Is Hobie still worth the money in 2024?

I go over the what I think the future holds for Hobie Kayak. Are Hobie Fishing Kayaks still worth the premium price in 2024? Are they still the best pedal drive fishing kayak on the market? I go over the history of Hobie, concerns with Hobie kayak, and is there any value with Hobie fishing kayak.

#hobie #kayakfishing #pedalkayak #fishingkayak #hobieoutback #Hobieproangler

Check out our inventory online!

Need polarized sunglasses? I endorse Waterland sunglasses
use code: BEARDEDPADDLER at checkout for 15% off!!!

Follow me on social media:

[watchluver]

A few of the reasons I took Hobe off my list was the quality and customer service issues that I read about right here on youtube, and the price was shocking!! I'm also not a big fan of their drive units (paddle) lot of people complaining about reliability issues. Also i did hear rumblings about making them outside of the US. 👎 I ended up going with the old town Sportsman PDL106, proven drive unit, stable and appears to have deep roots in the US and the price was more within my range and the warranty is what sealed the deal! Hobies look nice and all but over priced and under warrantied IMO. Nice topic! Thanks for you content! ✌

[SteegeFish]

I agree with pretty much everything you said in this video especially about the warranty and dealer inexperience. The dealer I work at had an amazing relationship with Hobie and we usually go the extra mile to take care of our customers which I think many dealers lack in that area. Can’t wait to get my 2024 Hobie pro angler 360 XR!

[thenathanimal]

The Revolution 11 is my huckleberry - I fish the open ocean in Southern California, and the incredible speed of the Revolution 11 allows me to get out a few miles and back in very quickly. If there are high winds or the tide is going against me, the high speed is an invaluable benefit to getting me back to harbor safely and maximizing my physical strength and endurance.

[Drumguy]

Got my first season in with the Hobie Lynx, no issues whatsoever to report. I like it far more than the Old Town kayak I had previously owned,

[fishtacoguy]

Three seasons on the Lynx, no issues. It precisely fits my river fishing needs (as matter of fact, I'm heading out in a couple hours on it!) We plan on buying one more Lynx next year.

[buffdoc]

In August 2020, I was able to acquire a brand new leftover 2016 PA14, luckily it was still in the wrapper. These have the thicker hull and I love the olive green color. I have averaged 2-4 trips a week. Only in late year 3, I had to replace the left rudder line under the seat, recently replaced the up/down cord to rudder. All my friends got rid of their old town and bought used PA's. I used the ST V2 Drive for long day trolling blue long fin, for dock and rock fishing I use the V2 180 drive. You have to maintain the drives by greasing them. Gotta rinse off with saltwater use. I love my PA14, best money I ever spent

[brianhoyt]

They need to address and iron out the hull cracking issues with the PA lineup and the 360 drive before pushing that technology into other hull lineups. I want a PA 360 but I’m going to get a Lynx or possibly a PA14 180 as both of those have been far more reliable and there’s no shortage of parts for the Mirage 180 drive. It’s a shame because the PA 360 is a game changer in so many ways including for someone like myself with challenges of a physical disability, the Lynx seems equally maneuverable but lacks the feeling of security I have with a PA hull.

[gabrielm.]

My PA14 360 has been dry for the last 3 weeks... the 360 drive steering unit is broken and there is no eta on the part. Its ridiculous.

[FishYourHeartOut]

I think Fin drive is a thing of the past. Nobody wants that many moving parts, my hobie friends are always calling their kayak shop for Fin parts and having to borrow a drive to fish a tournament. I went with a Sportsmen 120 PDL and I haven't need to replace a single part in/on my pedal drive and I'm 2 1/2 years in. After awhile people get sick of having to fix something no matter how good it is. Plus how had the 180 drive leaks and that pissed a lot of my hobie friends off having a kayak that takes on water brand new.

[charlescartwright]

I own a Hobie 12PA 360 bought new in 2020. Never had a problem with my 360 drive or cracks but it is only a manner of time before I have a problem. No warranty so I am stuck. Can’t sell for what I think as all buyers aware of these two problems. Hobie should have replaced all 360 drives but they didn’t. If I buy another kayak will not be Hobie.

