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Speed of Hobie Mirage Kayak.

64K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  TheKayakLaunch 
#1 ·
to: Anyone who owns a Hobie Mirage Kayak,

Sometimes I felt I needed a very fast kayak. I need high speed for 5-10 minutes. How fast can you go on a Hobie Mirage Kayak at 14'-16'?

On a Hobie web site, there is a tug-of-war video between two Olympians on a kayak and one guy on a Hobie Mirage kayak. They have the equal strength.

Hobie Kayaks - MirageDrive

Can you maintain 5mph for 10 minutes? Can you guys maintain 6-7 mph for 3 minutes if you paddle with both arms and legs?

Just curious.

Joe
 
#2 ·
You could probably achieve the speeds you list, for those durations. Speed seems to be a relative term.... One of the strengths of the Hobie mirage is that pedaling is done with the large muscles in the legs instead of the arms & upper body (when paddling). This provides most people with less fatigue and arms free for other activities. You may consider taking advantage of a dealer demo day and trying a few Hobie models out for yourself:thumbup:.

Tighten them up!
Cfishon
 
#3 ·
I can maintain 6-8 mph for 15-20 minutes in the Hobie Adventure.... the Hobie Outback is not so fast, that said a guy I fish with took my outback and stayed with me in my Adventure all morning... so I guess alot has to do with the person
 
#4 ·
Joe,

When I'm in shape, I generally cruise in my stubby, bloated 12ft Outback around 3.5+mph depending on the current and wind, but this isn't my top speed. This is based on how long it takes me to travel between landmarks, so it's not an exact speed measurement. I can definitely go faster for 10+ minutes, but I don't have a GPS to tell you how much faster.

You should check out Bluhaven in Ridge, MD (near PLO). They rent Hobies for reasonable rates, and you can fish in the creek that the marina is on (part of St. Mary's River). There's a 13ft model (Revolution) and a 16ft model (Adventure). The downsides of Hobies are that they tend to be kind of heavy for their length, in my opinion, and the prices have gone up since I bought mine. Anyway, checkout:

www.bluhavenpiers.com

The website is down, but here is their number: 1.301.872.5838
 
#6 ·
Forgot to mention, pedaling and paddling at the same time doesn't work too well--at least I'm not coordinated enough to make it work. There are also different fin types for the drive--standard, ST, and ST Turbo. I have the ST fins, which seem faster than the standard fins. The ST and ST Turbo fins are adjustable. You can make them really stiff, which is tough to pedal, or you can make them flex a little, which is easier to pedal. I'm guessing the less they flex, the more water is propelled and the faster you go, but I'm not certain. The ST fins are around $40-50 for a pair, but I think they're worth it.
 
#7 ·
Haha, The funny thing about all of this is that I saw the Hank Parker episode where they are using the pro angler and the speeds. I did hear once again that they were doing 18mph with a 6mph current to help them so mabe doing around 12. They were just doing a short race so I do not expect them to hold that speed for more that a min or two.
 
#8 ·
If you get the turbo fins you can adjust them for top end speed (which will be inefficient at slower speeds) or for efficiency at slower speeds (but won't be able to get as much top end out of them).

If you are decently in shape, I will pretty much bet that a hobie will outpace any sit on top paddled kayak of equal length (assuming recreational users in both craft). I have no problem maintaining 5 knots (via GPS) with my adventure with turbo fins.

Put another way - my adventure got me home about 6 miles in about 2.5 hours in this wind, whereas a fishing buddy was working so hard to barely make forward progress that he broke his $300 paddle and had to get rescued.
 
#9 ·
I was just curious when I posted the thread. But now I am going to take a good look at the mirage adventure with the sail kit. If I can sail the adventure at 15-20mph wind with rudder kit and sail kit, this, this will be a great kayak for my needs (if money is no object).

Joe
 
#10 ·
There are some pretty cool videos of high-speed Adventure sailing. You should check out the Hobie forum at kayakfishingstuff.com and also at hobiecat.com.

I also remembered that there is a Hobie dealer in Annapolis, which is probably closer to you, and there's also one in Woodbridge. You can demo a yak at Annapolis since they're on Spa Creek, but the dealer in Woodbridge isn't on the water. I've dealt with the guys in Woodbridge for warranty repairs, and things went OK with a bit of nagging on my part.
 
#11 ·
I saw one ridge had at the Solomons fishing fair.
Our shop now has a little sister shop in Indian Head called up the creek and they have some hobies now and I plan on taking a drive over to use a couple!!!
 
#12 ·
I surely contact one of dealers for raental/water test in July. I can't make it this coming Saturday. If sailing on an Adventure or Outback at 12-15MPH wind is possible (not tipping over easily), I will definetely consider the hobbie despite my wife's oppsition.

