Hobie Mirage Outback sailing video on Lady Bird Lake, Austin, Texas, June 2006

Dusty and son Devon met Alison and I at the Festival Beach boat ramp on Lady Bird Lake so I could try out his Hobie Mirage Outback S.U.V. with sailkit. I had been told by several people that this kayak would not sail upwind, but I love a challenge, and after looking at the Mirage with sailkit I thought it should sail upwind. Rigging the sailkit is a snap, insert mast in hole, unwind sail and mainsheet, stretch downhaul bungee to cleat and run mainsheet through the rear cleat. Slip the MirageDrive system in, with the pedals centered the fins are your centerboard, and we were ready to go. Devon, age 4, brought his small Wilderness kayak and had fun ramming me in the Hobie. I had no problem sailing upwind in the Mirage, while it doesn't point quite as high as my Flying Scot, it did point much higher than I expected. It really sailed very well. Then Dusty took over and I took Devon's small kayak out to take more pictures. That small kayak held my 185 pounds fine, although my pants got wet. Dusty also found sailing upwind was easy. I would add telltales to the clear lower part of the sail, as sometimes I couldn't see through the sail where the factory telltales are. A small wind indicator on the bow would be nice, but it's not necessary. I give the Hobie Mirage Outback a thumbs up. With paddle, pedals and sail you have three power sources! You need the Flash plugin to see the video, click the play button(maybe twice) to start the video. This video was taken with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2. A $200 camera designed mainly for still photography, it will take a 30 minute video with sound if you have the 1 Gig memory card. Sailing Video Index

The single passenger Hobie Mirage Outback SUV is kayak fishing, improved. Bringing speed and fun to a river or lake near you. The Hobie Mirage Outback was designed for hands-free fishing, hunting, photography and other on-the-water activities. The “SUV” version of the Hobie Mirage, the Outback comes with molded-in rod holders, hatches and storage compartments for a dive tank, cooler or bait tank. An optional fishing package includes a cooler and anchor system. Specifications: Length: 12' 1"/ 3.86m (rudder in "up" position adds 6.5") Width: 34"/ 0.84m Weight: 60 lbs./ 27.21kg (add 7.2 lbs./3.27 kg. for pedaling mechanism) Capacity: 400 lbs./ 181.8kg Sail Specifications: Overall Height: 10' 3" ( includes mast) Sail Area: 20 1/4 sq.ft Weight: 1.46 lbs. (Add 2.58 for mast weight) Luff: 102" Get your Hobie Kayak at The Sailboat Shop in Austin. Call Chuck at 512 454 7171 or 888 747 8849.