What is the most stable kayak in the market

[Skunkmaster-k]

I’m on the hunt for a really stable kayak , ready to spend all my pennies. What would you suggest?

[GTN-NY]

Stable in what way? Standing, big waves?

Most people will say Hobie but I’ve never been in one. 

I have a Jackson Big Rig. Is it the most stable I don’t know. I stand in it all day. I’ve been out in some bigger waves - well at least big waves for small lakes. I had to really stand on the side to try to turn it over so I could see how far I could go

[Skunkmaster-k]

18 minutes ago, GTN-NY said:

Stable in what way? Standing, big waves?

Yes 

[padon]

hobie pro angler is very stable. so are the big rig and titan.but remember stability comes at least partialy from width. and wider boats are harder to paddle or peddle.

[michaelb]

Peddling or paddling? I don’t know. Atak 140? Big rig? Nucanoe f12?  I like the kaku zulu and that seems very stable. It is hard to trade off all the other qualities of a kayak form just for stability. If u are sitting these boats are going to be extremely stable. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Is the hobie worth twice as much as all the rest of you guy’s  suggestions? If so , why ?

[CountryboyinDC]

Everyone must decide if Hobie is worth the price, and evidently the answer is yes to a lot of consumers.  In recent years there have been several price increases within a single year.

If stability is the only goal, Hobie is not the king of the boats I've paddled/pedaled.  The Native Titan is.  And I haven't even seen a Big Rig HD in the water, but the paddle version was quite stable, and I believe it's now grown a couple of inches wider.  Another boat, not really a kayak (but if we're being stickers, neither are any sit on top kayaks), but allegedly more easily transported than the monster fishing kayaks we have today are the Blue Sky boats.  

The Hobie drive allows more efficiency out of the pedal kayaker's legs than do the propeller pedal drives.  It can be used in water shallower than mine (Old Town PDL), perhaps more than any propeller drive.  The Jackson one has an low draft mode, but I've never done a side-by-side comparison.  But the 180 drive, their top of the line until a couple of years ago, had one drawback.  You had to pull a cable to go from forward to reverse.  Sounds minimal, but when you are trying to hold in a spot without putting down your rod, it's significant.  I witnessed this prior to buying my pedal drive.  The Hobie guys and gals fished with their paddles in their laps just like us paddle guys and gals, and the Native/Old Town folks had their paddle stowed and only 1 hand on the rudder while fishing.  For me, it made my decision, and while I could have purchased my kayak (Old Town Predator PDL) or the Hobie Outback for the same price at the time, I chose the OT.  Those were the 2 I was most considering at the time.

Now Hobie has the 360 drive Pro Angler.  It's better from a performance/angling perspective in every way to any other kayak on the market, bearing the weight concern.  It's $5k and whatever sales tax you end up spending, plus PAs have special rails, fixtures, etc. which means that owners typically spend a good bit more to outfit.  It has a great seat too, and all these nice little features like a place for a couple of tackle boxes built into the deck.

[haggard]

13 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

I’m on the hunt for a really stable kayak , ready to spend all my pennies.

 

Hobie Pro Angler 12. It's heavy but I doubt you'll find a yak that's better quality, more stable and comes standard with a lot of features you'd pay extra for as options on other boats. I'm not sold on the 360 drive is worth the extra $ as I found the 180 did just fine. The PA doesn't paddle too well given its mass, but it's meant to be pedal driven and in that regard it's great.

 

[Skunkmaster-k]

2 hours ago, CountryboyinDC said:

Hobie is not the king of the boats I've paddled/pedaled.  The Native Titan is.

I watched the product video for the titan propel 13.5 and it looks awesome. Are there any drawbacks that you are aware of?

52 minutes ago, haggard said:

The PA doesn't paddle too well given its mass, but it's meant to be pedal driven and in that regard it's great.

I’m looking at a trolling motor to help a little bit 

[CountryboyinDC]

1 minute ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Are there any drawbacks that you are aware of?

It weighs a ton, even more than a Hobie PA, I'm guessing over 200 lbs. (with seat, drive, rigging) for the one that I helped a guy load in his truck.  It is pretty slow, and if you try to go fast, you get cavitation.  And with the stock rudder, it is slow turning, like the Jackson pedal drives (Boonedox makes a rudder upgrade).  But it is massive, and the stability is massive.  Not my cup of tea, but it was neat to stand in the tankwell, one foot on the gunwale, and other silly antics that I can't do on other kayaks due to me being less nimble than I was a decade and a half ago.  I think as a boat it accomplishes what it intends to accomplish, which is to be as close to a bass boat as you can get with a pedal drive kayak.

