Hobie Mirage Outback Hobie Mirage Outback

I have a 2014 Hobie Outback. I had a 2014 Pro Angler 12 before this one. Sold it due to it being heavy. I really love my Outback and use it almost every weekend. I mostly troll for my fish as I fish for rainbow trout and kokanee salmon. The Mirage drive works perfectly for this. The Outback also is very stable. I am a big guy, 5'8 and over 300 lbs and the kayak handles my weight just fine. I haven't tried to stand in it though to cast or sight fish. The only down side I can say is, I wish it had the square hatch with the Plano trays like the Pro Angler. I currently just use the standard gear bucket but the hatch with the trays would be much better.

I bought the Hobie Mirage Outback and have overall been extremely disappointed with the boat.
I was convinced by quite a few people when telling them I was looking for an easily transportable and stable fishing kayak to go with the Hobie. I was disappointed with the small amount of deck space and the fact that I tipped it over 3 times my first time out fishing. It is a decent boat if you are looking for a kayak to pedal around. But not for fishing which was what I was looking for. I have since purchased a Nucanoe Frontier and it blows this boat out of the water as far as stability and versatility for $700 cheaper. I wish somebody would have told me about the Nucanoe when I asked about a stable and versatile boat made for fishing in the first place. Would have saved me a lot of frustration and money.

I have a 2014 and 2015 Outback, setup a little different, and the 2014 has a small seat towards the stern for my five year old daughter.

I fish in the NY/Raritan Harbor, which like the Chesapeake gets rougher than the ocean. And inland saltwater rivers. I use to own a Ocean Kayak that was fine, but nothing to compare to the Outbacks; better stability, more comfortable, better layout stable.

I think my next yak will be a 13' revolution; little bit faster and easier to launch from the beach. But, that will be a couple of years. I love both of my yaks, and wouldn't go back to paddle.

Great fishing platform ,stable ,hands free ,light enough to car top short enough to put in the bed of a pickup.

I've fished out of the Outback, Revo 13, PA12, and Tandem Island and I have to say the Outback is in my opinion the best kayak Hobie makes for kayak fishing. I own a 2011 Outback and I love it.
It's got tons of storage space, is not too heavy that it couldn't be lifted by one person, stable as can be, and the turning radius is phenomenal (with sailing rudder).
It's true this boat is not as fast as the Revo 13 or Adventure, but I'm not looking for a speedboat neither am I going miles offshore in it (although it can handle it). The bigger downside to me is that it is nearly impossible to paddle the Outback but you probably won't need to paddle much anyway since you have the amazing mirage drive system.
I gave it a 5 overall, it would really be more of a 4.5 in my book ( but that wasn't an option).
I love my Outback. If I had to do it over again I'd buy the same boat.
My advise to anyone considering a Hobie is go try out the different models and buy the one that fits you best and not what everyone else has.
Paul