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Hobie Power Skiff

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doyle007

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View Postpnw skiff--you seem very knowledgable about the Skiffs-I am debating on buying a new 15 foot Blazer-I would like to chat with you privately some how and ask you a few questions-I am new on here - my email should be listed in my profile-Thanks

 

 

we are not able to send you personal messages yet (new member) and we choose not to make public our Email, but hopefully the forum members can help to answer your questions here. you can also go to the "hobie power skiff owners" site on facebook and we can connect there.

 

additionally there is a lot of good info on this site.

 

alec

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View PostCan anyone do a comparison of a 15 PowerSkiff and a newer 15 whaler-

 

 

both boats will work for you on area lakes and puget sound. the 15' super sport whaler is a heavier boat at 900lbs vs the power skiff (rasor 1500) at 650lbs. i have not had a chance to ride or drive the newer whaler, but i do have a lot of hours in an older 13' whaler (river rescue patrol). my suggestion is to go on a test ride of each boat before you decide.

 

the whaler is a Cathedral hull - as as such may pound more that a "V" hull in rough water and big waves. you can google search for more info on the rough water handling of each of these hull types.

 

the whaler does not have seat backs, the power skiff does, so longer trips will be more comfortable on the power skiff.

 

from my personal experience i can tell you that the power skiff is a well designed boat, that it is a lot of fun to drive, they handle rough water very well, we had a blast playing in puget sound in 25 knot wind gusting to 35 with 2 foot+ rolling white caps. the power skiff is very stable at speed feels like a bigger boat when its on plane. the power skiff has survived the test of time, our 25 year old boat still looks good, still has a strong hull and has no structural problems.

 

alec

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Thanks Alec- I currently own a 1984 13 supersport Whaler with a 40hp Johnson.I remember the power skiffs at the boat show when they came out and have always kept an eye out for one.I still have all the brochures from the boat show in a box somewhere.A few things shy me away from getting one.I remember the local Hobie dealer had one that they used at there sailng regatas and his opinon wasnt very high of the boat mostly complaining of time to plane but dont remember what power it had.I think the boat would be sensative to aft weight as in heavy 4stroke outboards.

One reason I'm thinking of a new boat is the new 4stroke outboards.I looked at the 15 foot Razor and it doesnt have much more room than my 13 Whaler- but I do prefer a center console.I looked at 2 new boats -one had a 50 and one had a 40 Yam 4strokes.One of the hulls I looked at -in the bright sun you could see alot of glass fiber print through in one area like the gelcoat was super thin. The other hull did not have this.Although the pricing makes these Blazers very apealing I,m still not sure what I want to do.

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One reason I'm thinking of a new boat is the new 4stroke outboards.I looked at the 15 foot Razor and it doesnt have much more room than my 13 Whaler- but I do prefer a center console.I looked at 2 new boats -one had a 50 and one had a 40 Yam 4strokes.One of the hulls I looked at -in the bright sun you could see alot of glass fiber print through in one area like the gelcoat was super thin. The other hull did not have this.Although the pricing makes these Blazers very apealing I,m still not sure what I want to do.

 

 

good news, your 13' whaler has a good resale value in the seattle market. additionally, the razor 1500 are for sale at well below list price. (btw there is also a razor dealer in portland, OR but his price is slighty higher). recommend that you get a 50hp or 60hp engine on the boat (not the 40hp) it will make a big difference on top speed. you will be suprised on the handling difference between your old whaler and the "V" hull of the power skiff. much smoother ride especially in waves. looks like now is a good time to consider buying a new boat.

 

 

alec

525

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Alec- I like your boat- the 85 Yamaha is a good one- I ran a 90 yamaha on a 17 Arima for several years. That must be a thrill to drive.

I am goig to be in Portland next week for several days and plan to check out the Blazers down there.

Where do you usally launch at - I'm really pi$$ed they took out the slings at Des moines.

Rick

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View PostAlec- I like your boat- the 85 Yamaha is a good one- I ran a 90 yamaha on a 17 Arima for several years. That must be a thrill to drive.