[garyalexander]

My wife and have had hobie’s for the past 12 years. We’re both retired now. I’ve had some warranty issues with the PA 14 360 but Hobie, through a dealer, has taken care of it. We have other Hobie kayaks and just don’t have problems other than the expected wear and tear over years of use.

I do travel a very long distance to work with a dealer that has both inventory and in-house expertise. Hobie’s dealer network (at least from what I’ve seen in Northern CA) is a weakness.

In my opinion Hobie needs to do three things to grow 1) continue to innovate 2) demand more from dealers in terms of inventory and expertise and 3) target a very large contingent of retired baby boomers (like me) with disposable income and time for recreation: To do that Hobie has to focus on outreach to boomers - probably work on overall weight and comfort over price - and work harder on solving transportation challenges of getting a kayak from home to the water and back.

I do love my hobie’s!

[jimmyinthaphanh]

I was a hard Hobie fanboy until they kept raising up their prices $500 or more a year with no changes.

[tamplain]

Have been in Hobies for many years going back to the old battle tank outback. That thing was indestructible. As I got older I decided to move to a lighter kayak and when the Compass came out at $1700 I jumped on it. I am still in my Compass but I have to say that they have increased the price quite a bit and not really added anything to the kayak in fact have cheapened it with that crappy new lawn chair seat. I have some friends who purchased new outbacks and had cracks in the hulls within 6 months. One of them having had his replacement kayak crack quickly as well which then he had nothing but trouble getting another replacement as Hobie tried to blame him for the cracks. He is done with Hobie. As much as I like Hobie's others have come on and surpassed them in many ways with innovation and upping their kayaks at a better price point. Even if Hobie ups their game it will likely come at a price tag no one will want to pay and its products and service are not nearly what it used to be.

[yep.fishing]

Can you talk more about the weld vs hull replacement fiasco? Is this just the dealer not wanting to incur some kind of expenses on there end?

[samerhammuriali]

The problem we have here in dubai the accessories and parts are not available and to order from US the shipping cost is high

[PeterRanieriII]

Only good experiences with hobie kayaks for me. Had a Hobie sport that is over 10 years old, Compass 2021 still going strong with a fair amount of use, passport 2022 as well. I think most people that have issues with the drives or hulls are pushing it too hard. Same concept with cars, you take care of it and don’t take turns too hard, they last

[supercoffeemug]

I don’t own a Hobie Kayak. I have always been interested in getting a Pro Angler 14 manly because of its features and I love fishing. I have a sit in kayak that is for fishing and it is okay but the Pro Angler 14 is just packed with features without having to modify it. The only reason I never got one is the price and even used is too expensive. For the cost of that I can get a Jon boat a few years old. I bought a 21 foot Sea Ray 3 years old for half of what that Kayak is new and some reason people selling them after 3 - 4 years think that they are still worth the new kayak price.

[chrisharrelson]

Innovation isn’t the issue. Jacking up prices and cutting corners on build quality is the problem. I haven’t been in a Hobie but nearly everyone I started out kayak fishing with was. Everyone upgraded to the 360’s this past year and now none of them are in Hobie’s. You see 6, 7, 8 + year old Hobie’s with no problems. Now, a Pa360 doesn’t last 6 months with the drive craping out or the deck cracking. I have heard the new hull coming out doesn’t even address the issues at the core. I guess we will see. One more flop and I believe Hobie will be done.

[dusbus]

Owning a pro angler was always a stretch goal of mine when i started in 2014. I bought a cheaper boat to get on the water and started saving...and kept saving...and kept saving. Now at $5k for a PA its just not in the realm. When i was first interested in a PA14 they were $2500. 2x price increase in ten years?! Its fucking plastic. I work in manufacturing and i know molds and dyes dont cost that much. Im all for american made but its hard when i can buy a vibe with a pedal drive for half the price. And its a nice boat.


They need to move out of California to Texas or Florida where the labor and cost of doing business is way cheaper. You can still put a made in the USA sticker on it without bending your customers over a barrel.

[nofx]

I went with Native over Hobie. It seemed like a better all around value… I’m a newbie Kyak angler so not much hands on experience!