Odyssey

This kayak does some things well and misses the mark in several other areas. What I like about this kayak is that it does not feel big and heavy like you'd expect from a tandem. It maneuvers well in the water and tracks surprisingly well. With two average/larger size adults, I was impressed with how stable it was - we were able to jump on and off into the water for swimming with ease. The carrying capacity was also impressive. At 450 pounds between passengers and gear, it never seemed like it was 'loaded up', and other paddlers commented it was still riding high in the water. Despite not being truly 'dry seats', we never managed to get our butts wet (we kept scuppers in under the seat pads, and removed them in the foot wells). The seat pads are comfortable and provide a surprising amount of support, perhaps the best in this class of entry recreational sit-on tandem kayaks, although adjusting them out on the water is not the easiest of tasks (especially as the straps age and become stiff). One of my favorite features is each passenger gets their own generously sized dry hatch (we were able to fit snorkel masks and flippers in each one). One of my favorite and least favorite features (at the same time) is the front dry storage well. Despite being insulated and very large, it has no liner/tray to prevent things from rolling into the very back of the kayak (this can be frustrating). The scuppers are essentially the only separation barriers inside the hull. The open rear storage area also felt like a wasted of space: It's not deep enough or flat enough to where you can comfortably stick anything tall without fear of it falling over (like a medium size cooler). All things considered, I believe I would have preferred another dry storage hatch in this back area (keeping in mind this is not a fishing kayak (at least not any serious fishing); this kayak is ideal for recreational/light touring setup, so another dry storage would make more sense to me). The small side net pockets are nice for keeping things like a can of bug spray or sunscreen, or even dry box with your phone/keys handy. The paddle holders are also well placed. Other considerations are the molded foot rests felt 'shallow' to me, where I could not get full foot placement, although I have large feet so this may not be an issue to everyone. The rear stern design also means you will never be able to mount a rudder to this kayak (at least not without any serious custom fabrication); and even then figuring out pedal tracks is another issue. Not having a rudder, or rudder capability, really takes a big hit in its potential to exceed on open water and coastal environments. Also noticeably absent on this kayak are track rails and hold downs, except for the bungees in storage areas. One thing I would have liked to see on this kayak is molded carry handles. The carry handles are comfy, but molded handles just offer more secure hold options, and are found on much cheaper competitors these days. Lastly, transporting and mounting this kayak can be a bit tricky. This kayak being an older design, it does not have a true 'flat topside' for mounting it upside down on a set of racks/crossbars, but mounting it right-side up against the hull (either by foam blocks or straight onto crossbars) has produced quite a bit of 'oil canning' over time (although these older Hobie designs always seemed to have a 'soft' hull in my opinion). Overall this is a great kayak for its intended purposes. With direct competitors in this segment potentially costing half the price (i.e. Perception 13.5T), this is a tough value proposition for a few luxury upgrades. That said, if you plan on using this very often, you will notice the small details and improvements Hobie brings to the table.

We bought this 2016 model from outfitter that used it as a rental. It was pretty beat up to say the least. The hull had really taken a beating but for less than half of the new price we decided to take a chance. We have had it out twice now, once on a lake and yesterday on a river with lots of class II rapids and tight turns. I am floored at how easy it was to paddle. I have paddled ALOT of singles that didn't handle this well.

At 5'4 and 130 I can paddle myself and my 6ft 185 pound partner and gear around by myself! Which is crazy because at 91 lbs this is the biggest boat I have ever paddled. Plenty of storage for camping gear, easy in hull storage and cup holders, rod holders pretty much everything you could want. The seats it comes with are very comfortable (wish they were elevated like the tarpon 135). It handled the river like a champ. Tracked well, easy to correct. At 14ft long I can't believe the turns we made. I would have paid full price for this yak new.

Other than the weight, it's perfect. We did car mount it so it's not too bad just not fun to portage. On the water is where it counts and this kayak is amazingly fast for its size and a true pleasure to paddle. We paddled about 7 different tandems (wilderness, Jackson, ocean malibu, Malibu PRO 2, Feel Free, the mini Hobie tandem) before this one and it was the best by a mile.

My wife and I rented this kayak to use for the in the Gulf of Mexico. It was perfect. The balance, maneuverability and comfort made our experience so memorable. We are hoping to purchase one in the near future. We couldn't recommend this tandem kayak higher for anyone.

Pros: Tracking excellent, speed for its width/length is good (very good if two people paddling), stability good, glide good, seating comfort excellent, hatches don't leak to any significant degree, can fit 2 piece 230 cm paddles and life vests into main hatch, can float in very shallow (~6-8 in?) water with 225 lb load, turning OK for length.

