related problems over the space of a year. 2 had been maintenance related in fairness. I would state with some confidence however that the hobies are extremely well made on the whole. The thing with the drive is that it is a mechanical device and it does require attention and maintenance (although very very little really). Personally I wouldn't hesitate for a moment if I had to remake my decision to buy a Hobie.....I'd make exactly the same decision. There has been some suggestion that Hobie could hold a "how to maintain my yak and Mirage drive" education evening. I though it was a good idea as had I known what to look out for I wouldn't have had 2 of the 3 issues I have had.

It is hard to compare a mirage driven yak price wise to a paddle driven yak as they are really apples to pears. The hobie is more expensive because it is more complex and offers a slightly different sort of experience I think.

JT


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Ozziebass, The only problems that guys have mentioned on here are normally adjustment problems or maintanance issues and to my knowledge all have been dealt with at no expense to the owner , any mechanical contrivance must be maintained and having ridden and raced pushbikes for too many years i know that even the most expensive equipment needs a bit of a tweak here or there , do this and you wont have a bit of trouble . And just try and get any of the Hobie guys here to give up their rides , i can tell you it wont happen


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Gday Ozzy i know i posted a problem with a test hobie i was peddling but that was a maintenance issue and had i known to check the screw that came undone there wouldn't have been a problem. As the others said like anything mechanical, your reels for example mixed with salt water you will always need maintenance of some sort.

Cheers Dave


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## Gunston (May 10, 2006)

I bought a 2nd hand Hobie Outback for my wife a few months ago and so far so good.
I make sure the drive is washed with freshwater, dried and sprayed with Lanox.
I must say that I do feel that the drive unit looks a little bit frail (gravel and sand would cause problems), but overall the build quality is very good.
When fishing in the dam I use the Hobie as it really has been designed with fishing in mind, the layout is very good, and it is stable, but I wouldn't take it in the ocean maybe it would be ok but I just don't have the confidence.
So if you fish for bass in a lake or dam I think the Outback is hard to beat.

Chris


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## onemorecast (Apr 17, 2006)

JT said:


> There has been some suggestion that Hobie could hold a "how to maintain my yak and Mirage drive" education evening. I though it was a good idea


Sounds like a good idea JT, 15 minutes should cover it, but there would have to be refreshments of some sort right?


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

caught2 said:


> Would I trade???? What, and go back to the old-style paddleyaks?? - NOT BLOODY LIKELY, MATE!!!
> 
> 8) 8) 8)


ohhhhh you sure know how to hurt a guy, and Skippa was getting on so well with Genjii :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## PhilipL (Apr 15, 2006)

Hi Ozzy
Must admit, I haven't noticed any reports myself. I've had mine for a couple of years now and have confidence in both the craft and the backup support.

Would I get another? 
Yep, without hesitation.

Hope the responses gives you some comfort if you decide to go THE HOBIE WAYYYYY :shock:


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Ozzybass (Jun 29, 2007)

Thanx for the many replies guys!

I can't justify getting a Hobie right now with $$ being tight and for the type of fishing that I do, but obviously they look great for big waters. Eventually, I'll have to be a 2-yak man. My Australis Bass (don't scoff you big SOT users!! 8) ) has served me so well, for so many years, in so many places, AND taken so much abuse that I'm sure will make a Hobie man faint!


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## wolfy (Apr 27, 2007)

I have to agree - I thought the Hobie price was high when I started looking but then found that the alternatives were not too far behind on price when you added in the rudder, paddles and so on, and the Hobie came with a heap of extras, and included some mechanical thingies. I thought it was good value considering. Anyway they are as solid as a tank and the mirage drive is tough as... I can't imagine too many issues with "failures" and the like. Just my two cents, my Outback has not had a lot of use yet but I love it.


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## Ozzybass (Jun 29, 2007)

occy said:


> What's an Australis Bass doing all the way over there Ozzy?


I'm Australian & I brought it over with me. It's been all over NSW & some of S Qld and now a few places in the US. I think I've totalled 33 or 34 species off that yak (on lures).

Hunters Hill huh? One of my old haunts (Lane Cove R) fishing among the multi-million dollar yachts !


