Hobie Quest 13 Hobie Quest 13

I have fished from a Hobie Quest 13 consistently for about two years now, and have no regrets in my decision to purchase it. It performs very well in lakes, bays and the ocean. It is very maneuverable and turns on a dime. It is light, at about 60 lbs, which makes it easy for one person alone to push it up onto a vehicle.

Other pros include two built-in rod holders, plenty of storage room behind the seat, sufficient leg room (I am 6' 4"), and a large front hatch for storage inside. The kayak is also very quick, and I can get out to the kelp easily and in relatively short order.

The cons, in my humble opinion, are that it is difficult to stow rods inside the kayak, and it is difficult to stand up. Actually, if you want to stand up to fish, I would not recommend this boat. Further, the center hatch is too small to push your rods into, which you'll probably want to do if you plan to launch through the surf.

Overall, I am very satisfied with this kayak, so I give it 5 stars.

For a paddelling kayak,as a member of the hobie team this is my favorite, next to the pro-angler.love to get up in the shallows anchor and stalk on foot,have had incredible days on this kayakzccgc

I have been fishing my quest for about 2 months straight every weekend. I cant say enough about it. Has awesome control and can do everything that I need it to. If rigged properly for fishing, this thing will do everything you want it to. By far my favorite Hobie Kayak

Have been fly fishing from a Quest for almost 3 years now and in short -- FANTASTIC! When I initially tried the Yak and compared it to others, my first impression was a sports car versus a semi. The kayak paddles easily, gives a dry ride and handles just about any type of water (within reason). My fishing is in Lake Michigan, inland lakes and rivers as well as 3 months in the salt marshes of the SE Atlantic. I am out in the Yak over 50 times a year.

My rigging include a thru hull fish and depth locator, a GPS, anchor trolley, numerous pad eyes for leashes and a Scotty fly rod holder. Have even fashioned a downrigger that fits in the molded rod holder.

While there are other excellent kayaks out there, my experience is you can't go wrong with the Hobie Quest -- in fact we have two as my wife enjoys paddling and the SOT is a lot easier for her than the Sea yaks. We are in our early 60's and loading/unloading is not a problem as the Quest is easy to handle and relatively light.
Reviewer: Steve Osterhaus from Wisconsin/Georgia