Hobie Mirage Revolution 11 Kayak – Review
If you are into kayaks, I am just going to assume you are since you are reading this, so you know that there are a whole bunch of options out there. When you are in the market for a boat, you sometimes don’t know where to start. We can narrow it down to really about 3 steps. Number one would have to be what is your budget? Kayaks come in all shapes and sizes, but also prices.
Don’t gamble more than you are willing to lose. Number two is simple. What is your main purpose for getting out on the water? Fishing, chilling, going fast on rough waters. All great excuses to get on out there, and you can find hybrid boats that will allow you to do more than one of the above. Ultimately though it is wise to choose one main feature.
If you have a pretty open budget and are looking for a fast, light boat, you can also fish in by yourself then we may have just the perfect match for you!
Today we will be taking a look at the Hobie Mirage Revolution 11 Kayak. We’ve gotten in the water with a couple of these hobie boats before and we can guarantee they are going to be a very decent option.
About The Product
As its name suggests the Hobie Mirage Revolution 11 Kayak is a one person kayak that is 11.6 feet long. It is on the shorter side when it comes to these types of boats. This makes it easy for you to put on top of your car and head out towards the water without any real prep work. The kayak is also quite thin at only 29 inches wide.
This allows it to be very quick and graceful out on the water, but it does make it a little less stable and difficult to stand in. Don’t worry though you probably won’t be flipping anytime soon on this boat even with that slight disadvantage it is made to bend without flipping allowing you to make sharper turns.
The Hobie Mirage Revolution line all come with a propelling pedaling system that allows you to take a new hands-free approach to kayaking. This system allows you to move forward or backwards reaching very respectable speeds and still be able to manipulate your fishing rod. It has 3 storage hatches one in the bow and the other in the stern that allow you to keep your deck free. This is big since the deck is not that big at all.
Main Features
What We Like
Speed and maneuverability are at an all-time high with this boat. The boat is so lightweight you can actually steer very easily just by shifting your weight around the boat. This allows you to keep the paddle in its holder and gives you more fishing time. The lightweight feature also makes this a great kayak to just grab and go. You really don’t need a whole lot of preparation for a day out in the water. The fact that it has pretty large hatches to store things in despite the kayaks overall small size is also a big plus.
Again this is as an asset that totally compliments the whole hands-free idea that this boat is trying to give out. We around here are usually not huge fans of having to spend a lot of time assembling stuff. One of our biggest concerns, when we got this kayak, was the assembly of the pedal system. To our surprise assembly was easy and we could even make some adjustments so that the user could fit on the kayak better.
What We Do Not Like
This kayak is just simply too small for some people. We could adjust the pedal system somewhat, but the seat is not very adjustable and neither is anything else on the kayak. Which means that it is going to be very difficult for people over 6ft tall to get on this kayak and have a comfortable ride.
If you fit that description and had really liked this kayak up to this point we recommend you check out the 13ft version from Hobie. We have already said that this kayak is a bit expensive for our particular taste. If you know Hobie, you are already expecting this so it shouldn’t be that much of a turn-off, but it is obviously still hard for us to overlook this.
The good thing about the negatives that this boat has is that they are fully out there. You know before you buy exactly what you are going to get. Which means that when you buy you are making a fully conscious decision.
Where To Buy
We have just alluded to this, and we think it is very accurate. There aren’t any hidden issues lurking inside this product. When you put down your investment, you know exactly what your getting. That may seem like something that should be a given, but in reality, it rarely is.
That being said just like with the other Hobie kayaks we really recommend that you try and get a chance to look at this boat before you buy. Especially if you are near that 6 foot range in height. The last thing we want to do is recommend a boat that you end up not being able to fit in! Other than that there are no real concerns when it comes to shipping or products arriving with missing pieces. At least not that we are aware of.
Conclusion
Looking for a small speedy fishing kayak? You should really consider this boat especially if you are a more experienced rider, and you are looking for a boat to adventure into rougher waters. There are a lot of boats out there that are less expensive than the Hobie Mirage Revolution 11 Kayak, however, they only work on calm waters, and are a real liability if you plan to take long trips. So yeah the initial investment is steep, but the reward is most likely worth it!