For the past 2 years, kayak fishing has been gaining popularity. Even boaters has been frequently trolling the kayak forum with intention of picking up a kayak or two. With that being said, kayak fishing is definitely not for everyone. Demoing a kayak help some but IMHO, the best thing to do is to RENT a kayak that suit your fishing need/style and fish it for a day or two before spending the money for one. With that being said, on to my review of the 2015 Hobie PA14.

I will start with the problem/flaw of the PA14.

Rudder/Skeg deployment line. The skeg line to the left is running fairly close to the drum. At full locked, there is a chance that the line will get caught by the drum. Should there not be a line guide/D ring moving the line �� away from the drum?

Close up of the Skeg line without bushing. I am no engineer, but over time the line will just cut through the Polyethylene. In the above pic, you can clearly see plastic bushings for the rudder control line.


Front hatch gasket : This is a known problem that had plagued all years Pro Angler. In windy/choppy conditions. Water will find there way into the PA.

Hobie Anchor Trolley Kit while it is nice of them to pre-crimped the hog rings onto bungee, I however prefer to sew mine up with braided line and heat shrink the connections. It is cleaner looking plus the hog rings will scratch up the kayak.

Hobie/Lowrance ready transducer transducer mount. It is USELESS if you are trying to fit bigger side imaging transducer. When they remold the kayak to fit the transducer they should have make the mount to accept a VARIETY of different transducer.

Hobie Mirage Drive Hole
Not sure if they made changes to the frame of the drive but there was ��-1/2� of play fore and aft. On my 2012 there was ZERO play. Interestingly, I wiggle the drive on the 2015 Outback and it has the same amount of play. Definitely not a deal breaker and I fixed it temporarily with duck tape. 

The Changes
Rudder tension knob. This came out in 2014 and can be retrofitted to 2013 PA12 or 14. All it does is to tighten up the rudder control. Definitely not a necessity.

Drop down skeg
This skeg work awesome! Especially on windy day. I find myself having to steer less to keep my PA pointing straight.

You do lose the rear gear bucket, which is not a big deal to me.

H Rails(one of each side plus the rear handle)
For those that are paranoid about drilling holes in theie kayak, you will love this rails! Here are a few sample of what you can attach to the rails.

Additional scupper hole for the skeg

Hobie Mirage Drive with Glide Technology

This drive rocks! It is much smoother and definitely requires less effort to peddle. I can definitely maintain a slightly faster cruising speed while expending the same amount of energy compare to the older V2 drive.

That is all for changes. Now for my take on the Vantage seat. While it is nice and comfortable with infinite adjustments. This is something I do not care for. The side handle just get in the way, especially on hot summer when you want side saddle or wash off the Cooper mud from your feet!

The frame is wide and has only 5.5� of clearance on each side for rods. Not as bad for bait casting reels, More so for spinning reels.




Here is a quick summary of the pros and cons of the PA14. There are definitely more but these are some of the more important ones that I will highlight.

Cons :
� PRICE : $3,199.00 plus tax or shipping
� Weight : 138lbs fully rigged not including all the fishing gears. (Bring a few buddies and a oxygen tank if you are launching from a remote location)
� Width/Height : Catches a lot of wind and you will need a BOAT SIZE drift sock.
Pros :
� Hobie patented #1 hole or in the extreme situation when you are in the middle of the lake can be use as a #2 hole. Yes us Hobie guys(not sure bout gals) do it all the time.

� Flat deck
� TONS AND TONS of room

Hopefully this will give potentially PA buyers some insights of what to expect. For 2012 and earlier owners thinking about upgrading, it is definitely worth it not so for 2013-2014 owners. I am pretty sure eventually Hobie will come up with a retrofit kit for both the Mirage drive and H rails for the 2013-2014.

Special thanks to Mariner Sails for hooking me up with the 2015 PA14.

Very nice!

He's not speaking for all of us!!

Nice write-up Lee!

I ALWAYS use the hole for #1 and NEVER for #2. And if I did, I wouldn't admit it.


Excellent write up and good to hear from someone that had a lot of time on the water in an older version about the effectiveness of the skeg and the Glide drive - the 2 bigger improvements IMO. Good unbiased review.

BTW Lee,it looks like it's a great catfish boat!

nice report Lee love the beer holder

Nice review. I always wondered how Hobie could justify their prices, now I know. Rudder adjustment..... who needs that, and more to the point, who else does that? But that item alone lets you know you're not looking at your regular... off the shelf kayak. The skeg system, the built in rod holders, the deployment handle for the skeg show an amount of detail that I have not seen on any other kayak. Don't get me wrong, I love my Wilderness Systems kayaks, but that Hobie is on a whole nother level.

Great review Lee! I can't wait to see it in action!!!

Thanks guys!

Nice Review - Can't wait to get my hands on 1.

good review Lee, but thinking about the price of a PA14 is crazy. for $3,200, you can buy a nice used boat.

Good review Lee!!!

Nothing has officially come out but it is our understanding that Hobie will be offering a H Rail retrofit kit in the not too distant future.

BTW...the new H Rail attachments fit very nicely on current PA models. The H Rails will definitely give you more "real estate" area for mounting accessories.

I wish I could find a nice used boat for $3200 but I like to go fast

Those rod holder tubes are the one thing that is keeping me interested in the PA. Managing my rods is a huge issue, when I'm out, on the water. I've almost broke many o rods, and often have 3, to 5 in my lap, on the deck, or almost slipping overboard. Seems silly, but the refinement, and the rod holders make the deal for me. I do like the ability to reverse. I also like the ability to lock the Hobie fins, up against the hull, and not having to pull the drive up, when in shallow water.

These are all opinions, based off of observation, and not much, actual time in the boats. I've peddled both, but only at the G2G. I would love to spend a day in a Mirage drive boat, and a Propel drive boat, to see which I like best.