[haggard]

Something to consider if you're looking at pedal drives is body position when your feet are on the pedals. With a propeller drive, you'll probably be sitting with legs elevated higher than they would be in a Hobie style drive, especially when your feet are at the top of the rotation cycle. With the Hobie style drive (non propeller) your legs and feet are lower and making a simple forward-backward motion, and your sitting more on your butt than on your tail bone. I've tried both and find the Hobie more comfortable. Propeller drive is good for instant switch between forward/reverse.

 

[Darth-Baiter]

I messed around on a Titan 13.5. It’s stable as eff. It felt slow. 
 

my friend has the pro angler 12. He let me take it for a spin. I handed it back to him quick so I wouldn’t  fall in love.  It’s really stable as well. I could d**n near walk around. I could stand in the transverse direction and pee over the side if I wanted.  I heard the pro angler 14 is even more stable!!  I can’t imagine it. 
 

here is the deal.  I was out on the Cali Delta two weeks ago. The wind was blowing with the out-going tide.  My Hobie zipped back to the launch with zero hesitation.  The guy briefly next to me in his Titan 12(?) was struggling. We were fighting a current and the wind.  He had to crank on the peddles to get back.  My Hobie is pretty quick.  But I never worry about current or wind.  I bet there’s a limit to that propeller.  Like a running river would he off limits.  Dunno. 

those Hobie fins move some water. 

Oh. The downside?   Obviously weight.  But I’m a wuss and I could drag one around pretty easily.  I’ve put my friends pro angler in the truck for him.  It’s easy. Dragging it? Maybe not down a rough 1/4mile long trail like I do with my Hobie compass. (Which is why I chose the Compass)

 

the other downside.  If you do flip: and you most likely will. These super stable kayaks will then he working against you.  Flipping it back over will take effort.  I would definitely PRACTICE that move. For sure. You’ll need a strategy beforehand. 

[Failed Fisherman]

3 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

I watched the product video for the titan propel 13.5 and it looks awesome. Are there any drawbacks that you are aware of?

I’m looking at a trolling motor to help a little bit 

If you're looking to add a trolling motor anyway look at the Old Towns. They have a line of kayaks with built-in motors in various sizes.

[Skunkmaster-k]

1 hour ago, They call me “Gaiter Salad” said:

the other downside.  If you do flip: and you most likely will. These super stable kayaks will then he working against you.  Flipping it back over will take effort.  I would definitely PRACTICE that move. For sure. You’ll need a strategy beforehand. 

Good advice. I hadn’t thought of that 

56 minutes ago, Failed Fisherman said:

They have a line of kayaks with built-in motors in various sizes.

I will definitely check them out. Thanks

[Skunkmaster-k]

3 hours ago, haggard said:

Something to consider if you're looking at pedal drives is body position when your feet are on the pedals. With a propeller drive, you'll probably be sitting with legs elevated higher than they would be in a Hobie style drive, especially when your feet are at the top of the rotation cycle. With the Hobie style drive (non propeller) your legs and feet are lower and making a simple forward-backward motion, and your sitting more on your butt than on your tail bone. I've tried both and find the Hobie more comfortable. Propeller drive is good for instant switch between forward/reverse.

 

Thank you . Fatigue is something important to think about. Wish I could try them both on the water before I shell out the cash

4 hours ago, CountryboyinDC said:

It weighs a ton, even more than a Hobie PA, I'm guessing over 200 lbs. (with seat, drive, rigging) for the one that I helped a guy load in his truck.  It is pretty slow, and if you try to go fast, you get cavitation.  And with the stock rudder, it is slow turning, like the Jackson pedal drives (Boonedox makes a rudder upgrade).  But it is massive, and the stability is massive.  Not my cup of tea, but it was neat to stand in the tankwell, one foot on the gunwale, and other silly antics that I can't do on other kayaks due to me being less nimble than I was a decade and a half ago.  I think as a boat it accomplishes what it intends to accomplish, which is to be as close to a bass boat as you can get with a pedal drive kayak.

This thing sounds like a tank. 

