Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 14 with 180 Drive

[king fisher]

You might consider a Hobie Outback.  I transport mine on top of my car, fish standing up with no problem, and am able to launch in heavy surf.  

[Darth-Baiter]

2 hours ago, king fisher said:

You might consider a Hobie Outback.  I transport mine on top of my car, fish standing up with no problem, and am able to launch in heavy surf.  

This. I love my new Outback.  It’s more stable by a tiny bit compared to my Compass.  The seat is easier to stand up from. 

15 hours ago, Conclusion said:

So I've posted in the autopilot thread because that's the model I was basically sold on. I went to the store yesterday and while there looked at the PA12. The layout of the Hobie is hands down better than the autopilot. I feel like this boat was thought out so much more. My intentions would be to add a trolling motor but also having the peddle as a backup in case the electronics fail is a huge plus as well. I've completely switched and now I'm trying to decide between the PA12 and PA14. Has anyone tried both and is the 14 really that much more stable for standing with the extra 2"? I love standing and that would be how is fish majority of the time. I will be car topping this for now, so I know either way would be a chore.

 

Not sure if I’ve ever seen a 14 on a car top with my own eyes.  It’s more stable than the 12. 

[Conclusion]

After further research and watching some of the diy videos of getting the xi3 on the pa I'm going back to the autopilot. Although I don't like the deck layout as much I'm really struggling to justify it being almost double the cost of the autopilot. The boat alone is 1500 more, the xi3 with GPS is 1800, the mount is $200, a battery box is another $100 then the various wiring and connections not to mention all the associated work, and I'm not a very handy person (prices are CAD). I also really dislike the idea of drilling in to the hull. There is a video on doing it through the hatch but that's still not ideal. I've also seen/read about some of the kayak motors causing stress fractures in the PA's and even with the mirage drive plug in they can take on quite a bit of water when trolling around. Tough call because I really do prefer to Hobie but I can't justify it. 

[FishTank]

Well I picked it up my PA 14 today... It's packed into the garage but it's still full of Christmas stuff that needs to get put up so no real good pics yet.  

 

It's a beast.  I can't wait to get it out on the water. 

 

 

[Darth-Baiter]

On 1/25/2022 at 8:48 PM, FishTank said:

Well I picked it up my PA 14 today... It's packed into the garage but it's still full of Christmas stuff that needs to get put up so no real good pics yet.  

 

It's a beast.  I can't wait to get it out on the water. 

 

 

Nice I even live the color!!

[FishTank]

45 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Nice I even live the color!!

It was the only one they had with the 180 drive. It comes in ivory dune, orange,  and camo. They didn't have the camo or orange I think it was $300 more for camo..... crazy.  They had a few of the 360s in yellow camo and blue camo.  The hot one is the Mike Iaconelli version.  They got two in and sold both within a day. 

[Darth-Baiter]

38 minutes ago, FishTank said:

It was the only one they had with the 180 drive. It comes in ivory dune, orange,  and camo. They didn't have the camo or orange I think it was $300 more for camo..... crazy.  They had a few of the 360s in yellow camo and blue camo.  The hot one is the Mike Iaconelli version.  They got two in and sold both within a day. 

I think the 360 only comes in those colors. 
 

the Dune is the same color as my Outback.  It’s wearing in great. Easy to keep clean. 

[FishTank]

On 1/16/2022 at 10:07 PM, Dumbbassanglr said:

I have an autopilot. Just curious what the guy said to talk you out of it?

 

 

I wanted to update my thoughts on this since picking up my PA 14, which I haven't used yet. I did take another look at the Autopilot yesterday and the place I stopped at figured out the issue.  It was a piece of tape or clear mylar that wasn't allowing the signal to be sent. Just the protective stuff they put on when new. Anyway,  it worked and I was blown away. 

 

I think for me though, the way I fish and how I am on the water, the Hobie, I hope, is more my speed but wow the Autopilot is an evolution in how you can fish. 

[Boomstick]

Wow, congrats! I considered trying to buy myself a PA14 too but decided against it. They really thought of everying.

[Dumbbassanglr]

On 2/9/2022 at 9:10 AM, FishTank said:

 

I wanted to update my thoughts on this since picking up my PA 14, which I haven't used yet. I did take another look at the Autopilot yesterday and the place I stopped at figured out the issue.  It was a piece of tape or clear mylar that wasn't allowing the signal to be sent. Just the protective stuff they put on when new. Anyway,  it worked and I was blown away. 

