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Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST #11726631 07/17/16 12:33 AM
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YakFishField Offline OP
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Hey guys, just got back from ICAST, and we've been putting up video walkthroughs of the four new pedal kayaks and Hobie's new Mirage Drive 180 with REVERSE on our site if you guys want to check them out:

Wilderness Systems Radar 115 & 135: http://bit.ly/Wildy_Radar115

Old Town Predator PDL (won Best Boat at the show): http://bit.ly/OldTownPredatorPDL

Hobie's Mirage Drive 180 with REVERSE: http://bit.ly/HobieMirage180

Perception Pescador Pilot 12.0, the least expensive of the group: http://bit.ly/Perception_Pilot12

FeelFree Overdrive, the only pedal/motorized combo drive: http://bit.ly/FeelFree_Overdrive


Pics:

Wildy Radar 115


Perception Pescador Pilot 12.0


Old Town Predator PDL


Hobie Mirage Drive 180


Last edited by YakFishField; 07/20/16 03:08 PM.

Robert Field

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Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: YakFishField] #11726659 07/17/16 01:00 AM
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Good Lord that is some cool stuff. Thanks for posting.

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: YakFishField] #11727646 07/17/16 08:57 PM
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Jimbo Online Content
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Decisions, decisions, decisions!


Just one more cast!

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: YakFishField] #11727694 07/17/16 09:57 PM
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Thank you for posting the videos. Those are some cool kayaks. Hobie had to do something to respond to the lack of reverse but their implementation seems like the least flexible of the bunch - it's not hands free.

I wonder when Jackson is going to enter the pedal market?

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: PlanoTom] #11728328 07/18/16 12:51 PM
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Jimbo Online Content
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Originally Posted By: PlanoTom

I wonder when Jackson is going to enter the pedal market?


They probably have one in the works as you type.

You have to love it! They are all scrambling to top each other and it benefits everyone.

Last edited by Jimbo; 07/18/16 12:53 PM.

Just one more cast!

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: Jimbo] #11729456 07/19/16 12:41 AM
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I really like the way the drive in the Pesky folds up out of the way....

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: YakFishField] #11730163 07/19/16 02:22 PM
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They are all similar and different at same time. LOL.. All are circular peddle. Is that because the Hobie is patented?

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: YakFishField] #11732455 07/20/16 03:10 PM
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YakFishField Offline OP
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Added the video for the FeelFree Overdrive. This is the only drive on the market that offers pedal/motor option in one drive. Simply pop in the tallboy-sized motor head, pedals are released, and now you have motorized power.

It's not cheap though (price in video).


Robert Field

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Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: BassFever] #11732457 07/20/16 03:11 PM
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YakFishField Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: BassFever
They are all similar and different at same time. LOL.. All are circular peddle. Is that because the Hobie is patented?


Yes, Hobie's Mirage Drive is patented. I'm curious as to why Native didn't opt to patent theirs. Perhaps they couldn't for some reason?

If they simply chose not to, I wonder if they're regretting that now. They're still "First with Reverse," but are now "One of Six with Reverse." noidea

Last edited by YakFishField; 07/20/16 03:11 PM.

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Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: YakFishField] #11732519 07/20/16 03:37 PM
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That Feelfree motor/pedal setup is pretty cool.

Trying to buy a kayak these days is pretty overwhelming!


Just one more cast!

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: YakFishField] #11732645 07/20/16 04:37 PM
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Brad R Offline
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Originally Posted By: YakFishField
Originally Posted By: BassFever
They are all similar and different at same time. LOL.. All are circular peddle. Is that because the Hobie is patented?


Yes, Hobie's Mirage Drive is patented. I'm curious as to why Native didn't opt to patent theirs. Perhaps they couldn't for some reason?

If they simply chose not to, I wonder if they're regretting that now. They're still "First with Reverse," but are now "One of Six with Reverse." noidea


I suppose Native has little to patent since the system it uses is found on countless bicycles and in so many other devices for so many years, decades, even longer. If there is something intrinsic to it that is patentable, I think seeing a very similar unit not long ago in a Chinese "copy" would be the test case. But, no, I don't see anything Native could attack in, say, the new Wilderness Helix Pedal Drives. If so, Native would have been sued by whom, Schwinn?

If I had to make a guess, I'd say the Feel Free hybrid manual/power drive is the least likely to succeed in the market. Too bad because it is certainly very progressive. The best doesn't always win in the market place; if so, we'd still be using Word Perfect and not MS Word.

But, the new Wilderness kayaks like the Radar? For these, you can paddle, manually pedal OR step up to a power drive. So, the flexibility will account for a lot of sales while the Feel Free has limited itself to just a small percentage of the kayak market who will pay that sticker price.

Native dropped the ball, I think. It did bring out a less expensive pedaling option and that is good; but, with the new power units gaining attention, it really HAD to come through with its trolling motor mount, something it promised a whole year ago that would cost around a $100 and allow Native Propel owners the opportunity to drop in a small trolling motor. That whole rigging: a hundred bucks for a mount, a battery and a small trolling motor? It would come in at a fraction of the cost of the power units at the 2016 ICAST. One should have been sitting on display. The sad part is the mount is so simple that it could have been built in literally thousands of machine shops across the USA. And, yet it is still not on the market last I looked.

I also think Old Town Predator's new pedal unit will never become much of a market presence.

