Lightning Strike Kayaks?

[NHAngler]

Noticed this brand for about a year. Looks like they use the older mirage drive design (fine with me). Hull itself seems like a cross between a revo 13 and outback. Rotomolded hull so a closer comparison to an outback than even some of Hobies budget versions. Possible that they made it too much like a hobie though and could begin to see cracks in all the wrong places, like the Hobies?

 

Seems nice as does the price when comparing to new Hobies. Even with shipping costs, they are still about $1K less than a Revo 13 or Outback. 

 

Do I need to take one for the team here and buy one or are there some Jersey folks that may have already tested the waters with this brand? Closest shop in the Northeast is in Jersey. 

[jeffreyrichard]

I'm impressed with the web site ... looks like a good product. Same price as my 2018 Compass. It's about 1/3 the cost of an Outback. The exec team appears to be the real deal.

 

Go for it ...

 

I wonder what the warrantee is?

[atv223]

They look legit, but for the price, I'd personally opt for a Hobie MIRAGE PASSPORT 12.0.  Cheaper than the Lightning, has many of the advanced drive features, minus the 180 aspect. there are a lot of Hobie dealers around the county for spare parts when needed, and Hobie's warranty is a year longer.

 

I don't view rotomolding as a better technology than thermoforming.  Rotomolding gives you more design freedom, but if that doesn't translate into design features that are important and relevant to you, it's kind of irrelevant.

 

The potential advantage I see on the Lightning over the Passport is the front hatch and perhaps the tri-hull design if that does in fact translate into a more stable craft.

 

Too bad they don't offer the Lightning in brighter colors.

 

If you end up getting one, be sure you report your findings. 

[The Riddler]

3 hours ago, NHAngler said:

Noticed this brand for about a year. Looks like they use the older mirage drive design (fine with me). Hull itself seems like a cross between a revo 13 and outback. Rotomolded hull so a closer comparison to an outback than even some of Hobies budget versions. Possible that they made it too much like a hobie though and could begin to see cracks in all the wrong places, like the Hobies?

 

Seems nice as does the price when comparing to new Hobies. Even with shipping costs, they are still about $1K less than a Revo 13 or Outback. 

 

Do I need to take one for the team here and buy one or are there some Jersey folks that may have already tested the waters with this brand? Closest shop in the Northeast is in Jersey. 

You need to ask how warranty work will be handled. Will they show up at the doorstep from New Jersey? Will they come up, package it up for you and ship it if you have an issue? I don't think its worth it. 
 

Kittery Trading Post will be having their sale coming up this weekend. There could be a sale on Fishing Kayaks or you can see what they will do for a covid 19 future kayak sale since the unh show will not be happening. No sales tax. The answer is Old Town PDL series. Chances are the sale will be 15-25 percent off the PDL. Old Towns warranty is top notch. Better than Hobie. You can call the Old Town Factory and talk product or warranty. The PDL series has been around long enough to prove they are far Superior in product and customer service than Hobie. I wish they would make something in the 27"-29" range or I would not have Hobie Revos. 

[fishguts430]

11 hours ago, The Riddler said:

You need to ask how warranty work will be handled. Will they show up at the doorstep from New Jersey? Will they come up, package it up for you and ship it if you have an issue? I don't think its worth it. 
 

Kittery Trading Post will be having their sale coming up this weekend. There could be a sale on Fishing Kayaks or you can see what they will do for a covid 19 future kayak sale since the unh show will not be happening. No sales tax. The answer is Old Town PDL series. Chances are the sale will be 15-25 percent off the PDL. Old Towns warranty is top notch. Better than Hobie. You can call the Old Town Factory and talk product or warranty. The PDL series has been around long enough to prove they are far Superior in product and customer service than Hobie. I wish they would make something in the 27"-29" range or I would not have Hobie Revos. 