Cons: water accumulates in footrests (not uncommon for this type footrest), No tank well (but does have decent bungee and eye pads at stern)

I fish solo and take my kids out for crabbing, fishing, wildlife viewing and fun. We go on slow rivers (class II rapids at most), lakes, ponds, and bays/estuaries. This boat fits those needs best. For long solo paddles the hobie seat broke down on me (I'm 6'2" with a long torso) but the Ocean Kayak taller seat works better in the middle seat. Hobie seats are more comfy for the bow/stern seats...just experiment. We bought this boat because of the comfortable seating ergonomics and are happy with that. Mama sat in one and said this is the one so that was that. I agreed that it was the most comfortable seating but wondered about other features. After using it and trying other boats I understand the trade-offs and am not disappointed. We were looking at the WS Pairadise but there was no comparison in seating comfort and speed. In fact, the longer I have it and the more other boats I try, the more glad I am that I bought the Odyssey. For solo fishing, I like the big open spaces front and back rather than trying to access hatches with multiple straps or crawl aroung on the boat to get at them. I can keep my ice chest, 8# mushroom anchor, fishing rod, and paddle easily accessible. I used to want a Widerness Ride or Cobra Fish and Dive for solo fishing but have decided that the extra speed of this boat and its abundant open space make it just as good. For tandem use it works great, although I'm not sure about two larger adults in it. I use a 6" foam pool floatie hollow noodle piece sliced lengthwise and velcroed in between my legs as a rod holder so the fly rod sticks out straight ahead and lays across the bow and not upward to tangle in tree limbs. I use paddle strap clips on the side eye pads to hold the paddle when I get out and wade or anchor out. When going tandem, I use a milk crate at the the stern to carry gear...not ideal but it works fine.

I liked this boat so much I bought two. For solo touring or just lake/ocean paddling, I would go with a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 16 for its wonderful speed and tracking but it doesn't have as much stability or places to put stuff outside of the hatches. For all around use as described I think the Hobie is a great choice. We don't camp from it and it might not work well for that, I have not tried to stash camping gear thru the 8 inch hatch. For solo fishing only, I might go with the Fish and Dive for its flat open storage and stability. These boats are pretty heavy but don't pose a problem for me to move around with wheels (I'm 200 lbs and lift weights). If I had to cartop them it would be tough alone but I just lift one end and slide them both into the bed of my pickup and strap in through stern straps and scupper holes. Sometimes I even lauch from a boat ramp by sliding them out into water. I definitely prefer the graduated molded in footrests over the foot pedals like the Wilderness boats have, even if they are wet. Being able to move to diffrent positions helps leg comfort.

Overall this boat is the best I've found for its multiple uses and no boat can be perfect for everything so I gave it a 9. It will definitely run circles around the OK Malibu II or other similar tandems for speed but probably isn't quite as stable. You can't sit in it and hang your feet over the side because of the cockpit shape. I've only turned mine over once in a rapid where I should have just gotten out and walked it through. Hope this helps...

I enjoy my odyssey. Handles well solo or tandem. Can carry 3 but this bogs it down. Takes water through storage when tipped. Scuppers don't drain well, but what the hell, it's a kayak. I added padded handles balanced and centered either side to make it possible to carry from the side, or flip over head. Works well. Need ideas on how to convert for coastal fishing? Pole holder, no reachable storage when solo? Overall happy with purchase but expect maybe too much from Hobie. I want it to do it all.

I wanted a tandem/solo sit-on-top and purchased my Hobie Odyssey about a month ago after comparing several different tandems. Besides its sleek, low profile design, what sold me on the Odyssey was its quality construction, ease of paddling, and maneuverability. My nine year old daughter and I have taken it out several times now and because of the current winter ocean conditions here in Hawaii, its been a good test of what we and this boat can handle. Despite choppy seas and windy conditions, the Odyssey has been very stable, provides excellent tracking, and has good speed and glide. I'm currently working to outfit my Odyssey for fishing and it has more than ample in-hull and on-deck storage for that. Improvements? If I were design king at Hobie, I'd probably try to find a way to relocate some scupper holes so that the foothold areas would drain better. Also, when paddling solo, it would be nice to have access to the center storage hatch instead of sitting on it. At 14' long, 33" wide, and 70+ lbs, this is not a boat easily manhandled alone by any stretch, but as they say there are tradeoffs to any kayak out there. Overall, I'm very pleased with the Hobie Odyssey and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a multi-purpose, multi-place sit-on-top kayak.

I tried out several tandems and decided on the odyssey. It seems to be very fast compared to similar sized kayaks. It also handled better in the wind than longer tandems like the Cabo. However it does seem to be a bit tippy in surf, and it is very heavy and hard to cartop, the nice sleek surface is also murder to hang onto when it is wet and you need to climb back in, when in deep water or man handle it on a roof rack. A nice boat for mild swells and waves. They advertise that there is room for a passenger...no way.