Offshore Saturday 07-19-14

[chris138]

Originally Posted by philr21

Wow.... I did a 16 mile trip in my Outback. That was in a river, in calm water, 8 miles each way. Didn't return until 3 hours after dark.

Never imagined that 25 in an X Factor was even doable. It's not for me and my level of fitness anyway. When I was using my X-Factor 2-3 miles was about as far as I went.

For longer treks, do you think it's better to go Hobie Outback or paddle the X-Factor? Now I have one of each.... thinking about selling the X-Factor as I hardly use it.

Couldn't say which is better as I have never used an outback. I will say that I wouldn't think twice about adding 10 miles to this trip on my x-factor. I know it's not a fast hull, but I seem to be able to do alright in it. Honestly I think for the average kayaker, your legs have much more endurance than your upper body. I have paddled enough to have several different strokes and cadences which utilize different muscle groups and suit different scenarios and conditions. I could probably write a short book on all the different paddling techniques I've played with. I'm not sure if you have that kind of versatility with the mirage drive.

Also keep in mind that the fully rigged weight will have a big impact on the planing ability of the hull. The lighter you are, the lower the speed required to get on plane, and less energy required to stay on plane. I was pretty heavily rigged for this trip compared to where I would've liked to have been.

In a prowler i could bang out a 40 mile day no problem.