I try to tell everyone this. i got laughed at by the hobie guys but I know since I had to do 2 warranty claims with hobie with in a year

[The Riddler]

1 hour ago, fishguts430 said:

I try to tell everyone this. i got laughed at by the hobie guys but I know since I had to do 2 warranty claims with hobie with in a year

All you have to say is, show me the cracked PDL hulls. Show me the failed PDL drives. You can't even call Hobie factory to ask how their day is going. They tell you to call your dealer. Hell, there isn't even a rep for Hobie Kayaks that I know of in New England anymore. There are 4-5 reps for Johnson Outdoors reps in the Northeast and they represent Old Town, Ocean Kayak and more. 
You can walk into a kayak sale and there will be PDL's on an advertised sale. You don't see that with Hobie. Everything is a secret and never and advertised sale. To take this further? Hobie in New England keeps losing dealers. Some were terrible some were reputable and even they had enough. Massachusetts has no long term stability with Hobie Dealers. You have to take your drive out of state to Visit a Hobie Warranty Center according to their website.  Everything is special with Hobie.  Special ed. 
 

[NHAngler]

Their warranty is to send it back so shipping costs to consider. Big turnoff I'm sure but even if you had to do this, you are still well under what it would cost for a Hobie. I'm not trying to lobby or advertise for them either but they are a US made product and that goes further with my opinion of them. 

 

After owning Hobies and never having them leak, I feel lucky but can see where they will fail and nervous about buying into the risk again. I own a plastic welder and have repaired plastic for cosmetic applications. However, in the drivewell area, the amount of force and as plastics age, it's inevitable that failure can occur at some point. When you own a $3-5k kayak it can go from being an amazing machine to a 100 pound plastic mess with just one good crack. With their rising prices, they should have fixed this but instead are focussed on marketing cookies like a reversible drive or kick-away features. IMO, they made it worst by "adding" instead of addressing core issues. Again, risk vs cost and the manufacturer's ability to stand behind their brand and becomes a dealer decision/issue. As the volume of sales go up, this can change the quality of service from a dealer. I'm not kissing anyone's hind end for this either when paying over $3k for a plastic boat. 

Kittery and other vendors are in pandemic sales clouds right now. Likely to come down when folks return to cities to resume their regularly scheduled programming. So due to the pandemic, many people have taken to the outdoors and a lot of companies have had no issues with selling kayaks and are back-ordered. In fact, I called for prices on the 2021 Hobies and the next two shippings expecting to arrive in the coming months are spoken for. The CA shutdown also has somehow affected their production (so they say). Even worst with boats. 1.5-2 years ago and they still had leftover year models from prior years. Not so much anymore. 

 

[The Riddler]

8 mins ago, NHAngler said:

Their warranty is to send it back so shipping costs to consider. Big turnoff I'm sure but even if you had to do this, you are still well under what it would cost for a Hobie. I'm not trying to lobby or advertise for them either but they are a US made product and that goes further with my opinion of them. 

 

After owning Hobies and never having them leak, I feel lucky but can see where they will fail and nervous about buying into the risk again. I own a plastic welder and have repaired plastic for cosmetic applications. However, in the drivewell area, the amount of force and as plastics age, it's inevitable that failure can occur at some point. When you own a $3-5k kayak it can go from being an amazing machine to a 100 pound plastic mess with just one good crack. With their rising prices, they should have fixed this but instead are focussed on marketing cookies like a reversible drive or kick-away features. IMO, they made it worst by "adding" instead of addressing core issues. Again, risk vs cost and the manufacturer's ability to stand behind their brand and becomes a dealer decision/issue. As the volume of sales go up, this can change the quality of service from a dealer. I'm not kissing anyone's hind end for this either when paying over $3k for a plastic boat. 

Kittery and other vendors are in pandemic sales clouds right now. Likely to come down when folks return to cities to resume their regularly scheduled programming. So due to the pandemic, many people have taken to the outdoors and a lot of companies have had no issues with selling kayaks and are back-ordered. In fact, I called for prices on the 2021 Hobies and the next two shippings expecting to arrive in the coming months are spoken for. The CA shutdown also has somehow affected their production (so they say). Even worst with boats. 1.5-2 years ago and they still had leftover year models from prior years. Not so much anymore. 

