Hobie kayak in 2024 | What's changed? 

I have a Hobie PA14 with the 180 drive and I love it. I've never had a problem and I use it as much as possible including in tournaments.

The amount of people in my local tournament trail that had problems with their Hobies baffles me. We had one guy that went through 3 hulls and 5 drives in a little over a year's time frame. Many had difficulties even getting Hobie to warranty the kayaks. I feel the "changes" they made are kinda lazy, "here we'll make it easier for you to fix instead of fixing the problem ourselves". I'm seeing so many people flock to other brands Native, Old Town, Bonafide, etc.

I have fished out of the same hobie pro angler for over 10 years and not one issue. It's always inside when I'm not in it. I would like a new one for a second boat so thank you for this update.

I moved on to Oldtown, first thing I noticed right out the gate was the hull thickness/quality. And lifetime hull warranty is pretty sweet.

In my opinion Hobie is still the best move. They weren’t getting bashed until they did away with pro staffers and then all a sudden they were junk over priced etc. the truth is they have the best drive system great styling pricing is on par with native, old town etc but why I stick with Hobie is their drive smoother and easier to pedal all day hip knee back don’t hurt at the end of the day doesn’t get tangled up in the So Cal Kelp and eel grass like prop boats I can get a Hobie in the thick kelp where the big yellows and Calicos are other boats struggle.

Thanks for the update! Are you aware of any changes to the Revo 13? Same or different colours and features?

Thanks for that great update and seems they are worki g in the right direction. Im in the market for a fishing kayak and i personally love the PA14/12 and the outback. Ill be roof roping the kayak on top of my truck cap so i dont wamt anything heavy. But saying that i do love the new colors amd that orange seems pretty interesting to see in person. Thanks alot for everything ypu do amd keep up the awesome work!! Cheers

I have owned numerous hobies over the span of years having owned a number of outbacks. But I found that after years I did not need all the bells and whistles but wanted something more of a blank slate. Enter the Compass. It also had the benefit of being much lighter and easy to handle by myself as I gotten older. I picked one up when they first came out for $1700 and thought this is great. Super great hull design, clean slate and minimalistic (Funny enough the compass with the new hull design was released before the new compass on steroids was released (What I call the new outback). Still fishing the Compass after all these years but its starting to show the wear and tear of years of fishing and kayak/camping trips. I have been pondering about getting a new Kayak and in years past it would have been a hobie in a flash simply because of the drive which I think is still the best drive system. But I would really have to think twice about a hobie now due to the cost. There is no reason the compass should cost what it currently does as they have done nothing to improve the kayak since its origin other than a 180 drive which I could care less about. The new seat is a complete downgrade from an already not-so-good seat on the original. It seems to me that they just came out with the Passport to kind of take the flak off of way overcharging for the compass. I have been thinking of finding a lightly used compass before the seat change if the price is right but likely would not buy a new hobie unless I see big changes without adding $$$$. Many friends have moved away from them going to things like the Jackson Yupik, Nucanoe and even going back to some old Wilderness kayaks.

I've no personal experience of Hobie malfunctions but a fishing buddy of mine had a 360 drive break in his PA and the time it took to fix it was more or less last years season. Great to hear har Hobie are trying to adress the problem. But I will wait and see🙄

There will come a day, sooner than later, where someone calls Seatow or the Coast Guard for help, and when they are asked to describe their boat, they will say, "Sea Camouflage kayak." Seatow transmitting, "Did you say it's the color of the sea?" Kayaker, "Yes, and camouflaged."

Good afternoon, in your opinion, which Kayak to choose, Hobie or Native? And of these 2 models, which is better, Native Tintan X 12.5 Propel or Hobie Mirage Outback? Thank you and greetings from Portugal.

I had an Old Town 106 - sold it and bought a Hobie Lynx and I am not regretting this one bit. The Lynx is the perfect Kayak for me

I have a Passport and I love it even though it's pretty tippy. I chose it for a starter peddle drive my back could take and want to upgrade. So I was wondering if there are any changes to the Lynx and if they are worth it?

As someone who fishes around alot of structure and grass, there isn't another drive that can do what the 360 does in those environments. I didn't think I would like it as much as I do. There isn't another kayak manufacturer that doesn't have issues with their products; Old Town, Native, etc.

Getting a 2023 10.5 mirage passport r for a good deal. I'm pretty stoked for it. Thanks for the video though

I own a $400 pelican, so I don’t really have a dog in this fight yet. I’m doing my research on which pedal kayak to invest in. One thing is common amongst these types of “controversies”. From the amount of kayaks a brand as big as Hobie sells, you’re going to get the few that are having problems with their kayaks on every forum posting about it. But the exponential amount of people who haven’t had the first issue are not the ones posting on forums. You only hear about the bad. Not the good.

I think I've made this comment before, but they have prices that I'm not willing to pay. I have nothing against Hobie and actually really like their platforms, but the prices are turn off for me personally. --- As far as the fixes. Great job. I wish the belt was easier to get to so the average joe could replace the belt easier, but I come from an accounting background and I think what they did was a business decision and I have nothing against them using the rubber belt.

Trying to be patient waiting on a replacement Outback hull, really hoping I get something other than the Seagrass color! All the camo options look good!

I went with a 2023 Native Slayer. I was scared off with all of the issues I've read with the 360. The instant reverse is what steered me over a Hobie 180 and the rigability is what steered me away from Old Town. Not knocking either, but I haven't regretted my decision.

When you first peddle a PA 14 with the 360 you feel like Ferris Bueller driving Cameron's Ferrari.

