I am about to be in the market for a new kayak and have a few questions as to which kayak would be best. I am looking at either the 2019 Hobie outback or the 2019 Hobie Pro Angler 12. I can't decide which one would be best for me. I lean towards the Pro Angler but due to how I will rig it I am not sure it would be best. Here are my questions:

1. I am going to want lights and a depth finder on my rig (which I have never had before), and was wondering what size batteries would work best to run those two accessories.
2. I know I want to install the boonedox landing gear for whichever kayak I get. I have heard or a couple of cases of the landing gear cracking the hulls, so would a pro angler still do ok with the landing gear despite being heavier?
3. If the Pro Angler would be good with the landing gear, would the addition of a make it too heavy for the landing gear, or would it still be ok?

Any advice is appreciated as this will be my first time truly rigging out a yak for a long term period of time.

What about those lead you to believe they are the best?

Not sure I can help here.

But I know guys who can!

Just my personal research on it all along with my style of fishing.
and dan send them here to help me lol! If the landing gear will hold up to a Pro Angler with a batterie I'm leaning toward it.

I don't know about the Boondox Landing Gear question but I am about to sell my '17 PA12.

I have only used the Hobie big cart to move it if I wasn't going right to the ramp and I had help to unload / load it.

I just used a little battery from Academy to power my graph and such.

OP you may have already considered this when narrowing down your selection but weight is a big factor not only on the water but handling it off the water. You're getting Boondox and that's good. Weight comes in when you are having to pull the kayak up a steep boat ramp back to the truck after a day of fishing. 20 lbs makes a big difference. Also washing it off at home, moving it around while doing mods, etc. I have a PA14 and trust me weight is an issue.

On the fish finder it depends on what model you go with. If you go with a big 9 inch unit that has wifi, GPS and DS you're gonna need a lot of power. If you go with a 5 or 7 inch and some basic LED strip lights I would go with a minimum 10 ah battery. A standard "deer feeder" or 7 ah battery may work but if you are on a weekend or extended fishing trip you would likely need to charge the battery after day 1 of fishing. You may also run out of power during a trip with the smaller battery. The FPV Power 17 ah battery is expensive but well worth it in my opinion. It only weighs 2 lbs (again weight makes a big difference) and you would be able to go forever on a charge (I go 3 days with a low low hook 2 5 and lights). You would also have reserve power in case you wanted to add a port on your kayak for charging your phone, GoPro, etc.

As far as the Boondox if you go with the Boondox Groovy landing gear they should work on either kayak. The cracked hull issues were with the older Boondox landing gear model that has the orange cross bar. The Groovy has better backing plates and mounting brackets. I haven't heard of any issues with the Groovy landing gear cracking a hull under normal use. I have the Groovy on my PA14 and our 2020 Outback. Only been on both kayaks for a short time so don't have any feedback to report but this model of landing gear should be fine. If you go with the Outback make sure you install it as Boondox recommends as shown in their videos on their website.

Couple of things. LED strip lights are cool. I've installed them on a couple of our kayaks and have had them on my PA for less than a year. I won't ever install them on a kayak again. For me they are too easy to damage whether it's loading the kayak in the truck, bumping into a dock at a boat ramp, bumping into a tree on the water,etc. These are all areas where the LED strip lights on the side of the kakay were damage. Also if you wash your kayak at a car wash the strip lights likely won't hold for very long. I've replaced them 2 and 3 times on each of our kayaks. For the little use I get out of them IMO their not worth it. That's just me. A good 360 light (and by good I mean one that you build not one you buy) is all I need. Here is the next DIY 360 light I'm going to build but with about half the lights this guy uses. https://youtu.be/Mxz6wSUBN3A

Sorry this is a little long. Let me know if you have any questions.

You lost me after reading lights and batteries!

I'd definitely go the PA 12 route over the Outback for almost all fishing circumstances, both of course super great kayaks. But, offshore, standing, fly fishing, and more favor the PA 12. The Outback would have some advantages in some river circumstances I suspect. Heck, just getting it down the banks of a river to launch would be easier. And, the Outback would be a better paddler I think. I think it'd be slightly faster, too.

But, people are buying Hobies, first and foremost, for their pedal drive systems . . . not to paddle them. And, not to race them either.

The addition of the latest model version of the Boonedox Landing Gear almost completely eliminates issues related to the additional weight of the PA 12. It makes loading them on trailers or truck beds, getting on and off the lake a breeze.

