Paddle vs peddle - input from guys who have done both successfully needed

[chris138]

I currently have both and fish both. We got a PA14, and I must say, it's very nice. But I don't think I will sell my Kraken even if we get another Hobie.

First off, we used to have an OK prowler 15 and we loved that thing. It was hands down the best surfing boat I have ever used. My wife would shred that thing in 4-5' surf loaded with fishing gear. Its also the fastest boat we ever had. Our PA is like surfing a bathtub. Yes you can go 5 mph with the mirage drive, but if you sustain that stress on it for prolonged periods you are going to break it. 3-3.5 mph is more realistic for longevity of the machine. In my kraken i can maintain 4-5 mph pretty much all day, so it is faster. Granted, it is a harder physical workout to paddle than to peddle at any speed.

Let me ask you this, do you have the rudder on your trident? If so the drift is your friend. Without a rudder its hard to control. Fighting the fish with the rudder on a paddle kayak is the easiest I think, you can steer then boat with your feet and keep both hands on the rod. In the hobie you have to reach down to steer.

In terms of fishing (not actually fighting the fish) the hobie is like a whole different sport. Having propulsion and free hands is a game changer on so many levels. For example sonar fishing heavy iron, Im rolling around with the rod in my hand, bail open holding it w my thumb, and I can drop instantly on any marks. As he said chasing fish and trolling are much easier as well.

Full disclosure I've been fishing the PA mostly lately. But it's not the best in every scenario. I have a garage and a truck so loading it is super easy. I remember way back in the day the Darkhorse used to load his PA on the roof of his BMW. You can see it in the background of my profile picture hahaha.

[ProfessorLongArms]

Nothing that hasn't already been said here, but I'm spoiled on fishing by pedal kayaks.

Outback for me is a perfect balance of shape/size for cruising all day at a good clip, and I tend to cover 6+ miles in a morning.
For drift fishing, I almost can't get back in a paddle kayak. I get so tired of putting the rod in the holder to move back over to the spot.

I will say for anyone considering a Revo13 (recently bought for more inshore/big surf day/diving/2nd kayak for taking friends out purposes) I was kind of amazed at how poorly they track when I'm launching/landing. I had a moment on my last trip where I was paddling hard on the right and turning right... I actually had to pull up short on a landing pass because I couldn't check myself from going sideways. Something I gotta work on for sure.

I took my scupper pro out that day so my dive buddy could use it. It was a *dream* for him. completely effortless and he was outpacing my revo (no turbo fins) without much exertion.

I'd say a paddle kayak is amazing if you get into diving.... Pedals actually cause a problem where you start chafing behind the knees in a wetsuit all day.

If there were an upgrade for me it'd be a prowler/trident. That rod pod looks so nice compared to shimmying up to the front hatch and clenching for my life.

Aside from that, I could see myself using the scupper for stuff like Halibut/WSB season.... dead sticking a mac on a carolina rig and just paddling around.

[SoCalEDC]

Originally Posted by ProfessorLongArms

Nothing that hasn't already been said here, but I'm spoiled on fishing by pedal kayaks.

Outback for me is a perfect balance of shape/size for cruising all day at a good clip, and I tend to cover 6+ miles in a morning.
For drift fishing, I almost can't get back in a paddle kayak. I get so tired of putting the rod in the holder to move back over to the spot.

I will say for anyone considering a Revo13 (recently bought for more inshore/big surf day/diving/2nd kayak for taking friends out purposes) I was kind of amazed at how poorly they track when I'm launching/landing. I had a moment on my last trip where I was paddling hard on the right and turning right... I actually had to pull up short on a landing pass because I couldn't check myself from going sideways. Something I gotta work on for sure.

I took my scupper pro out that day so my dive buddy could use it. It was a *dream* for him. completely effortless and he was outpacing my revo (no turbo fins) without much exertion.

I'd say a paddle kayak is amazing if you get into diving.... Pedals actually cause a problem where you start chafing behind the knees in a wetsuit all day.

