Pedal Kayak Info Thread

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I’m itching to buy a fishing kayak. For no good reason I have my heart set on a pedal version. Please call me on the advantages and disadvantages of Hobie versus native.

Are there any brands I’m missing?

My goal is a kayak that I can transport in an 8 foot pick up bed load and unload with one person and one that will look good collecting dust in my basement since I’ll never actually use it.

Thanks
 
Get Outdoors in Greensboro has demo days and also rents kayaks. They use to reimburse any rental fees if you bought one from them.

Hobie is more expensive, Native is an NC company. I’ve been in both but haven’t owned either. Not sure if it’s still the case but Hobie pedal system wasn’t really a traditional pedal motion more of a back and forth.
 
I've always like hobies. They are more expensive...but their penguin fin design is awesome. It's a lot easier to beach as the fins fold up to the kayak...the ones with propellers you have to fold up yada yada yada....

DS
 
Hobies are top of the line, seems like they go up in price every year about $500. My fiancé has a Hoodoo Sports pedal kayak and while it’s not a hobie, she loves it and gets around well in it.
 
DCGallim said:
Get Outdoors in Greensboro has demo days and also rents kayaks. They use to reimburse any rental fees if you bought one from them.

Hobie is more expensive, Native is an NC company. I’ve been in both but haven’t owned either. Not sure if it’s still the case but Hobie pedal system wasn’t really a traditional pedal motion more of a back and forth.
Click to expand...
Just observing them all the fin drives seem to keep the knees much lower. Some (all?) the prop drives look to have the knees way high at points, could be very annoying fishing in motion, surely still less than a stupid paddle though. I forget who but there is another company that appears to have licensed Hobie's old design.
 
Tagged for interest. Old Town is another brand I’ve been looking at.
 
www.hoodoosports.com

Hoodoo Tempest 120P | Pedal Drive Kayak | Sit-On-Top Fishing Kayak

The Hoodoo Tempest 120P offers the same great kayaking experience as our Hoodoo Tempest 120 Hybrid, but with the added convenience of a pedal drive and hand-controlled rudder system. There is no need to paddle while fishing in the 120P when you can let your feet do the work. It also offers...
www.hoodoosports.com


My buddy has this and really likes it. Theyve gone up $100 since he got his...supposedly a new company....

DS
 
I stopped in Outdoor Supply Company in Hickory today to look around and ask questions. Nice people. They will take you to the water for a test ride before you buy, no charge.

http://www.outdoorsupplycompany.com/

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Edit to add-

I was talking to the owner about kayaks. He said, in his opinion, the two best pedal drive systems were Native and Hobie ( which he doesn't sell ). One point he made was, if you want to reverse in a Native, you just pedal backwards. In a Hobie you have to pull a rope, which can be difficult if you have you rod in one hand and a net in the other.

.
 
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I have a FeelFree with a pedal drive I added to it. It works well. But you have to go to an 11.5 foot boat to get the factory pedal drive. I added one to a 10" FF Lure. It will get you around pretty quick. Oddly, I don't have a rudder yet. Need to get on that for this summer. But I actually use both the pedal and paddle when fishing, depending on what I need or how far I'm going. Only 2 downsides I see are cost and the drive getting in the way close to shore or around brush.
 
My wife and I both have hobie pro anglers. She uses a 12 and I have the 14. Unfortunately they don’t get used as much as I would like but they are awesome kayaks, especially somewhere with current. We tried the bicycle type pedal drives before buying the hobies and I didn’t care for them. It was an awkward motion and position for me. The main reason for going pedal over paddle for us was inshore fishing. It can be very difficult to keep positioned with tide and current working against you, but the pedal drive makes it very manageable. If you would like to try one out sometime I’m in near Siler City and would be glad to let you try either one out.
 
I found the pedal to be more work than paddling when going long distances. Eventually I ditched the pedal drive;

Adapting a Trolling Motor to Kayak

I have a kayak with the pedal drive. Always wanted to adapt a trolling motor to make getting to spots easyier. After picking up a used motor I decided to document this. Took the head off and disconnected the speed control. Made the mount to fit the pedal drive hole. Made some...
carolinafirearmsforum.com
 
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