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## Sunhobie (Jun 22, 2006)

Red, The terminal joint is actually a hydraulically pressed swage fiitting of the same type that holds up racing yacht masts. No solder required. If the wire is correctly tensioned there is next to no trouble with the system.
I have found that these "problems" posts are often a thinly-veiled attempt to cut down the tall poppy.
I am often asked about the reliability of the system. My standard answer is: If the things were always breaking, I'd be constantly fixing them. They aren't and I'm not.


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

i am bit of a rough bastard on gear and i have crashed the mirage drive so hard that the mast protrudes through the side of the fin, one actually was slightly bent after hitting a submerged heavily rust train track from a collasped bridge.

the only issue i have had was to retighten one of the masts that kept coming out of the drive, all up it took 2 mins. i will regualrly do at least 10 ks per trip with 35 ks being the longest so far.

wash off, lubricate and inspect before use and you will not have a problem....

cheers


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Ozzbass theres always the Hobie Quest , a sweet paddling kayak thats a dream to paddle and fish off , and mine was cheaper than the Swing i almost bought .


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## Gunston (May 10, 2006)

Hi Kraley
I should clarify what I meant by not taking the Outback in the ocean.
I wouldn't be confident doing a surf launch with it, I realise you wouldn't go through the breakers using the drive, but (here we go I'm going to get my arse kicked for this  ) I find it a bit of a pig to paddle after the Scupper pro, and it's seems too short.
Don't get me wrong once outside it would be great!

Oh God! I can feel the lightning bolt building   

Chris
(soon to be banned member)


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## Sunhobie (Jun 22, 2006)

I'd be the first to agree that the Outback is not a great paddler. It will get out through the surf under pedal power, once you are in knee deep water. Coming back in is a 50/50 bet as to whether you'll be in the seat or swimming behind it by the time it hits the beach. (not unlike many sit-ons).


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

redphoenix said:


> the rear shock cord has had the plastic 'end-point' hook crack/fail. Most likely a wear and tear issue - how much are they to replace?


Red from any ships chandler called Quick Connect Shock Cord Hooks.... Whitworths catalogue shows 2 sizes $1.99 and $2.69 and no special tools needed as they just press closed to assemble


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2007)

I have purchased 3 Hobies so far but I'm actually still on my first Miragedrive. I sold the other 2 with a new drive, which helped me get a good price for them. Besides, I didn't want to part with my turbo fins at the time and there was nothing wrong with the drive (I use ST fins now though). Considering the frequency of how much I use the thing, I see that as testimony as to how well it is engineered, and yep, I've done a lot of silly things with it. I reckon it could be improved, mainly if it was mae of titanium. But of course that would make it much more expensive. I do think the ST and turbo fins could be made better - I'd prefer to see it manufactured like the standard fins, with no seams on the blades (where the grey bits are joined to the black rubber) but thats my only gripe, and its a minor one.


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## Sunhobie (Jun 22, 2006)

Red, yes the shock cord hook is a quick connect replacement.
If it is the wire pulling out of the swage, that is probably due to a rare tooling problem. If the wire is breaking strands, it is most likely that the chains are too tight as I'm sure you already know. I had a period where a few chains prematurely failed but that was over a year ago. 
You are not tring to make your Hobie fly are you?
I have had people break the odd paddle. I guess you can break anything if you try hard enough.


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

A bloke I know took his initial cracked hull back for replacement, the replacement he received wasn't moulded properly and there was 2mm over hang on both sides. I could imagine it would result in structural porblems in the long run. He was told the whole batch was like that and he wouldn't be able to get another replacement. (terrible customer service, basically) This combined with a few other things I've read and heard made me not willing to spend to the extra money on the mirage drive. It is a fantastic idea, but I didn't want to buy anything that didn't come standard with a strong enough rudder mechinism, or many other things mentioned in this thread.

Kayak fishing is meant to be simple. Hobies are too bloody complex for me. :lol:

[EDIT by RED: I've split this topic - hope nobody minds, that way people can continue to discuss both threads without too much overlap. I've left Koich's last post in both threads though to provide context. ]


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## johnny (Aug 12, 2007)

I had an australis bass for 15 years.Yes,I fished it even for tropical species through to freshwater saratoga and bass in Queensland and all through N.S.W. . I now have a hobie revolution...you can feel the bites hands free...boy do you travel fast and far...even over swells.I have had a cap fall off my cart and I manage to drop my kayak onto the concrete every trip[cause I'm too weak]...but I love it..I love it!
Regards,
johnny


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