Really? From your original question below those threads I listed above covered the Hobie Mirage Drive considerably. Below I pulled a few of my quotes from each thread I listed above. What more are you looking for? I think I answered your questions quite thoroughly. I don't think you are going to find much information here as few people use them for diving vs Ocean Kayaks etc.
Do any of you have experience diving out of a Hobie yak? They look pretty awesome but they are a lot more spendy than OK. My goal is to replace our dive yaks for Christmas. Open to suggestions.
Mahalo!
That said...can you tell me about diving off a Hobie mirage drive vs. an OK Prowler Angler 13 or a Cobra Fish n Dive?
"Since I own a Hobie and they are known to crack, I filled parts of mine with a two part expanding foam. This not only keeps my stuff in place, but also is a nice security blanket so it never sinks."
"I have a Revolution and have been very happy with it. The only downfall is the kayak pedal system can not be used in the kelp, but the Mirage Drive does not need to be removed to pass over kelp, and the regular ole' paddle works just fine. Otherwise it is an incredibly fast kayak. Legs are much stronger than arms. I upgraded to the Super Turbo fins and like the improvement. It is plenty stable, and in fact much more stable than a Scupper Pro (Known as one of the all time great dive kayaks, that is no longer made). The Revolution can handle double HP100's in the tank well, but have fun putting them back on board. Only flipped it twice trying to do so after a kayak dive with doubles off Mono Lobo Wall. The front compartment can handle an extra tank up too an AL80 or HP100. That is where I store my fins, since I have no desire to change out a tank on the water. The center hatch stores all my small gear (Mask, weight belt, keys/cell/wallet in a dry box, along with flares and a VHF radio), with the rear hatch holding my PFD for legality. "
"My Hobie has been hot rodded with the Turbo fins, and with them, it can go pretty fast. Paddling the thing sucks without the rudder down. Even then it just does OK. This past weekend I ran into a submerged stump at a pretty good clip and slightly bent a rod. No biggie as it did not break, but instead of going to a Hobie dealer and paying too much for one, I am going to find the stainless rod and just cut my own for a spare. They are nothing special with just a notch in them."
"I use a heavier anchor and a fairly heavy 2.5 foot chain to make sure my kayak will be there when I return. It could be a matter of life or death. Our ocean front is met with cliffs and big rocks that have waves crashing over them. Not somewhere you want to try to go ashore at. A depth finder is mandatory as we often anchor in 60+ feet of water, and need to know depth before hand. I keep the depth finder on the port (Left) side of my kayak clipped off with a double ender. The right (Starboard) side stores my anchor that is run up to the front through self installed u-clips. I've found it is feels easy to flip (Read nearly flipped) when trying to free a stuck anchor from the side, but by pulling on the front of the kayak it is much more stable (Yes we do descend go down the anchor to make sure it is well placed). My kayak has life lines all the way around the back, then on the left (Port) side also and the anchor line can be used on the other side. The life lines are very nice to have for moving around the kayak, with or without fins on.
Fins are stored in the front hatch with everything else (Mask, weight belt, flares, VHF/FRS, pump, etc.) in the center hatch. Rear hatch holds a USCG approved orange life jacket to remain legal. Between the bow and center hatch is filled with expandable foam, along with under the seat. Obviously it is going to keep the kayak afloat, but also keeps stuff within easy reach of the center hatch. Dive flag gets mounted in sail mast hole and is just a piece of irrigation tubing with a flag and line to keep it in place. When not in use the flag pole is stored on the port side where a paddle could be mounted. Since mine is pedal powered most of the time, kelp requires paddling often, the paddle is on a leash and mounted to the starboard side.
Like Nemrod, I use a leash for my BP/W (BCD as most know them) but mine is only about 7 feet. It is clipped off any time it is being don or doffed in the water. Fins remain on (Current can be strong) any time I am working in the water which is also better for putting my BP/W back onto my kayak. I push the tail of the tank up, then rotate the rest over the side. The Hobie Revolution will handle doubles, but been there done that, not recommended.
We have done small surf exits and just paddle like mad until were on the beach. Many of our beaches have big waves and steep sand, so usually we launch from a cove, which although calm can be over large slippery rocks aka boulders.
So far I have never flipped when using my kayak for diving, but did do a few test flips on purpose to make sure I new I could get it back over, and that my BP/W would stay put. There were no problems at all performing the drill."
"We fly a flag off the kayak, but it is impossible to use a float in the kelp, or tether the kayak for the same reason. The kayak dive flag is stowed under a bungee on the port side. The paddle is stowed on the starboard side."
"Due to our sometimes extreme conditions. I carry a 5 lb anchor and have a few feet of heavy chain in front of it, with 200 feet of line on a cheesy reel. Overkill? Probably, but we tie two kayaks together with a bungee cord I made, and it is important for us to make it back to the kayaks and our launching point safely. We can anchor in over 100 feet of water with no issues. A depth finder is a requirement here."
"My kayak was filled with expandable foam between the hatches. It is unsinkable, and nothing can get lost in the caverns below, as the foam creates a barrier. I always know my mask and other small gear will be close by."
"I used the expanding foam to strengthen my kayak since the Hobie's are known for breaking at the pedal mounts. I have also heard stories of someone sinking one here, but fortunately their buddies were able reach the Coast Guard via cell phone and they came out and picked them up. Exposure protection is very important in cold water. The foam winds up performing three duties."
Will truck the yaks to Kona side when we go over there but we dive where we live. Don't want scooters for a variety of reasons I don't feel like typing out. We also use kayaks for fishing and recreation. He's kayak dived for nearly 30 years; me, only about six; in fact, it is how we met. We LOVE the sport of kayak diving, freediving, and fishing, and also kayak touring and camping, and even taking the dogs out for a paddle. We are both former owners of several power boats. Not interested in the cost or maintenance of another. Kayaks? Rinse 'n' go.