The PA 12 is a bit shorter by 9" and a 2" wider beam at 36" and a higher seat if you want it with more capacity. The higher seat is generally a good thing for fishing and the stodgier build of a PA 12 makes sitting up like that (raising the center of mass) less wobbly. And, you can stand up easier if you like to fish on your feet. And, if you do stand, the PA 12 has a wider cockpit floor area to spread your feet out a bit. The Outback's floor space is rather confined.

PA 12s are anchor trolley ready.

A PA 12 also has a retractable skeg in addition to its rudder. The skeg will really come in handy at times controlling your vessel.

PA 12 Horizontal rod storage = 4 so you can really eliminate a lot of after market add-ons related to rod storage. Expensive stuff added later. But, if you do want to add on accessories, the PA 12 is set up for tons of them. Most of us can go broke outfitting most any Hobie, especially the PAs.

Funny thing I have often noticed about Outbacks and other less expensive Hobies, that after they are purchased, it seems the buyers then spend a whole lot of money, in essence, to turn them into . . . PA 12s and 14s.

Brad

Under six foot tall and under 200lbs, I’d get the Outback

Otherwise, I’d get the PA

ah! great advice guys, thank yall so much. After reading this I believe I'll go with the PA! I wasn't aware that boonedox had resolved the issue by renovating their landing gears, and as all I use kayaks for are fishing and I am 6'2 205lb, the PA would probably fit me better.

I have a PA14 and love it. However, keep in mind that the PA's are more of a boat and less of a Kayak. If you plan on going offshore, I feel that a 2018 or older Outback is a better choice. The PA's are too heavy for big chop and swells. I don't know how true it is, but I recently read that the 2019 Outbacks perform worse in big water than the 2018 design.

I only fish freshwater. Even still, I generally don't head out into the middle of large lakes if the chop is over 18"... the heavy PA plows though like a tank when my sons Outback stays on top for the most part. The chop does not make me feel unsafe... it just makes for a wet and rough ride.

The Boonedox will work with the PA's although it does void the warranty. I do not recommend using the Boonedox on rough ground. I used mine almost exclusively on concrete ramps and NEVER roll it off a curb (the jar could crack the hull). If I need to go across rough ground, which is very rare, I use my old C-Tug.

Jimbo had a good suggestion to better use the Boonedox on rough ground. He suggested using a ratchet strap under the PA and attaching to the Boonedox bars on each side. This will remove some of the stress from the top rail and transfer it to the bottom. I have not tried this yet, but it seems to me that it will work.

Just my two cents.

Mike the older model Outbacks are better for offshore than the newer models mainly due to the square back end on the newer models. The square stern makes it tough on the surf landing. The newer models are also a wetter ride than the older ones since the bow is more pointed. But the newer models are longer and more efficient. Either Outback (older model or newer model) would be considerably better offshore than a PA12.

Good tips on the Boondox. Another thing I would avoid is changing out the wheels with C-Tugs. Lotta guys do this because the tires that come standard on the Boondox float which makes it harder to get the arm back into the base in the down position while on the water at the end of the day. The issue with this is the C-Tugs wheels are very thin and absorb very little of the impact whereas the original Boondox tires do help take some impact off the kayak.

Thanks for the explanation Jerry. It's helpful to hear from first-hand owners.

I still REALLY like the 2019 Outback.... In my opinion, Hobie did a great job with the redesign. My only "gripe" with the Outback is the lack of horizontal rod storage and relatively small hatch cover on the front. We solved the small hatch on my son's 2018 Outback by using foam blocks to make a "wall" between the hatch lid and mirage drive. We took our time to cut the foam precisely to fill the entire cavity and then glued them into place with Marine Goop. This results in a large storage compartment that extends all the way to the nose of the yak. He can fit almost as much gear as I can fit in my PA14 storage bin.

If the Outback came in a 360, I probably would have bought one instead of another PA. Until then, I will plow along in my 150lb tank...

Sounds like that front hatch work turned out great on that Outback. I think that could be done with the newer models.

Man if Hobie put rod holders in the newer Outbacks you'd see a flood of used PA's for sale and guys buying a new Outback lol.

Right, I saw one of the YouTube regulars who fishes down here in Galveston and other areas, bays and more. He took his Outback out to the oil platform rig and it almost beat him to death. He said something to the effect, "never again!!!"

Kayak selection is so very individual in nature and nearly impossible to know what another likes or needs.

Jerry, regarding Hobie adding features like rod holders and more to Outbacks, it is very likely that the company doesn't want to rob sales from its PA line, sees it as the gold standard. I think Hobie has the Outback dialed in to attack another lower price point. Not that it is an inexpensive kayak, for sure, but less than the PAs.

When the new Outback came out, I thought it sort of leap-frogged back in the lead over many other models. Then, the 360 series came out. Whew!!!

Brad