I am goig to be in Portland next week for several days and plan to check out the Blazers down there.

Where do you usally launch at - I'm really pi$$ed they took out the slings at Des moines.

Rick

 

 

sorry to hear about Des Moines (that's were we launched in the big winds). We have a RV site on on the west side of hood canal, brinnon, wa, in the olympic mountain foot hills near the dosewallups river, the closest ramp is at pleasant harbor, brinnon, but we sometimes trailer to other sites like sequim, or bring the boat back to tacoma, and trailer to area lakes like alder lake or puget sound. the 85 yamaha only weighs 239lbs (about the same as a new 60hp) it's more power than necessary, so you need to be carefull how and when you run at wot (55mph)

 

alec

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We have spent alot of time on Hood Canal-my cousin owned a place over there.Fishermans Harbor-it is a small inleet at the very south end of the peninsula that forms Dabob Bay. You can only get into the bay near high tide,once inside the bay it stays deep enough all day -we used to moore at the private community docks. Have done alot of crabbing down there.We would run the boats over to Pleasant Harbor for Fuel and beverages.Havent been in a couple years as he has since sold the property. We really miss that.There was a family there that had a HPS but only seen it used a couple times.

I Know your skiff would be a blast with that power. My little whaler gets kinda flighty when I'm light and trim it out- it will start chine walking.Puts a big smile on my face.I think an unexperienced driver could get into trouble with it.

 

Rick

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Hey guys, just want to check in, I am very glad to have found this thread. I have had a HPS for 4 years now. 50HP Yamaha 2 stroke. All stock. I do not think it had ever seen salt water until I got it. I looked for over a year before I found the boat. To say I love it is an understatement. I am a Capt. of a 123' fishing trawler in the Bering Sea.

In the winter months we have a home on the Sea of Cortez. The boating is fantastic (as is the fishing, diving and gunkholing)

I have a tech question. I do not see hardly any of the photos that are posted here. I see all of my permissions are on except HTML. Is that stopping the images from getting to me? Any help would be grand! I would love to post some photos, but will have learn how to resize them to post here....:-)

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Looks like I got it....:-) I installed FastStone image viewer to resize them. It is freeware.

 

I will try to dig up more shots, the Hobie is in the winter, and the boat I ran this summer in the Arctic is in the ice. Kinda got it backwards...:-)

 

As you can see my HPS has never had rails. I have not missed them, makes it really nice to nose in and pick people up on the beach. Most of our beaches are steep, so it is easy to get people off, and still have the prop in deep enough water.

These boats are ledgendary for a good reason. This boat was shaped by Phil Edwards. Not drawn, not created on a computer. Word has it, he shaped blocks of foam to make a hull and kept testing it until they got it right. Hand shaped, like a good surfboard, or native outrigger....:-)

525

525

525

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View PostI cannot even see my own photos, all I get are little JPG things. No image. Hope I can figure this out.

 

 

not sure why your pictures are not posted, but other pictures were also just deleted.

 

Welcome to the forum. as info, there were a total of about 10 different models of the skiff before hobie decided on the final design for production of the hobie power skiff, maybe thats why they are such great boats.

 

our power skiff is like yours with no rails

 

alec

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Thanks, I am going to try this again. See if I can post. I am reading the instructions from the FAQ.

 

525

 

See if this works.....Just a couple miles from my home here...Mothers day!

 

525

 

So far I think I got it....A 115' Research vessel I drove 400 miles above the Arctic Circle.

 

525

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View PostThanks, I am going to try this again. See if I can post. I am reading the instructions from the FAQ.

 

Attachment 411770

 

See if this works.....Just a couple miles from my home here...Mothers day!

 

Attachment 411771

 

So far I think I got it....A 115' Research vessel I drove 400 miles above the Arctic Circle.

 

Attachment 411772

great pictures. i happened to notice that the remote control cover is missing from the one on your boat. had the same problem with mine, simple fix, you can order a new one from yamaha motors (on line) here is the part number "32703-48225-00-00 COVER"

 

also noticed your hobie has a WN registratation on it, where do you keep the boat?

 

alec

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