I just bought a Hobie Outback and it�s my first peddle yak. I am now in east Texas and our lakes are pretty stumpy. How do you guys deal with the stumps in regards to your mirage drive, when you are fishing and moving spot to spot?

It's no different than any boat... Go slow and try not to hit them. Honestly, that's about all you can do.

If you are reasonably certain not to hit a stump (i.e.: boat lane and/or deeper water), go as fast as you want. Once you are in the midst of the stumps slow down and glide as much as possible. Meaning, give it 2 or 3 pumps and then hold the fins tight against the hull as you glide.

If you are in really nasty water, you can remove the drive and paddle. You can also use the bungee cord to hold the fins against the hull.

If you hit a stump while going slow, the rods will flex without bending. However, you can bend a rod if you really wack a stum (or rock). If this happens, bend it back best you can without putting too much pressure on the drive. Once you get home, remove the rod and bend it straight (a vice and breaker bar helps a lot). If the rod is too bad, you can simply replace the rod.

I would not worry about it too much. After two years of running two Hobbies (mine and my son's), we have only bent two rods... and I've hit a lot of stuff!

Good luck and enjoy your new ride!

Thanks for the advice, this makes me feel a lot more confident.

Good Luck! You will love it. I really like mine!

I have bent mirage drive masts on stumps and rocks several times. All you need to do is pull the fin off and bend the mast back straight then slip the fin back on and you're good to go. I have also hit a rock early in the day and fished for several hours and didn't realize the mast was bent until I got off the water later in the day.