Pedal drive kayaks

Pros and cons of a pedal drive and which ones do you like/dislike?

My wife has a old town pdl 120.  They are very stable (you can stand up).  They are very heavy.  One man can load it, but you better be a mans man... or a hell of a strong lady.  The pedal drive moves the kayak faster than you can paddle the kayak.... but it is worthless in weeds (stuck on the prop).  There is lots of storage, cup holder, rod holder, and a very comfortable seat (actually purchased a couple of these seats to place in my canoes).  It tracks for shit.  

To each there own... but I can buy three old town solo canoes for the price of one of these pedal kayaks.  It also weighs 1/3 as much.  It can carry twice as much weight.   It tracks better and is easier to paddle.  I would definitely say if you can try this stuff out ahead of time to know the difference do it.  I know ruttabaga in madison lets ya do it. 

got the new kayak sitting up on blocks, pelican 130 hydrve, dont have any time to get out lol. soon, will let you know how it goes.

Yeah, it'll definitely depend on how spooky the fish are, but I use my Hobie to long line troll shallow eyes, especially at night, all the time.  I try to limit unnecessary movements - plastic on plastic is a pretty loud noise, as well as keep my lights to the legal minimum for a kayak.  

Noise...I use mine in the ultra-clear waters of the lower Florida keys. Fish absolutely spook from seeing me as opposed to the sound.

Hobie Mirage drive....Fishing roughly 45-50 days per year. Winter....and primarily shallow water.

To answer your question I think it depends on how spooky the fish are on your body of water and exactly what type of pedal drive system you have. I have an old town with a pdl (prop) drive and while I think it’s still stealthier than an electric trolling motor it’s not absolutely silent either. It kind of makes a quiet hum while pedaling that I assume is from the gear mesh in “the lower unit “of the drive. I don’t think it would spook fish any worse then paddle propulsion. Be aware that I tend to fish clearer smallmouth rivers and tend to make longer casts to where I think the fish are anyway because I am more afraid of the fish seeing me.

Are pedal kayaks noisy? Noisy enough to scare wallyes in shallow water?

Ive never seen one used but I have visions of "glub glub glub" as you pedal. Somebody set me straight

got a pelican 130 Hydryve coming in next week. had to order it. It's a pedal boat for around $1500. 1/2 price of hobo's.   want to get out on weekends and can't fish the fox chain it's a zoo on weekends, so will take this out on some small bodies, chase some spring crappies around. Will let you know how it fares.

To the pedal kayakers:

 Due ti budget,  I'm looking for advice on a mid-priced pedal kayak advice. 

 Looking to stay between $1000 & $1500. For a complete set up.

It's use would mainly be for cranberry flowages, smaller lakes & slow rolling rivers. 

 Any advice would be appreciated. 

Thanks,

Big Mac 

Hi Mark...Hobie sells a bag - manufactured and also sold a little cheaper under a different name - that fits perfectly inside the bow hatch of my revo. It's triangular shaped with the same taper as the kayak...I know for a fact that I can fit a bag of ice,a 26" redfish ,a bottle of gatorade and 5 snapper in the 12-16" range...or a bag of ice,snappers,gatorade and a 35" barracuda in it. Tight fit and I have to be careful zipping it but it'll all fit. I partially curled the 'cuda.

Figure out what kind of fishing you'll be doing, how you plan on transporting your kayak and how you plan on storing it and go from there. I have a Hobie Revolution 13, which is only 70 lbs (hull weight). I can throw it on my Equinox, no problems. I can lift it over my head and carry it down to whatever beach launch I want. However, I primarily troll miles offshore on Lake Michigan for king salmon. I value something I can beach launch into the surf (and in the surf). It lacks stability - you'll never see me stand on it. But that's not my game anyways. 

My only complaint is lack of storage for big salmon. Pretty much have to stringer my fish. Some day I might make a switch, but this kayak suits my needs. 

To answer your question it really comes down to personal preference. A bunch of Hobie guys have already made their cases to you to buy a hobie. Hobie makes a great yak and they are still considered by many as the industry leader in pedal drive fishing kayaks. However I am going to play devils advocate and explain why I bought an old town with the PDL drive system. I want to get this out of the way first that I am blessed with a stable well paying job and I could of afforded to buy a hobie pro angler if I wanted to. 

1. Weight and size. Unless you have a long bed truck the 12 to 14' yaks will need to be supported with either a bed extender or separate kayak trailer. The bed extender will cost you a couple hundred bucks and a yak trailer at least a grand. I opted for the old town topwater PDL because it was offered in a 10.5' version. Being smaller makes it easier to lug around because it is also lighter too. Only about 100lbs compared to Hobies bigger 120-140lbs. It doesn't sound like much but yaks are big and awkward to load and unload (especially if you have a big lifted truck). All of the pedal kayaks on the marked are going to need a set of wheels unless you can back your truck up to the water to launch. 

2. If you primarily fish around shallow weeds the hobie fin design is superior. Props can and will get bogged down in weeds.  However the prop style excels in tight quarters around deeper docks because you have instant reverse at your disposal making maneuvering easy and fast. Wind blowing you into a dock your trying to fish? Pedal backwards. Its that simple. 

In summary, I went with a smaller prop drive kayak because I didn't want to buy a bed extender or trailer, ease of loading and unloading, I primarily fish rivers and bodies of water without dense weeds, and instant reverse. Hope this helps!

There are many pedal kayaks out in today's market.  Every one of them is compared to the Hobie drive mechanism.  Save your money up and buy a Hobie.  I pedal a PA14, but an Outback is a serious fishing machine as well.  

In years past I would tell you to go to Canoeicopia this spring and look them all over.  Pretty sure that my spring fishing, kayaking shows are all going to be cancelled.  

Good luck and if you get to a specific question, just ask. 

I held off last year to get a 2020 Hobie Outback after a few years with a basic sit on top non pedal version.  While this may be a little more cumbersome - the payoff is huge.  Essentially hands free propulsion is so - so much better!  The new outback with kick-up fins has been awesome in shallow water rivers I fish... and if gets too tight you can pull the drive and paddle a while.

Keeping the legs moving helps with your back and rear in the seat as well.... not to mention like my kayak - the seat is outstanding.  Stability and function of a built for fishing kayak is all huge as well.

I have a deep V 17' boat - and now spend equal time in both, just depends on where I go.... and if I need to cover more ground to fish.  The experience of tucking down backwaters of the Mississippi River and going where regular boats can't is really special.  Only downside of a yak... ya need patience at times that simply come with the challenges - but a pedal kayak takes 80% of that away... no comparison.

Pros:

1. Incredibly fun way to fish

3. Extremely versatile 

4. Great for lakes or rivers

1. Expensive.

2. Can be heavy, but not too bad in most cases.

I have owned two Hobie pedal kayaks and my third one just arrived at the dealership that I haven not picked up yet. Even if I someday get that dream 19 foot deep vee with a 250, I will still have a pedal kayak. To be honest - having a well setup fishing pedal kayak has greatly calmed my need for a big expensive fishing boat. Don't worry, I still want the later, but I can be more patient about it.