Hobie Mirage Outback Review

We have always enjoyed outdoor adventures. When we first started dating we had the opportunity to go kayaking at Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park. It was an awesome day kayaking in the ocean checking out sea caves and sea life. We both fell in love with the idea of owning our own kayaks. It took us five years but we finally broke down and purchased a pair of Hobie Mirage Outback Kayaks.

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After looking at many brands we loved the idea of pedal-powered kayaks. Being able to keep your hands free while propelling the kayak was one of the main reasons we wanted a Hobie kayak. As a fisherman, I knew that it would be harder to fish while paddling, so the thought of being able to pedal and fish at the same time was really appealing to me.

Hiking was our primary activity and how we initially met and fell in love. Over the years we have sort of gotten away from hiking to mountain peaks but we still enjoy a nice trail hike now and then.

Hobie Outback Info and Specs

Length: 12′ 9″ / 3.89 m

Width: 34″ / .86 m

Capacity: 425 lbs / 192.78 kg

Fitted Hull Weight: 85 lbs / 38.56 kg

Fully Rigged Weight: 103 lbs / 46.72 kg

Hull Construction: Rotomolded Polyethylene

Hobie Outback Features

Spacious Deck Layout with Vertical Hatch

Everything you need is at your fingertips. Dual H-Track Deluxes with H-Rail boast the ultimate in accessory mounting, customization, and organization. EVA deck pads provide a cushioned standing area and sound dampening. The vertical rectangular hatch easily opens for more tackle storage and includes a bottle opener for cold beverage enjoyment.

Redesigned Bow

Piercing bow helps cut effortlessly through the water, wind, wake, and chop while reducing hull slap. Reflective bow graphics provide an added safety feature. An extra large bow compartment makes storage easy and accessible.

Guardian Retractable Transducer Shield

Retractable Shield protects transducer on impact and retracts away for transport. Built-in transducer mount allows side scanning for optimal fishfinder performance. Pre-installed thru-hull cable plugs allow quick, no-drill, no-glue fish finder installation.

Kick-Up Rudder

The Kick-Up Rudder locks into place when you need it and retracts on impact. A large carrying handle makes transport a breeze while providing the perfect mount for your GoPro. The stern is also Power-Pole ready with pre-drilled inserts.

Colors

The Hobie Mirage Outback comes in five different colors, Dune (Grey), Hibiscus (Red), Papaya (Orange) (Lisa has this color), Seagrass (Green) (I have this color), and Slate (Blue).

HOBIE MIRAGE DRIVE KAYAKS

Hobie Kayaks are well-known as leaders in the world of pedal-drive kayaks. They were the first to put a pedal drive in a kayak and have led the way ever since, despite recent fierce competition from other major brands. The Hobie Mirage Drive utilizes side-to-side fin action in a similar way a penguin would use its wings to propel itself through the water. The user operates the Mirage Drive by stepping to and fro on pedals in the footwell of the kayak and the fins drive side-to-side beneath the kayak, propelling the kayak through the water with incredible efficiency.

Over the years the system has been refined and optimized. The latest incarnation is the Mirage Drive 180 V2 which offers both ‘full-power’ forwards and reverses motion with roller-bearing ‘Glide-Technology’ for smooth pedaling action. It is amazing how much power the Mirage Drive creates.

Mirage Drive kayaks have proven incredibly popular with kayak anglers as they offer a huge number of advantages over a traditional paddled kayak. Propelling the kayak with your feet leaves your hands free to fish with. This is by far the best feature of a fishing kayak. This along with dual rudder controls makes fishing from this kayak a breeze.

The ability to move your craft whilst holding a rod offers a number of ways to have an edge on the water.

Troll a lure whilst holding the rod, hold ground in the tide, bait up or rig up whilst on the move, operate your fish finder or chart plotter whilst on the move, move whilst playing a fish, force drift baits, cut through the wind with more efficiency and much, much more. Just some of the reasons why I and many other kayak anglers are fishing from Hobie Kayaks.

The latest Hobie Mirage Outback would only further the advantages that the Mirage Drive Kayak range can offer.

MIRAGE OUTBACK HULL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

The Hobie Mirage Outback offers a very stable hull design. At its widest point, it is 34 inches and it holds a good amount of width along much of its length.

Stability is an important consideration for many kayak anglers, be it newcomers who want a rock-solid hull without too much risk of tipping it over, or those wanting a platform to stand from. I’ve been able to stand up and fish from the Outback without too much worry about tipping the craft over.

This boat is also able to carry the combined weight of them and their gear. The Outback hull is clearly designed for comfort for a wide range of user sizes up to a maximum capacity of 425lb

Accessories

Hobie also makes a wide variety of accessories to go along with your kayak. Everything from safety gear to rod holders. You can find all your accessory needs here. I have upgraded my kayak with a Mirage Drive Leash Kit, Safety Flag, Anchor Trolley, and Fold and Stow Cart.

Conclusion

The Hobie Outback is chocked full of features, performance, and design. It has now moved to the front of the list for my favorite pedal kayak of all time. We have spent a lot of hours kayaking all over the country and the Hobie Mirage Outback is very stable in most water and a joy to ride. It is a bit pricey but worth every penny. If you’ve tried other kayaks find someplace to test a Hobie Mirage Outback, you’ll love it!

What types of kayaks have you tried? Please let us know if you have any comments or questions below. Thank you for taking the time to read our review.

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