Joe
 
#13 ·
If you want to sail, definitely get the adventure island... though with the outriggers it starts to be quite a bit of boat. A quick visit to youtube will get your heart pumping.
 
#15 ·
I called Blue Heven Piers today. I will be testing the Adventure (16') with the sail on this coming Sunday. They charge $15.00 for an hour for rental - which is very good. I probably need two hours for the test and head for PLO for fishing.

Joe
 
#17 ·
IMHO i wouldn't... the bottom of your fins will pay the price, especially if you have Turbo fins (as i do) mine already have a rip from hitting a rock while fishing and the adventures fins are three weeks old
 
#18 ·
Agreed if your primary use will be in shallow rocky areas, you're better off saving money and getting another brand of sit on top kayak. But if you get a Hobie and then decide to use it in shallow rocky areas, you can remove the drive and paddle it still (they all come with mediocre paddles that get the job done just fine). There's even an insert to limit the amount of water that comes through the drive well when you are paddling, though I never use it.

If you are fishing pools between shallow rocky water, you can use the drive in the pools and then bungee the drive in the "up" position by hooking the factory bungee to one of the pedals. This will make it so that the drive only drafts an extra inch or two from the bottom of the boat when not in use.
 
#20 ·
I own a Hobie Mirage single and tandem. I use them for fishing, getting into shape and just cruising around with the family. They are not inexpensive however and will set you back to the tune of almost $2000 a piece. We take ours everywhere...to the beach, the lake, on the Severn, over to Kent Narrows. To me, they make all the sense when it comes to really using your kayaks.

As far as speed, depends on how good of shape you are in, water roughness and wind. On a calm morning, when I am working out, I can pedal mine 4-5 miles easily and make the round in an hour or so. However, I also ride my racing bike 20-30 miles 4 days a week, which helps maintain the kayak speeds.

You can call Backyard Boats in Annapolis and they have some down there in the water for you to try out. They are right in the same parking lot as the Charthouse Restaurant. Very nice people who work there and very informative. Once you get in one, very difficult to go back to just a paddling kayak however.
 
#21 ·
On the last Saturday, before a wine trip (my wife organized this), I checked the weather forecasts for the Sunday. All forecasts said 5 knots where BluHeavenPier is. I wanted 10-15 MPH wind for sailing test. So I called BluHevenPier and postponed the try-out. But on the last Sunday, it turned out the forecasts were very wrong. I went to PLO for flounder expecting calm water. But Wind was blowing 15-18MPH between 11:00PM - 3:30PM. I should have checked the weather forecasts before I left for PLO in the morning. I will get the rental Adventure with the Sail on this coming Saturday for 4-5 hours to test thoroughly. This time I will drive to BluHeavenPier and the beach near by to check the wind, not rely on the forecast.

Joe
 
#22 ·
to: Anyone who owns a Hobie Mirage Kayak,

Sometimes I felt I needed a very fast kayak. I need high speed for 5-10 minutes. How fast can you go on a Hobie Mirage Kayak at 14'-16'?

On a Hobie web site, there is a tug-of-war video between two Olympians on a kayak and one guy on a Hobie Mirage kayak. They have the equal strength.

Hobie Kayaks - MirageDrive

Can you maintain 5mph for 10 minutes? Can you guys maintain 6-7 mph for 3 minutes if you paddle with both arms and legs?

Just curious.

Joe
New to this forum, but not to canoeing/kayaking/SUP and sculling.
Clearly this is an old post, but...
IMHO, comparing tug of war to speed is unrealistic...If I were put a pick up truck against a Porsche I might expect similar results in a tug of war. In a straight line race, quite the opposite...I recently had someone tell me their Hobie Mirage would keep up, maybe beat a racing shell (sculling boat), and refer to the video you posted as proof...
That being said, I am interested in the top end speed of Hobie with the high speed Mirage drive.
TIA,
Brian
 
#23 ·
to: Anyone who owns a Hobie Mirage Kayak,

Sometimes I felt I needed a very fast kayak. I need high speed for 5-10 minutes. How fast can you go on a Hobie Mirage Kayak at 14'-16'?

On a Hobie web site, there is a tug-of-war video between two Olympians on a kayak and one guy on a Hobie Mirage kayak. They have the equal strength.

Hobie Kayaks - MirageDrive

Can you maintain 5mph for 10 minutes? Can you guys maintain 6-7 mph for 3 minutes if you paddle with both arms and legs?

Just curious.

Joe
Those are lofty goals. I would probably tire out before reaching them. My goal is not speed with a Hobie, although generally they are as fast as any paddle kayak. I love the Hobie because it frees up my arms and hands to fish. Nothing more annoying than having to drop your rod every 15 seconds to make corrections in your course due to winds or current.
 
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