Tried out the new Hobie Pro Angler 12

[browntrout]

Well i had been looking forward to this day for over a month. We came to Destin Fl, on vacation and I had made an appointment to try out the new Hobie PA 12. After reading such great reviews I was really excited and couldn't wait. We went to a little lake close to the kayak shop and I tried it out. To say overall it is a nice machine but not what I am looking for. I will post each of the drawbacks that I encountered.

1. This kayak weighs in at 120 pounds and for 1 person it is hard to handle.
2. The PA 12 took quite a bit of water over the front of it. Granted it was windy and I was headed into the wind but this is a common occurrence in TN so that was a great test for it.
3. If one is pedaling fast and makes a hard turn with the rudder i feel that you could easily flip over or a least roll it a little.
4. The mirage drive system messed up on me and the shop owner said they were seeing the same problem quite a bit.
5. Granted one could stand very easy on the PA 12 but there is still that little bit of wobble to it. However it was more steady than any other kayak that I had been in.

As far as what I wanted to do which was fish the Caney with 1 generator and have the ability to go upstream and fish local lakes like Centerhill, Dale Hollow, and JPP I think this machine still needs some refining. Please don't get me wrong it is an awesome kayak but before I shell out almost $3,000 I want to be sure that it meets my needs 100%.

Guess I will start looking back at shallow river boats again and maybe get me a wilderness commander for my kayak fishing. This is just my opinion on the PA 12. I would highly suggest trying one out before blindly buying one. ( Which I almost did)

Roy

[flyfish]

You should check out Towee Boats if you haven't already. Www.toweeboats.com

I bought mine a year and a half ago and turned around and sold every watercraft I had. I draft right at 5" fully loaded with two adults, gear, yeti cooler. The I have a mercury 20hp jet on the back. I can, and frequently, run wide open in 10 inches of water blasting over shoals. I have idled across shoals at 6 inches deep, where my trolling motor couldn't take me.

You are right, the Hobie is super nice, but I have yet to find a place i can't take my Towee where I fish in TN. Not to mention it's really nice to have all the creature comforts of a boat.

[browntrout]

Towee is at the top of my list. I have talked to Todd several times about one. They are most definitely 1 sweet ride thanks for the input.

[bd-]

Gheenoes rule, Towees drool!!! :D

Seriously, the Towee is a very nice boat, but I'd put it in the microskiff category with Gheenoes and Riverhawks. To me, a kayak is a different class of boat with a different intended purpose.

As far as the Hobie goes, there's NO WAY I'd buy a kayak that dresses out at 120 pounds! Sorry, but that's nuts! I'm still shopping for a yak, but I recently decided against buying one that was 90 pounds because it was too heavy for me to comfortably load and unload by myself. I can't imagine another 30 pounds on top of that, and that's before gear is added.

I very much want to get a kayak for small stream fishing and going places a bigger boat can't go. But if I was going to spend $3,000 on a 120 pound boat, I agree with flyfish that it'd be something like a Towee - or a Gheenoe.

[flyfish]

LOL! One of the boats I sold after getting the Towee was a Gheenoe. I liked the Gheenoe but there is no way I'd take it across St Andrews Bay like I did the Towee.

[bd-]

I fish with my Gheenoe in Tampa bay on occasion and it does just fine. It depends on the model - I'd take a Classic or an LT25 in bigger water than I'd ever consider in an NMZ or Hi-Sider model. My Classic can handle rough water to a certain extent, but it has its limits like any other small boat. The Towee has a bit higher sides so it can probably get in a little rougher seas, though I'd rather be in a bigger boat than either a Gheenoe or a Towee if a storm was blowing in on an open bay. Both boats have their advantages and disadvantages. "Horses for courses," as they say in England.

bd

[flyfish]

I looked hard at the LT25 before I bought the Towee. It was a sweet ride. I was just about to pull the trigger on it when I saw the Towee at a fly show.

None of them were as nice as my 21' Robalo bay boat for the salt, but it wasn't worth keeping for the 3 weeks a year I spend in FL.

[Reel Tune]

I'm glad you got to try out the PA12 before purchasing one. I was afraid you were just going to buy one.

The PA12 is at the top of my wife's list. She had the PA14 and really liked it, but sold it when she went to Jackson, and is no longer with Jackson so she can fish from whatever she wants. That makes since that the PA12 is tippy, high seating position coupled with a shorter boat.

The PA14 suits me well for what I do, and I have several other yaks depending on what waters I'm fishing. I don't think there is a perfect kayak, and the weight of the PA14 130# is not for the light hearted. I was car toppping it on a truck cab that is 6'6" in height and decided to get a trailer, and that was a great decision.

Good luck in your search.

Jeremy