Anyone pre-order, or have heard about the new pedal kayak venture by TFF member Robert Field?
Sounds like it's a good deal, and anxious to see where it's going to go.

https://www.facebook.com/lightningkayaks/videos/514427849077315/

I've been watching and curious about the Lightening pedal drive too. It seems to be well thought out and could very well become a major player.

It seems to be very similar to an Outback. Personally, until the Lightning stands the test of time, I would try to find a used Outback with reverse.

However, I've never been an "early adopter" of new products... I'm a "wait and see" type of purchaser.

I would bet its a pretty solid ride. He is no fairweather fisherman. Ive seen him in some nasty slop in his old tarpon and also in his outback. He has worked very hard making a good name for himself in this industry and i would bet he isnt willing to throw it away for a walmart type kayak.

Myself, as many that have been here for a while remember Robert, who not too many years ago was a newbie on this forum asking questions that newbies ask.
He jumped into this kayak game with both feet, and established himself pretty darn quick as one of the top kayak fishermen in the sport.
I don't see this as anything but a success for him, and wish him the best!

I remember meeting him on his second time ever in a kayak. It was chilly fall or winter, he was in jeans, im sure cold. I remember it because i was throwing my castnet by the hump on lewisville and caught one of my rods...which fell to the bottom of the lake. Im still salty about that. I met up with him many other times since and one time i remember and the time that made me really like him he put in at westlake on lew paddled prob 5 miles to the mouth of the trinity on the far north end of lew in 20+mph wind. I dont care what anyone says, he has payed his dues and continues to pay dues. His love for the sport shows. Im glad he is living his dream. A bad memory of him was i hooked a sailfish in corpus after a 30 min fight it broke me off, shortly after he did a video of him catching one. I had to watch how it was done.

Looks cool but I don�t think it has the ability to reverse. That�s a deal breaker for me. Probably ok if you�re only fishing big, open water but would be tough in closer quarters.

Hobie's earliest patent has expired and Pelican has simply copied it. They cannot include and of the current improvements or features and have simply ,molded everything out of plastic. There are no bearings anywhere, but that doesn't mean they wont last a good while. I have two 1999 Hobie drives in an old tandem that work great because they have been washed/soaked with WD40 every trip of their lives. I am pretty sure if they had been ignored, they would have died long ago.

This post was not about the Pelican pedal kayak but about the Lightning Strike kayak that is coming out. It has a copy of the mirage drive as well and is called the Freedom Drive I believe. Robert Field was on the team that developed it.
Here are some images pulled from google.

Robert Field also has video�s on his youtube channel for more information on it.

Sounds like its time for the Hobie guys to pull up a chair and pour another glass of haterade lol.

I'm a Hobie guy and I've been watching the Lightning for a while now. I believe the Lightening could become a major player. I doubt that they unseat Hobie, but I welcome a little competition to keep the price points in check.

The design appears to be solid and the production videos make me feel that they are quality minded. So, if the Lightening makes it a year or so without reports of manufacturer defefects, they will be a welcome addition. Once they are able to introduce reverse (which I assume is a patent issue), I think they could put a hurt on the Outback.

Hobie does not need to be "encouraged" to innovate or to produce a quality product. But they do need to be "encouraged" to keep pricing in check

Absolutely agree Hobie has nothing to worry about they make a great kayak and its a time tested design. And people should welcome the competition it will only help to make prices lower and force companies to compete for your business. The saying is true imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Hobie should be proud that their design was so successful that companies have copied the mirage drive. Funny some people forget that Pelican and the lightning strike and even some made in china kayaks that are out now using the mirage drive copies are not the first kayak company to borrow this idea. The Santa Cruz Raptor G2 used a hobie mirage drive as well and was the first that I know of other than custom/homemade kayaks that I have seen before.

Yep the g2 did make an adapter that would allow the mirage drive to fit...that is how they got around the whole "patent" thing. Sad thing is is that boat was a horrible flop. The idea was great but they lacked money and humility. If they had as much of that as they had ideas they would still be around. Id be supprised if they sell 10 boats a year now.

I understand what Robert is trying to achieve, and I'm hoping by making an affordable pedal drive kayak, that his company isn't cutting corners as far as the quality and dependability of the drive system is concerned because that is the focal point of what he is doing with the kayak.
From what I could tell on the video is that some of his staff that he has brought into his company have worked at designing some of those other competitors that have come out with a hull design with the tri-hull, which is a very stable platform.
I guess we really won't know how these kayaks will perform until people get them into their hands and start posting their reviews.
Anyone speculating and comparing them to Hobie or Pelican brands, should post where they got their information about no bearings, plastic gears or parts being used, because I've searched and can't find any details on how the new freedom drive is manufactured.
The finished product will tell the tale, and I don't think his mission is to unseat anyone!

I understand the spirit of what you are saying, but I sure hope he is trying to unseat Hobie! Otherwise he is not striving for perfection. A little healthy competition is a good thing.