Hi Paddlers,

I got article below from
http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/art...ak_Articles=75

What do you think about this sailing, pedaling, paddling kayak?

Al K
------------------------
Is Pedaling For You?

Hobie Cat, the sailboat company has made a splash on the kayak fishing
scene, which isn't any surprise. They're an innovative company that
feels kayak fishing will be bigger then their sailing division. They've
expanded their mirage drive (The mirage drive is a pedal driven device
that propels the kayak. The beauty is that its both more efficient then
paddling and leaves ones hands free to fish. A couple summers ago we
started putting center hatches in Outbacks. We did this because the
kayak had very limited access to its great internal storage. We sent
pictures off to Hobie Kayaks, to make sure that they'd warranty the
hulls with our hatch installation. Hobie Kayaks gave me a call to
discuss the hatch as they were looking into redesigning the kayak for a
center hatch. While on the phone I made several suggestions including
either a large front hatch or a surface that would allow shops or
customers to install one. I also suggested a low profile touring style
hull with a mirage drive and drop down dagger board. A tandem mirage
drive fishing model and that they offer orange as a color choice in the
fishing series as the majority of the kayaks being purchased by
fishermen were for sal****er fishing and visibility was important.

Hobie Kayaks is an amazing company. They have a monopoly on the mirage
drive and if any company could rest on their laurels they're it. The
Hobie Outback has a large round center hatch, a netted storage
compartment and the large front hatch. Their smallest mirage drive kayak
is the Sport. The tandem is called the Outfitter and it has been well
received. I can't wait to use it as people who have done so have told me
that it's so stable that the person in the front can stand and walk
around. The long touring model is called the Adventure. Its sixteen feet
long and paddles as well as a Prowler 15 or Tarpon 160, which is very
impressive as I consider them the best paddling models that still make
excellent fishing kayaks. The most impressive part about the Adventure
is that it's a mirage drive kayak. I've pedaled mine up to 7 mph and
others have hit 7.5! Hobie Kayaks has an extended mirage drive kit
coming out this spring and it'll offer an increase in speed of somewhere
between 10-20%! Increasing their versatility, all mirage models come
with a built in mast support. This allows one to purchase a sail kit
(Hobie Kayaks has one) for the kayak and actually sail it. The Adventure
takes it to another level with a built in slot for a dagger board. The
board allows for true sailing against the wind. This opens up tremendous
possibilities in range. The ability to pedal, paddle or sail.

How does the Mirage Drive system work? The MirageDrive is simple and
easy to use. Your feet rest naturally on the pedals and you pedal
effortlessly similar to a bicycle. The larger muscles in our legs
produce more powerful propulsion versus arms using a paddle. In
addition, correct paddle usage requires training and practice. You also
stay drier as pedaling eliminates drips that you get from using a
paddle. The MirageDrive is quiet and creates no splash. The Hobie
MirageDrive leaves your hands free for fishing, photography or holding a
drink. Even we were surprised at the efficiency of the MirageDrive. In a
test to compare the efficiency of the MirageDrive, we measured the heart
rates of several kayakers at varying speeds in several paddled kayak
models. In every case, the heart rate-or effort expended to maintain a
particular speed-was three to ten percent less for pedaling versus
paddling. Translation? The MirageDrive converts the effort of the human
body into forward thrust more efficiently than a paddle! Allow us to
explain.The MirageDrive creates less turbulence in water. This becomes
apparent when you compare the wake of a Hobie Mirage to the wake of a
paddled kayak. With each stroke of the paddle, you'll see two vortices,
or whirlpools, on the surface of the water. These vortices are connected
underwater, and there is considerable energy in these rotating masses of
water. There are vortices in the wake of the MirageDrive, but since the
MirageDrive acts on a much larger volume of water, they are much smaller
and therefore contain less energy. To create forward thrust on the
water, a boat must move water backward. It can either move a little
water quickly, or a lot of water slowly. The key to efficiency is to
move a lot of water slowly with the least amount of turbulence. The
volume of water that the MirageDrive acts upon is approximately
proportionate to the area that the fins sweep in one cycle, or about 226
square inches. The volume of water that a paddle acts upon depends on
the type of stroke. A basic stroke would act upon a volume of water
proportionate to the area of the paddle, or about 90 square inches. This
is just a fraction of the area "swept out" by the MirageDrive, which
explains the difference in efficiency.


So is the pedaling for you? Well, at first it will feel strange but
after a while you see what it's like to fish hands free and if you're
like me you will quickly fall in love with it. One of the concerns to
many is that being in shallow water can be impossible because of the
distance the Mirage Drive is in the water and for people who will be
constantly in very shallow water this might be a problem but the ability
to pick up the drive and paddle when it gets too shallow is a great
advantage. Also, when you take short pedal strokes you will find that
the fins will stay close to the hull of the kayak and basically allow
you to still move in even 6" of water.It might also appear that picking
weeds and other debris in the Mirage would be a common occurrence but it
is very rare. The power that the Mirage Drive generates is amazing, on
the Hobie Kayaks website you can see a video clip of a tug a war on the
water with the Hobie Pedal Kayak and a tandem kayak, even with 2
paddlers against the one person in the pedal Hobie Kayak, the Hobie not
only wins but drags the traditional kayak all over the place. A couple
of years ago in Cape Cod on Nauset Bay 2 fisherman in kayaks got stuck
in the back of the bay and couldn't make the paddle against the strong
tide to get back, a third kayak fisherman in a Hobie Outback towed the
other 2 up current! You control where you go with a hand rudder control
that steers you in any direction and works very well. If you a use to a
traditional paddle kayak it might be hard to make such a drastic switch
but after you are out there keeping yourself in position while tossing a
lure at breaking fish - you will converted. What will Hobie Kayaks come
out with next? Who know, they seem to be a company that recognizes kayak
fishing and wants to make products that will promote and better the
sport. We will have to wait and see

.. The Mirage drive in position for shallow water or beach landing.

If you feel pedaling is the way to go then you need to decided on which
Hobie Kayak Mirage Drive model, there is the Hobie Sport, which more
geared toward smaller individuals, the Hobie Outback which can handle
any sized person and the new Hobie Adventure which is the fastest kayak
in their fleet at 16' long. If you prefer to have company the Hobie
Outfitter is their 2-person model. Each has distant advantage and
disadvantages and if you click on each link above you will see more
pictures and specifications of the kayaks to help you make a choice. You
can call us at Kayak Fishing Stuff to discuss Hobie Kayaks or any other
kayak you might be interested in. You can also check out our store for
more pricing and info on Hobie Kayaks.