Upgrading to a Pedal: Outback or PA14
 

I've fished out of a XFactor since last June and I'm starting to think that it's time to think about going to a pedal yak for a few different reasons.

At the fred hall show a couple of weeks ago, I sat in the Outback, PA12 and 14. The PA14 felt massive and I couldn't believe how easy it was to stand up with the new seat that has those armrests. That's a huge plus for me. I'm thinking I could spend a lot more time out on the water if I could stand up, stretch, etx... sitting for more than 6-8 hours takes too much of a toll on me especially with my crappy (but expensive) seat that keeps on slipping out of position! :) I'd love to stand up, throw irons, etx... etx... And yeah, after I got out of the PA14 and sat in the Outback, that yak felt pretty small and cramped!

The outback has that new seat. I'm not really sure how much of a difference that'd make out on the water. The way the floor's molded, standing up isn't as comfortable as it is in the PA14, at least that's how it felt at fred hall.

I guess it's obvious which way I'm leaning.

But I'm looking for some more "on the water" thoughts from you guys that have experience with both yaks. Is there any reason I might want to go with the Outback over the PA14?

Some more thoughts: I would think I'll fish out of La Jolla most of the time and SD Bay/MB every now and then. I have a G1 Tundra (the small one) with a bed extender and I'll probably use that for a while to transport the Hobie. I may eventually get a trailer later on if I do get the PA14, but I think I should be ok with loading it into the back of my truck.

I'll definitely demo both models before buying, but will definitely appreciate any thoughts about one or the other yak from you guys. Thanks.

I would go with the PA14, get a rack for your truck and put it up top. You can't park a trailer at la jolla so save yourself the money on a trailer and buy a good set of wheels instead.

Why not the PA12? Same size as the Outback.

PA14, if you are going to go, go big. You can store several YT or WSB in the kayak, there is lots of room for stuff also. The outback is a little cramped for my tastes.

Is there a particular reason why I'd want to get the PA12 instead of the 14 if I go that way?


And ful-rac, curious, why would I want to think about loading the 14 on top of my truck instead of just sliding it into the bed? The bed extender wouldn't support it adequately?

One more question. If I come across a good buy on this site or CL for a PA14, are there any particular years that I might want to stay away from?

The bed extender work fine, I've used that for several years now.

Bed extender will work just fine, but if you ever want to take trips or go camping or carry multiple kayaks the rack is the way to go....it would be nice to have the full storage area of your bed to use.

I wouldnt go older then 2013. The Lowrance ready is a huge benefit. My first PA was a 2012. While I like the kayak. The only flaw for me was having to shoot thru the hull (Transducer) and drill holes for the cables.

I say that if your gonna get a PA get the full size PA...otherwise get the outback. I know they're are a lot of happy PA12 owners out there...but I can tell you that there are plenty of former PA12 owners that wished they bought the 14 after the fact.

roof RAC
 

Tony I'm waiting for a shell for my truck as we speak. The truck bed with the extender is fine for a one day trip but for the reasons you mensioned I feel the same. I want to go to baja or morro bay and need the bed of the truck with the sheel for camping grear.
That being said, I'm a little apprehensive about the whole process of getting my PA up and down. The shell comes with Yakima racks installed, do you use any of the rack assistors(besides Jorge) that are for sale to get your PA up or down by yourself?

Thanks

Cool, yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking. If I go with a PA, just stick with the 14 unless I found a killer deal on a 12 I couldn't turn down.

Thanks for the tip about sticking to the 2013 and up models. I just saw some stuff about how there's a defect with the 2014 mirage drive or something like that? Is that an easy fix? Is that covered under a recall or anything like that?

Yeah, totally understand the thing about loading the yak on top of the truck for long trips. I'll worry about that later. I would prefer to have the yak in the bed of the truck most of the time tho. Seems like all of that saltwater/sand dripping down from the yak can do a pretty good job on your roof...

No, I do it by myself, it's not as hard as you might think. Just lift half the kayak at a time and it's a piece of cake. Get the nose of the kayak up onto the crossbar, lift the rear and slide it up. Reverse to get it down.

If you go with a 2013 model, make sure that it is a late model and has a vantage seat, I know there are a few out there, and be sure to check it it has the lowrance ready transducer slot.

Just saw a 2014 PA12 for 2k but it's up near Fresno if you want to make the drive..

I have the PA14 and love it. For ease of transport I slide it into the bed of my truck, but even with a full 8' bed it sticks out probably more than the highway patrol would like. Haven't run into any problems though. For long trips up north or to Baja the kayak definitely goes up on the racks - purely because I'm paranoid someone is going to run into it...
Go to Home Depot and buy a garden sprayer. Fill it up before you leave the house, and spray the yak down during the loading process. You won't be bringing home the beach that way...

I just went from a 14' X-Factor to a new 2014 Hobie Pro Angler, 14' purchased from Fastlane Kayak's here in San Diego. I considered a PA 12', but glad I bought the 14'.

I used the 14' PA for the 1st time on Saturday in Mission Bay and it was great. Very easy to load/unload and an extremely comfortable ride in the Vantage Seat. Standing and stretching a bit is really nice and makes it so you can fish a lot longer.

I had also looked at used 12' and 14' Hobie PA's off Craigslist, all were 2012 or older, with the old model seat, priced around $2200 and were pretty *worked*. Even buying an older one at that price range, then upgrading to the Vantage seat will just about put you at the 2014 price.

For only a few hundred bucks more, I purchased a brand new 2014 model 6 weeks ago, with the 2 year hull warranty. They also offer a 0% 6 month financing plan if you need it. No brainer in my opinion ;-) Have fun!

That is some good info. Appreciate it. That's really the way to go, I think. Instead of trying to save a little bit of money on a PA12 and having all of those little things nag at me over time, just get the 14 for a little more money, have a rig I can be really happy with for several years and be done with it.

Now make sure you buy your PA at OEX!

I bought my XFactor from OEX with a ton of accessories.

It's still good knowing that there are options for getting into a PA14 from a local business that may be slightly different from what OEX's able to offer.