[padon]

you said you were thinking of adding a motor and o dont know which one or how much you want to spend but...if i couldnt have a boat i would buy a pro angler 14 and add a torqueedo on the stern. the torqueedo is designed for kayaks and the motor battery and throttle weigh 17 pounds total. i own one and they are impressive . they are not cheap. i use it on my atak stricktly for fishing rivers for upstream travel. i use my boat for lake fishing. with the hobie/ torqueedo combination the torqueedo would be your "outboard " and the pedals would be your "trolling motor". you could cover alot of water and do some seriuos fishing.

[Skunkmaster-k]

18 hours ago, padon said:

with the hobie/ torqueedo combination the torqueedo would be your "outboard " and the pedals would be your "trolling motor". you could cover alot of water and do some seriuos fishing.

Nice. I watched a Greg Blanchard video this morning and he’s got the torqueedo on the 10.5 titan . It’s impressive 

[XF15-Loader]

On 3/18/2021 at 7:20 PM, GTN-NY said:

Stable in what way? Standing, big waves?

Most people will say Hobie but I’ve never been in one. 

I have a Jackson Big Rig. Is it the most stable I don’t know. I stand in it all day. I’ve been out in some bigger waves - well at least big waves for small lakes. I had to really stand on the side to try to turn it over so I could see how far I could go

Took my Big Rig out for the first time yesterday and I couldn't be happier with the stability of that thing...its nuts!  I was able to stand and cast in 15mph winds while I drifted and the rollers had me bouncing.  The best part of the day was being able to hide in the reeds and stand up to pee!...LOL.  

[Skunkmaster-k]

44 minutes ago, XF15-Loader said:

The best part of the day was being able to hide in the reeds and stand up to pee!...LOL.  

The older I get the more important this becomes !

[bulldog1935]

The Hobie PA14 has got to be it, as mentioned, it comes with the cost of moving it around.  

 

My buddy Tombo at Rockport has a gang of boats to choose, and one is this Blue Sky 360 pedal cat - sit high, stand - though he doesn't take it out over 10-kt wind.  

He was really working over the sloughs and shoreline this day, with many fish to hand.  

 

As far as good-paddling kayaks, the most stable stand up boat is probably Diablo Adios, and half the cost of the others.  It's more boat than an SUP - optional skeg is also recommended for wind control.  

ABS hull, and a reasonable weight to single-hand.  

[Jeffrey Walker]

Anyone have more info on the diablo adios mentioned above?

Edited July 10, 2022 by Jeffrey Walker

[Darth-Baiter]

that diablo looks interesting.  but its still 67 lbs.  an Hobie Compass is the same weight. 

[Fishingmickey]

I've got a Diablo Amigo and a PA14, I've had the Amigo for seven years now.  It is very stable even more so then the PA14.  It is a pig to paddle especially in the wind. The optional skeg is necessary or the kayak will spin very easily. You can turn it around inside of it's own length. It is a great river boat because of the stablity and shallow draft.  It's a fine fishing platform for the lake.  It doesn't like big waves or big breeze.  it becomes a beast to paddle in those conditions. The hatch cover gasket is hickey on it (doesn't seal well). So when your taking waves over the very low bow and you'll get water in the kayak. 

The Diablo Adios and Chupacabra are made of a different plastic then the Amigo and the construction is of a higher quality.  The Amigo is the same plastic as all of the other roto-molded boats. I think that the Adios and Chupacabra are a ABS (hard plastic) thermo-formed boats with the bottom hull and the top deck made in two pieces and then put together. They are a sweet boat too. Very popular with the fly fishing crowd here in Texas.

FM 

[king fisher]

On 3/18/2021 at 11:34 PM, Skunkmaster-k said:

Is the hobie worth twice as much as all the rest of you guy’s  suggestions? If so , why ?

Yes, because the Hobie Mirage drive, is a superior propulsion system.

[flyfisher]

34 minutes ago, king fisher said:

Yes, because the Hobie Mirage drive, is a superior propulsion system.

lol that is funny, superior propulsion system.  15 years ago you probably had a case but that was as much because you can't compete against anyone when there is only one competitor.  Now though, lots of different pedal drives out there and they are all mostly solid.

Personally unless there is a specific reason to get a pedal kayak, i'd rather have a motor.  I can get a better paddling boat than a Hobie and throw a motor on it and save a bunch of cash in the process.