Mirage® Oasis

i bought this kayak and it works really fine. You can put the drive in and out in a blink of an eye. It is a very well thought, very convenient spaces and well made quality kayak. The only minus is the space left on the kayak surface area to put more accessories, it is limited so you got to be creative on what type of railing system to install and how to install it.

Since buying it 2 years ago, I've had no issues. But you have to remember to remove the fins in shallow water, and lift rubber. You always have the option to switch to a regular Kayak and go in very shallow water. You have the best of both worlds. I add an umbrella for the sun; fits right in sail mast hole.

This Kayak is very stable. You can stand in it, hang your feet off the side, and strangely, jump in and out of water without it overturning. I found out how handy it was last summer when I had to camp on an island. I loaded the front with firewood, case of beer, tent and food..clothes. Left in a heavy wind, with others in canoes blown to shore and stuck. In shallow water I had to paddle all my might until I got deep enough to put in the peddles. I could barely control it as a regular Kayak and was ready to turn back. But once the pedals were in and rudder down, it took off like a missile into the wind. I made it easily to the island with a huge load and heavy wind. What an awesome Kayak! The usually crowded lake was empty except for me. I also tried sitting up front with load at back (It steers from front and back, and rudder cab be lowered from front too) I could see rocks better and it did not nose dive. Was impressed at how versatile it was.

It should be noted I installed the Turbo fins in place of stock ones. Big difference in torque. We towed our friends in their canoe as they were having difficulty getting back in wind. They could not believe it as their canoe was going faster than it ever did before, with just me and my wife pedaling!

If you're the person that loses feelings in your legs from inactivity from Canoe or Kayak, or someone who can't paddle with their arms for long, or want to bring someone for a ride on the river while they read a book, this is the machine for you.

You can try this Kayak out before buying, like I did. Make sure to buy the turbo fins extra... well worth it. If you have a good dealer, you can try this out, or rent one. You will never go back!

My favorite part of the kayak is the pedal drive. I love that it frees up my hangs and I can take tons of photographs or we can throw out a fishing line.

Every aspect of this kayak was so well thought out. I especially like the dual rudder controls (one for the person in front and one for the person in back). This has come in handy on several occasions!

This kayak has made me a Hobie fan and a Mirage drive lover! Be prepared for many envious stares on the water... everyone asks us where we got this kayak!

We were amazed at how stable it was when we were caught in choppy waters and pedaling is so relaxing and fairly effortless compared to paddling. it is also great for fishing, perfect trolling speed for trout and we have caught many so far. I am looking forward to trying it in Mexico getting off and on to swim and snorkel next year, apparently it is easy to climb back on again. There is such a diverse amount of things you can do with this Kayak that is why we bought it and I would highly recommend this kayak to anyone. We have not had any negative issue with ours.

We purchased the boat primarily with my wife in mind - she wanted to go with me on social kayak outings, but didn't really enjoy paddling, and didn't feel she would have the endurance on her own to stay with the group. Hence, the tandem pedal boat.

The Hobie Oasis is very cleverly designed for a recreational boat - lots of storage, decent seats, very stable, and fun. Plus, Hobie even includes two large water bottles, two paddles (needed for backing up and very shallow areas) and a dry bag! The Mirage drive is a clever system, delivering lots of thrust. We installed the Turbo Fins (Hobie should really do this from the factory), and found a significant increase in performance with very little extra effort (we gained about 1 mph average in cruise speed). With the Mirage drives, the motion is really more like a stair-stepper motion than a bicycle motion, but you'll use a lot of the same muscles. It's pretty similar to peddling a bike up a low incline. The hand-operated rudder is very effective, turning the boat on a dime.

All that stability and those nice touches come at something of a cost - the boat is quite heavy (The hull, without drives and such, is about 69 lbs - you'll need two people to get it on and off the car if you aren't fairly strong) and not particularly sleek. It accelerates almost immediately and easily maintains a decent cruise speed, but really pushing it takes a lot of effort - you're really moving some water! Nevertheless, my wife and a friend's teenage son won a recreational class boat race with our Oasis, averaging just over 5 mph over a 3.6 mile course. We've sprinted the boat to 6.1 mph.

To help with moving the boat, we purchased the Hobie plug-in cart, a two-wheeled frame that plugs into the bottom of the cart. I highly recommend it - it really helps with moving the boat around. We got the cart with the inflatable sand tires that float. You can actually back the boat into the water, then reach under and pull the wheels out from under the boat.

The 2009 model has some significant upgrades over the 2008 model, including a new hull design, much better pull/pull rudder activation system, and new designs for the drive system retaining clips and fin mast installation.

A fun boat, and highly recommended if you want easy cruising, no-hassle fun! You'll find all your friends will want to try it out as well...

First, ours has had no problems with soft spots in the hull or any other structural defect. The fit and finish are of good quality, all fittings being bronze, anodized aluminum or stainless. It's rather heavy at about 70# plus about 20# for two drive units and two paddles, but on the water it's not a big issue. Stability is good; visibility from the aft steering position is necessarily limited directly ahead.

A previous review reporting that the kayak was unusable in shallow water may have been their unfamiliarity with the Mirage drive unit. The "sail fins" will wrap up against the hull for beaching and can be operated in shallow water by "fluttering" the fins in short strokes with one leg forward. The only limitation in this regard that I could think of is fishing in kelp beds offshore.

The tandem is very fast with both passengers pedaling. We've not really paddled it tandem, so I can't comment about that.

My wife's favorite part is that she can pedal or rest and take in the view as she pleases, and I can get my exercise, regardless.

As a solo, the bow rides a little high so wind has more effect on the tracking. I use some lead ballast in the bow and this helps significantly. Speed is about the same as the Mirage Classic; turning and maneuverability are outstanding. Solo paddling is hindered by the need to constantly adjust the rudder. There is lots of space for gear, dogs or whatever; stability is excellent.

The Mirage tandem is a high quality, durable, versatile machine that can be used for one or two. It's great fun to sit back and cruise along at a good clip. As with all Mirage kayaks, it can be a great upper and lower body workout! I recommend it highly.

The kayak can definitely move quickly when peddled hard and fast, but not without considerable effort. The hull itself seems large and slow, so it's more of a production to move than a normal kayak.

We are used to sit-in kayaks and the Hobie is a sit-on-top. We couldn't feel the connection with the water that we are accustomed to with sit-in style boats. It was more like a faster, narrower peddle boat found on city lakes. The 'Hydro Sails' also cannot be used when the water gets shallow (18"+/-). Not a problem in some areas, but shallow water is a common problem in many of the lakes, rivers and tidal areas we frequent.

Paddling the Mirage is not really a way to get anywhere. The paddles are for backing and slow, tight maneuvering. The boat just wasn't built to be paddled (the rudder is controlled by hand and it IS NEEDED).

I guess what I'm saying is that it is shaped like a kayak, but is much different in practice.

Lastly, when we put it on our truck which is equipped with the Thule 'Glide 'N Set' racks, the bottom of the hull appeared soft and deformed a lot under its own weight (hull weight only).