 

I think for me though, the way I fish and how I am on the water, the Hobie, I hope, is more my speed but wow the Autopilot is an evolution in how you can fish. 

I think most kayak anglers enjoy the sit down fishing. I hate it. That’s the main reason I went with the ap. That and spot lock. 

[FishTank]

3 minutes ago, Dumbbassanglr said:

I think most kayak anglers enjoy the sit down fishing. I hate it. That’s the main reason I went with the ap. That and spot lock. 

 

I am the same when it comes to sitting and standing.  I prefer to stand and like that I can sit down comfortably if I want to.  Which is why I went the PA14. The conditions I usually fish at my main lake are windy.  The spot lock would be great but I think on the lake I fish it wouldn't be totally reliable.  Also,  I thought the PA14 was the more stable of the two but the AP would definitely be more maneuverable and faster.  I almost want to own both but my wife would kill me. 

[Darth-Baiter]

1 hour ago, FishTank said:

 

I am the same when it comes to sitting and standing.  I prefer to stand and like that I can sit down comfortably if I want to.  Which is why I went the PA14. The conditions I usually fish at my main lake are windy.  The spot lock would be great but I think on the lake I fish it wouldn't be totally reliable.  Also,  I thought the PA14 was the more stable of the two but the AP would definitely be more maneuverable and faster.  I almost want to own both but my wife would kill me. 

The ProAngler is perfect if you want to upgrade.  My friend just put a MotorGuide in the front. He has spot lock now.  He’s fast, but I can stay with him in my Outback.  I’m working tho!   Super clean install.  No drilling required. He went thru the fish finder ports in the opposite side. 

[Huckfinn38]

On 1/16/2022 at 9:50 PM, FishTank said:

So I have made up my mind to order one of these tomorrow.  I have had my current kayak for 5 years and it has been just OK.  I have learned to pretty much paddle and fish at the same time.  This new Hobie will be a huge step up.  I did look around at different kayaks, including the Old Town peddle and autopilot and I also looked at what BPS offers.  The sales guy for Old Town kind of talked me out of the autopilot I was looking at (kind of the opposite of what he was supposed to do).  

 

My only concern for the PA 14 is the price .  The Hobie, I think, is way over priced for what it is but it has everything just the way I want it.  I guess, is there anything I should be aware of before forking over the cash?  Is the 360 drive worth almost $1000 more?  My thought is to save the $1000 and invest into electronics or eventually a trolling motor.  What do you guys think?

 

 

So I paddled a longtime and couldn’t believe how much more time My bait spent in the water once i switched to an Old Town Predator PDL. Those little corrections that you have to make with a paddle can be made with peddling forward or backwards with an occasional touch of the rudder. Im not sure how the peddling would be on the Hobie but I imagine it is very similar 

[FishTank]

2 hours ago, Huckfinn38 said:

So I paddled a longtime and couldn’t believe how much more time My bait spent in the water once i switched to an Old Town Predator PDL. Those little corrections that you have to make with a paddle can be made with peddling forward or backwards with an occasional touch of the rudder. Im not sure how the peddling would be on the Hobie but I imagine it is very similar 

I am hoping the same.   The main lake I fish funnels wind so 5-10mph is more like 15. I was constantly making adjustments with the paddle and worrying about hitting the bank. I might try to get out this weekend if the water isn't totally frozen. 

[Huckfinn38]

28 minutes ago, FishTank said:

I am hoping the same.   The main lake I fish funnels wind so 5-10mph is more like 15. I was constantly making adjustments with the paddle and worrying about hitting the bank. I might try to get out this weekend if the water isn't totally frozen. 

I was able to get out last Saturday but central NC has no Ice, air temp was 65, and surface water temps were pushing 50.  Caught one on a red craw Otts Garage crank. A lot of work for one fish lol. Be careful with that ice. That stuff will kill you if you get dumped.

[FishTank]

26 minutes ago, Huckfinn38 said:

I was able to get out last Saturday but central NC has no Ice, air temp was 65, and surface water temps were pushing 50.  Caught one on a red craw Otts Garage crank. A lot of work for one fish lol. Be careful with that ice. That stuff will kill you if you get dumped.

Hopefully water temps will be about 40 and air temps in the 50s. Not ideal but I plan on staying warm and dry. Also plan on making it a short trip.  This is what I will use.