I have no opinion on the new Hobie Drive. I think the shifting apparatus is okay and the penguin drive system is certainly more powerful than the pedal systems, but for fishing, the pedals work more like someone driving a unicycle (back and forth pedaling constantly) and not like shifting gears as in the Hobie. Anyway, still a big improvement for the Hobie. Now, if they'd only upgrade the appearance of their kayaks. They look so clunky to me, not very clean lines, too heavy, and on and on.

I give Wilderness the nod this year for making most progress in the kayak marketing war. If only it had put the pedal drive on the ATAK 120, it would have been a blow out.

Lots of opinions. Mine. Brad

Last edited by Brad R; 07/20/16 04:38 PM.
Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: YakFishField] #11732701 07/20/16 05:08 PM
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Loving that FeelFree. I didn't hear how long they said the battery would last. Anyone??

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: Brad R] #11732711 07/20/16 05:13 PM
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Originally Posted By: Brad R
Originally Posted By: YakFishField
Originally Posted By: BassFever
They are all similar and different at same time. LOL.. All are circular peddle. Is that because the Hobie is patented?


Yes, Hobie's Mirage Drive is patented. I'm curious as to why Native didn't opt to patent theirs. Perhaps they couldn't for some reason?

If they simply chose not to, I wonder if they're regretting that now. They're still "First with Reverse," but are now "One of Six with Reverse." noidea


I suppose Native has little to patent since the system it uses is found on countless bicycles and in so many other devices for so many years, decades, even longer. If there is something intrinsic to it that is patentable, I think seeing a very similar unit not long ago in a Chinese "copy" would be the test case. But, no, I don't see anything Native could attack in, say, the new Wilderness Helix Pedal Drives. If so, Native would have been sued by whom, Schwinn?

If I had to make a guess, I'd say the Feel Free hybrid manual/power drive is the least likely to succeed in the market. Too bad because it is certainly very progressive. The best doesn't always win in the market place; if so, we'd still be using Word Perfect and not MS Word.

But, the new Wilderness kayaks like the Radar? For these, you can paddle, manually pedal OR step up to a power drive. So, the flexibility will account for a lot of sales while the Feel Free has limited itself to just a small percentage of the kayak market who will pay that sticker price.

Native dropped the ball, I think. It did bring out a less expensive pedaling option and that is good; but, with the new power units gaining attention, it really HAD to come through with its trolling motor mount, something it promised a whole year ago that would cost around a $100 and allow Native Propel owners the opportunity to drop in a small trolling motor. That whole rigging: a hundred bucks for a mount, a battery and a small trolling motor? It would come in at a fraction of the cost of the power units at the 2016 ICAST. One should have been sitting on display. The sad part is the mount is so simple that it could have been built in literally thousands of machine shops across the USA. And, yet it is still not on the market last I looked.

I also think Old Town Predator's new pedal unit will never become much of a market presence.

I have no opinion on the new Hobie Drive. I think the shifting apparatus is okay and the penguin drive system is certainly more powerful than the pedal systems, but for fishing, the pedals work more like someone driving a unicycle (back and forth pedaling constantly) and not like shifting gears as in the Hobie. Anyway, still a big improvement for the Hobie. Now, if they'd only upgrade the appearance of their kayaks. They look so clunky to me, not very clean lines, too heavy, and on and on.

I give Wilderness the nod this year for making most progress in the kayak marketing war. If only it had put the pedal drive on the ATAK 120, it would have been a blow out.

Lots of opinions. Mine. Brad


I agree with you about the Hobie's. I don't care for that pull cord for forward/reverse thingy. Just seems awkward.

But I don't agree with your opinion on the FeelFrees. Their drive system is reverse compatible with all 11.5 and 13's with the pod. And it seems easier to use. The others you have to pull way up etc.

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: YakFishField] #11732736 07/20/16 05:28 PM
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BassFever,

Sure, I think we agree. I did say that I thought the new Feel Free was "progressive" and I guess by that, I meant innovative. It is just that it comes paired up so there is no way to just buy the manual element without the motor element. So, it relegates it, assuming it works well as advertised and gets good reviews on the water, to those who will spend several extra thousand dollars for a motor driven kayak.

There is a market there; it just isn't a very large segment within the fishing kayak arena.

I could be wrong but I think manual pedal fishing kayaks in the 3 grand range, decked out at likely around 4 grand, that this more or less tops out the market in terms of price.

Gosh, I do like the view of a Hobie PA 12 and 14 from overhead, but it looks like something a kid modeled out of play dough from so many angles out of water. And, they are so impossibly heavy, the PAs that is. I do think the Outbacks, the newer ones, look much more stylish, that is for sure. And, another thing, Hobie's limited color selection and what they are. They look dull to me.

Hobie really needs to "hire" a make-up/design artist or someone like that to work with their engineers. The yaks just lack sex appeal. Think motorcycles here, where not only the motor counts, but the bike's appearance matters so much.

As Native has dropped the ball this year a bit, I think Hobie is long overdue knocking out some new molds, new colors.

Glad for all the new competition; it will make for better kayaks, better options.

Brad

Re: Videos of All the New Pedal Kayaks from ICAST [Re: BassFever] #11732767 07/20/16 05:42 PM
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YakFishField Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: BassFever
Loving that FeelFree. I didn't hear how long they said the battery would last. Anyone??


We asked them for details on how the battery would connect to the motor or if there would be integrated power or what. They declined to comment, simply stating "It is still a prototype so nothing is set in stone. Sorry." I asked if they could give us ANY hint at what direction they were leaning, and they stopped responding.

With our Facebook post reaching over 15,000 people so far, you'd think they'd at least take the time to respond to us. Oh well. I'll let you guys know if I get any updates.


Robert Field

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