If there were an upgrade for me it'd be a prowler/trident. That rod pod looks so nice compared to shimmying up to the front hatch and clenching for my life.

Aside from that, I could see myself using the scupper for stuff like Halibut/WSB season.... dead sticking a mac on a carolina rig and just paddling around.

Cool, thanks for the insight!

[Uncle_Tomas]

When I was buying my first kayak I decided to go with paddle kayak as I did not want to spend $2k+ on Hobie. After fishing for few months and realizing what kind of fishing I actually want to do (fishing any kind of structure in current where you need to keep position)
I went back and traded my kayak for Outback.
I absolutely love it and never regretted doing this because I am out on the water almost every weekend so the extra money is worth it to me.
You can absolutely fish successfully with paddle kayak and just like others mentioned launching peddle kayak in surf is raiser because they are typically a lot lighter.
On the other hand I have launched from surf in LJ multiple times already without any issues.
Another plus of having your hands free when fishing peddle kayak is enjoying coffee/beer while trolling or getting to your spot. And you can also rig up while on the way.

[SoCalEDC]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Tomas

When I was buying my first kayak I decided to go with paddle kayak as I did not want to spend $2k+ on Hobie. After fishing for few months and realizing what kind of fishing I actually want to do (fishing any kind of structure in current where you need to keep position)
I went back and traded my kayak for Outback.
I absolutely love it and never regretted doing this because I am out on the water almost every weekend so the extra money is worth it to me.
You can absolutely fish successfully with paddle kayak and just like others mentioned launching peddle kayak in surf is raiser because they are typically a lot lighter.
On the other hand I have launched from surf in LJ multiple times already without any issues.
Another plus of having your hands free when fishing peddle kayak is enjoying coffee/beer while trolling or getting to your spot. And you can also rig up while on the way.

Cool, thanks for the input!

[Salty]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Tomas

When I was buying my first kayak I decided to go with paddle kayak as I did not want to spend $2k+ on Hobie. After fishing for few months and realizing what kind of fishing I actually want to do (fishing any kind of structure in current where you need to keep position)
I went back and traded my kayak for Outback.
I absolutely love it and never regretted doing this because I am out on the water almost every weekend so the extra money is worth it to me.
You can absolutely fish successfully with paddle kayak and just like others mentioned launching peddle kayak in surf is raiser because they are typically a lot lighter.
On the other hand I have launched from surf in LJ multiple times already without any issues.
Another plus of having your hands free when fishing peddle kayak is enjoying coffee/beer while trolling or getting to your spot. And you can also rig up while on the way.

Yes! I completely agree with this last part. I've never personally done "real" kayak fishing (not just taking a single rod out on a rental) on a kayak without pedals. But my friend that got me into kayak fishing that I go with all the time has an Ocean Kayak Prowler 13. I have a Hobie Passport 12 with pedals. Every morning while we're cruising out of the harbor, I can easily get through the harbor while sipping my coffee and swapping rigs, etc. It's become a tradition where halfway through the harbor, I raise my coffee to my buddy and say "cheers!" while he is paddling away and he stops briefly to give me the finger. That in itself is nice enough. But also the fact I can can keep up with currents while fishing between kelp and structure is something I would not want to give up and outweighs any negatives associated with beach launching, etc.
Another point is that my buddy is constantly complaining that his Fish Finder always getting wet as he moves and paddles. Hasn't caused any issues for him yet since he has a hood on it now, but maybe something to consider.
There may be purists out there that will still choose a paddle over pedals, and I'd leave it to them to explain why they prefer it since I have next to no experience there. But for fishing purposes, I'll stick with my pedals! (I realize I'm new to the kayak world, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Chances are I'm wrong about a lot of things lol)

[FISH11]

