Hobie Mirage

[sheldon957]

Does anyone have any experience with the Hobie Mirage? They look like they could be both fun and exercise on a cruising boat.

Be better on the back than a straight paddle board though you could still use it that way.

Mirage Eclipse : Hobie Cat

[delmarrey]

Looks like fun, for awhile! But would the price justify the use? A rental, maybe.

Storage would be difficult unless the paddles and handlebar folds away.

[jongleur]

I like the legwork as opposed to the arm/trunk
work.

This one as a tender would be great:

Mirage i14T : Inflatable Kayaks : Hobie Cat

[sheldon957]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

Looks like fun, for awhile! But would the price justify the use? A rental, maybe.

Storage would be difficult unless the paddles and handlebar folds away.

Handle bars, propeller fins and rudder all remove in 2 minutes.

[Catmandu]

We had two on board and they were great fun. Paddles fold, pedals remove in 15 seconds. Great exercise and with the turbo fins we could cruise at 4-4.5 knots and cover long distances. Great for exploring, fishing and even have a sail kit if you want get off your sailboat and sail some more.

Make sure you have storage worked out. Alas the ones that I purchased were 13 ft long and slightly too long to store inside when away from the mother ship. But no worries even though they were expensive I sold them in a day for $200 more than I bought them for.

[GILow]

Tell me if I'm wrong but they look like they'd be next to impossible to use in anything but pretty smooth water?

[Catmandu]

Never tried them in the open ocean. But they did great handling 4' wakes from sport fishers doing 30 knots in the ICW. They are stable in waves but you might get wet.

[mikereed100]

Everyone we've met that has one loves it. Friends with a tandem can chug along all day at 4 knots with a top speed of 7 and then sail home if the wind is right. Other friends have a pair of the inflatable SUP convertibles which help with the weight and storage issues, although at $2200 per I would worry about longevity in the sun.