To me it seems that too much of their attention is focused solely on the Pro Angler. The other boats go years without significant updates. I'd love to see the Compass get a better seat and a cavity on the bottom that can fit some of the bigger transducers. Maybe one that can be upgraded to a retractable Guardian type mount by the user at a later date.

Is a 2019 hobie mirage outlander much different feature wise than the 2024 model? Is a 2019 kayak worth $2200?

Thanks for your informative video. Id like to mention also that Hobie have dropped the ball on their global supply of H -rail kits, in particular for the Lynx. Hobie mentioned to me after I contacted them, that they have issues with their third party manufacturer of H- rails. Begs me to ask.. how are they sourcing them for new PA's and Outbacks??? I had got sick of waiting for H- rail kits to become availble in Australia. I have moved on and re- designed my Lynx layout. The lack of support in accsessories of this kind for so long is disappointing at best.

The fact that they took the plant to Mexico I would never buy one.

I have a Hobie Lynx and Native Falcon. I'm about to sale the Falcon so I can get a Nucanoe Unlimited. The wife will only let me have two kayaks at a time. I prefer the Hobie Drive because of a bad hip and knees but I don't think I'll buy another Hobie with the prices, build quality and warranty issues the past few years.

Been waiting on a camo Revo for a long time. I’m a big fan of Seagrass but cmon Hobie, show your Revo some love. At least bring back Dune as a standard color.

What might help is if Hobie had loaner drives and loaner yaks to keep us up and running. I know this is expensive, but their customer service is really hurting.

I was about to buy an Itrek 9 but with this quality issue, I cancelled the idea

I went through 1 hull at 6 months of ownership. I probably had 50 trips, 8 hours each so it was used. Hobie replaced it for free. I am sticking with it. The cracks were on top near scupper holes. Hobie called it a defect. I am concerned about their perceived customer service. A increasing number of yakers are very vocal and negative.

I dont know about the 100 bucks you say but today i was in my country's hobie dealer as i was going for the outback (we have only one here). FYI the outback has a 4.800 € (~5.200$) pricetag for the 2024. Last year was at 4.500 € ( ~4.800$) and the year before 4.100 € ~4.400$). So there is absolute nothing fine about hobie pricing the are very overpriced atm imo. OFC i didnt order it as they are overpriced as i said and now i am in the thinking of my next steps!

I’ve been watching a lot of RU-vid videos the kayaks on the market as well as being new to the fishing aspect of it all. So yes I’m a straight up newbie. I am getting fishing lessons from my nephew. Hobie is not on my list for purchasing a kayak. When people started complaining about the warrantees along with the expensive cost of owning one, it wasn’t something I would consider investing my hard earned money into. My top 2 kayaks That I’m considering is the Native Titan 12.5 and the other is PWR 129 Bonafide. I’m not planning on motorizing these kayaks, I need to stay in shape. Maybe have a motor in case of emergency use. What are your thoughts about the Titan X 12.5 and the PWR 129 being used out in the ocean. Can those kayaks handle the waves. I know you put the Titan X 12.5 high on your list for stability and comfort. And what about the PWR 129? I live By the Gulf of Mexico. I plan to do saltwater and freshwater fishing. Looking forward to your thoughts are on this and what advice you’d give to a newbie like myself. Thank again.

Damn. Maybe shouldve waited until this year to get an outback...

Why did you NOT discuss the new Quest 12.5? Super disappointed. There are many of us that still paddle.

With all the popularity in river fishing kayaks lately, it’s surprising to me that Hobie doesn’t come out with something. The fin drive is amazing in shallow rivers, but the PA is too big and heavy and the outback is too long and narrow.

Regardless of the brand, make, model, color or whatever you want to call it. For the price of these investments, you all need to just insure your kayaks. Things fail no matter where they were manufactured. Insure your investment for an extremely low amount and go enjoy your hobby.

Replaced my Hobie with an Old Town Sportsman Bigwater EPDL+ 132. I’ll never own another Hobie.

I'll probably never own a Hobie. Once you go motorized, you never go back, and I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a Hobie just to put a motor on it.

Not worth it

Hobie is overpriced doo doo. I was interested in a lynx til I saw how charmin soft the hull is. No reason for it at that price.

Already moved on from Hobie. Their customer service is terrible.

Kristine Fisher lost all of my respect... not just because kf what she said... but because she REALLY showed her character when called out. People who can be bought and paid for to lie (and double down when caught) are not to be trusted.

Hobie Kayaks suck a little more than this stupid add, with extremely poor audio!

The fix hobie has done is not going to work over time. It will still fail. Moreover , they need to find a fix for older craft. You drop 5 grand on a kayak , you expect it to last more than a year without problems , I'm thinking at least 5 plus years. As with anything else , the customers who buy this junk will be the ones fixing it. Not the company that made it. Far as colors , Hobie is the worst for colors , they have only ever offered like maybe 8 colors across the entire spectrum , and I'm sorry , adding black to give a camoish look does not make it a new color , it just camos an existing color. The same blue for what 15 years? That yellow puke color , that bland sand color. Those are all horrible , the red is just ok , that grey is horrible , it will be a hot ride , darker colors have a higher surface temp. The orange they had was okish. You look at companies like Jackson , Old Town , Native , Wilderness systems , and they have vibrant , colors , purples , pinks , aquas , lime greens , rich blues , turquoise , seafoam greens , bright yellows , oranges ............just tons of colors options. Hobie is just so boring for color schemes , and if thats all they ever do , then thats all they will ever do.