I have both and fish both. The thing is, there's things I like about both. But NO KAYAK is perfect. Each has it's strong points. The reality is I find myself bitching and cursing more my Hobie Revo 13 than I ever do while using my Malibu X Factor. The fricking rudder won't keep the kayak tracking straight even with the sailing rudder without making constant corrections. Also at least a couple times per trip my braid will get caught on the rudder when drifting a mac. The mirage drive picks up eel grass and loose kelp, requiring removal of the drive to clear up. Can't really cut across heavy kelp when it's on the surface. It is slow turning and a wide turn without having forward speed. On my Malibu I can forward paddle one side and backwards on the other and make virtually turn on a dime. Keeping position with a current is not as easy as it sound on the Hobie because of wind and chop. It goes without saying the Hobie sucks trying to surf it in. When the surf is going to be higher or it's choppier I will alway take my Malibu X Factor. I use the Malibu to work out my upper body and the Hobie to work the legs except it's really not working all the leg muscle mostly the leg calfs and quads. The speed it about the same, very slight difference. The Hobies advantage is you can keep it up for a longer time. The price is where there is a HUGE difference that really makes no sense. It's kind of like my Mac Book Pro vs my Windows 10 computer. Bottom line is what ever makes you happy, It's about going out a having a GOOD time even on the days when the fishing SUCKS.

[GregAndrew]

Lots of good comments here. The most important one is that every aspect of each type you consider is going to have tradeoffs. Some are very obvious, and others very subtle. If drifting a few hundred yards is a big concern of yours, you may well want a pedal kayak (like others have mentioned for fishing rockfish spots). Make lists of the advantages and disadvantages of both that matter to you. Hint: prioritize by eliminating the things you can't live with first (take the stress out).

For me personally, I would not give up a couple of things that my particular kayak line provides me. First would be storage. You would be hard pressed to find someone that carries more crap (below deck) with them than me. Even then, I can still add multiple of any fish I might want to store inside. Second would be surf launching, landing and riding. I can't tell you the last time I timed a launch or landing. If you have not tried surfing your kayak yet, you owe it to yourself to do so before you decide. Your best new expression will be "Did that just happen?".

And contrary to popular opinion, you can eat and drink while underway on a paddle kayak. You just can't have grip-lock on your sandwich or drink. A missed paddle stroke or 2 will not stop you, or make you U-turn. Just like reaching for rudder control will not stop a pedal kayaker from eventually finishing their knot.

[SoCalEDC]

Originally Posted by chris138

I currently have both and fish both. We got a PA14, and I must say, it's very nice. But I don't think I will sell my Kraken even if we get another Hobie.

First off, we used to have an OK prowler 15 and we loved that thing. It was hands down the best surfing boat I have ever used. My wife would shred that thing in 4-5' surf loaded with fishing gear. Its also the fastest boat we ever had. Our PA is like surfing a bathtub. Yes you can go 5 mph with the mirage drive, but if you sustain that stress on it for prolonged periods you are going to break it. 3-3.5 mph is more realistic for longevity of the machine. In my kraken i can maintain 4-5 mph pretty much all day, so it is faster. Granted, it is a harder physical workout to paddle than to peddle at any speed.

Let me ask you this, do you have the rudder on your trident? If so the drift is your friend. Without a rudder its hard to control. Fighting the fish with the rudder on a paddle kayak is the easiest I think, you can steer then boat with your feet and keep both hands on the rod. In the hobie you have to reach down to steer.

In terms of fishing (not actually fighting the fish) the hobie is like a whole different sport. Having propulsion and free hands is a game changer on so many levels. For example sonar fishing heavy iron, Im rolling around with the rod in my hand, bail open holding it w my thumb, and I can drop instantly on any marks. As he said chasing fish and trolling are much easier as well.

Full disclosure I've been fishing the PA mostly lately. But it's not the best in every scenario. I have a garage and a truck so loading it is super easy. I remember way back in the day the Darkhorse used to load his PA on the roof of his BMW. You can see it in the background of my profile picture hahaha.

I do have the rudder on the trident and I will confirm the rudder makes it pretty easy to keep the bow of the boat pointed where I want it as long as it's not super choppy. The hands free thing seems pretty convenient and is really my main reason for wanting something with peddle propulsion. I have a garage and a truck as well so loading unloading really ain't no thang.

Thanks for the input!