Looking to my my first kayak. Really want a hobie outback but dont like the price. Jackson cuda hd would be my second pick. Love the thought of the hobie being relitivley hands free. Any thoughts?

There's a lot of other hands free options other than just Hobie these days have you looked at any of the other options?

Both are really great kayaks but so very different. A lot depends on how you plan to fish. Inshore fishing, ponds and rivers likely favor the Cuda HD; the Hobie with its pedal system will out-fish the Cuda HD in deeper lakes, offshore.

I have a Cuda Lt and it is very fast, extremely light and so easy to get on and off the water in it. But, if I'm on a large lake, it just can't fish as well as my Native Propel 10. But, again, this depends on how you fish. If you plan to drop an anchor, the Cuda would be nearly as good. But, if you are going to fish down long lengths of banks, having your hands free is a very big deal.

Throw a Propel 10 into your equation, maybe? It has a reverse that is more amenable to fishing than the new Hobie reverse. And, it is much lighter and easier to haul around.

Brad

Would you prefer to peddle or paddle? Both would be good for lakes. The Cuda would be more versatile if you hit shallower rivers. I own a paddle yak mainly because I fish rivers 90% of the time, but if it was the other way around, I'd probably go with the outback. You may also be able to find a used outback for the same price as a new Cuda HD I'm guessing.

I'm planning on fishing inshore only really. Mostly ponds and lakes, maybe some rivers but not likely.

Inshore usually refers to inlets and bays and flats . . . saltwater areas, usually rather shallow, and lower wave action than offshore or BTB (beyond the breakers). It is super fun fishing.

If you are planning to fish larger ponds (with deep water) and lakes, I think most of us would agree that it is hard to beat a pedal kayak for results. BoPro has it dialed in correctly.

I'd add that for many of us, there is great pleasure in paddling much of the time. It is just different. And, it usually means you have way less mechanical issues since you have no drives, less maintenance.

One other thing, while I think it might be a tad easier to pedal long distances to cover water to get to a fishing hole, for short distances if you are in a good paddling kayak with a good paddle, and you know how to use it? I think I might actually paddle as fast or even faster in my Cuda Lt as I can pedal in a Propel 10. And, the so-called easy paddle/pedal cruise speed? They are very close to the same.

Brad