Hobie Mirage Outfitter

I’m quite familiar with the Hobie brand having grown up sailing and racing Hobie 16’s, but I recently had the chance to put a Hobie Mirage Outfitter through the paces while visiting family. Brad Stephens of Sunjammers Watersports was kind enough to lend us one his boats for a few days. Not only did he drop the boat off on our door step, but he patiently, and with great knowledge answered all of our questions. His store is located on back beach road of Panama City Beach, and if you’re in the area it certainly is worth a stop. Judging be the treatment we received, Brad places a high value on customer service.

Of course the first thing that hits you about this unusual kayak is the peddle and flipper arrangement; and this isn’t your only option of propulsion. Double-ended paddles are stored on the gunwales as well as an optional mast and sail combination. After spending the morning getting familiar with the layout and setup of the peddles, which is very simple, just drop them in and twist the locking nut, we couldn’t wait to get the boat in the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This is an open boat, or sit-on-top model and appropriate for any waters suitable for recreational style kayaks. It isn’t a heavy water or open coast boat.

Transition from Hobie 16 to Outfitter

Speaking of getting it on the water, the boat comes rigged for a standard wheeled cart which ingeniously fits into slotted holes in the hull of the boat. The cart then breaks apart for storage in one of the three watertight compartments. As we where going to be pulling the boat over the sugar white sand dunes, Brad gave us the optional Hobie Trax Cart to try out. These low pressure tires worked great, and as I made the transition from hard surface to soft sand I felt no appreciable difference in drag.

Steering is accomplished by a small lever on the port side of the boat, while the starboard side has a corresponding lever which lowers the rudder. Our first launch through the small surf was a bit comical, but the learning curve was low and it didn’t take long to master the unfamiliar setup. I brought along a GPS to record our speeds versus effort, and our top speed was 5.6 knots with quite a bit of effort. However, with a steady peddle rhythm which we could have kept up all day we average slightly less then 3 knots. Hoisting the sail didn’t seem to make much difference in either speed or peddling effort, but we had a very light wind, less then 10 knots, and I suspect in slightly higher speeds the sail would have been very effective.

The boat also handled well when I took her out solo. The boat is extremely stable and I was able to stand up in the swells with no effort. In fact, it took quite a bit of persuasion to get it to flip when I wanted to test a solo self-rescue. The boat is a bit wide, 34”, to do a standard cockpit roll, but by moving to the stern and twisting I was able to right the boat with ease. Getting back in the boat from the water is as easy as pulling oneself up the side of a pool.

My overall opinion of the boat? Fun, and lots of it! Keep this boat in the waters it was designed for and you’ve got an incredibly versatile and rugged boat, which like our old Hobie 16, should give you years of fateful service, dependability, and memories. And I should mention that my parents, both of whom are now retired, had no trouble in using the boat or getting it over the dunes.
Thanks to Brad for allowing us use of his boat and all his help and knowledge!