 

Comparing lightning kayak shipped at just under 2000 to the Old Town predator pdl with 10 percent off you are at 2300 hundred picked up local. When something happens you hop over to Kittery Maine.   You only get a 2 year warranty on the lightning kayak and if anything happens its on your dollar to ship it back with down time if you have no other kayak. For another 300 bucks or so, you get a lifetime warranty on the hull and 5 years on the drive and its also made in USA. I agree, drives put wear and tear. Which is why it makes sense to go with Old Town local vs. lightning from Jersey. 

[superstriper]

14 hours ago, The Riddler said:

You need to ask how warranty work will be handled. Will they show up at the doorstep from New Jersey? Will they come up, package it up for you and ship it if you have an issue? I don't think its worth it. 
 

Kittery Trading Post will be having their sale coming up this weekend. There could be a sale on Fishing Kayaks or you can see what they will do for a covid 19 future kayak sale since the unh show will not be happening. No sales tax. The answer is Old Town PDL series. Chances are the sale will be 15-25 percent off the PDL. Old Towns warranty is top notch. Better than Hobie. You can call the Old Town Factory and talk product or warranty. The PDL series has been around long enough to prove they are far Superior in product and customer service than Hobie. I wish they would make something in the 27"-29" range or I would not have Hobie Revos. 

do they ship yaks? thought pick up only?

 

I had a bunch of hobies got rid of them all after getting my boat a while back but now want to get one but Hobies prices are crazy these days and the fact that the company is under new ownership is a concern so looking at other options too

[atv223]

I wonder if Old Town will ever release a mirage style drive for their kayaks?

[The Riddler]

3 mins ago, atv223 said:

I wonder if Old Town will ever release a mirage style drive for their kayaks?

Why would they? Their design is on their own.  We know the drive is not fully sealed so sinking it in the salt will need to be opened up for sure. That's where Hobie has an advantage but Old Town will still warranty it. They have said its fully sealed and its maintenance free. 

[The Riddler]

39 mins ago, superstriper said:

do they ship yaks? thought pick up only?

 

I had a bunch of hobies got rid of them all after getting my boat a while back but now want to get one but Hobies prices are crazy these days and the fact that the company is under new ownership is a concern so looking at other options too

The OP lives in NH.

[buddha162]

1 hour ago, NHAngler said:

but instead are focussed on marketing cookies like a reversible drive or kick-away features. IMO, they made it worst by "adding" instead of addressing core issues.

 

Agree with your overall point - Hobie should address the drivewell cracking once and for all - but reverse function is not "marketing cookie" and neither are KU fins. 

 

Mirage drive is by far the best shallow water and vegetation pedal system, the kick up feature just enhances that reputation. Lot of guys buy Hobie just to fish shallow weed choked lakes, now you don't have to worry about hitting a stump at 3mph. 

[NHAngler]

30 mins ago, buddha162 said:

 

Agree with your overall point - Hobie should address the drivewell cracking once and for all - but reverse function is not "marketing cookie" and neither are KU fins. 

 

Mirage drive is by far the best shallow water and vegetation pedal system, the kick up feature just enhances that reputation. Lot of guys buy Hobie just to fish shallow weed choked lakes, now you don't have to worry about hitting a stump at 3mph. 

... it may not be for you but is a feature and not a need for me (and likely many others). I learn from my past and only go forwards.

 

If you really want to fish shallow and do it a lot, you should just use a paddle kayak? ...or waders?  

[buddha162]

1 min ago, NHAngler said:

... it may not be for you but is a feature and not a need for me (and likely many others). I learn from my past and only go forwards.

 

If you really want to fish shallow and do it a lot, you should just use a paddle kayak? ...or waders?  

 

The vast majority of Hobies (and other fishing kayaks) are sold to the freshwater bass market, and there - shallow/weedy/stumpy cover is a common occurrence, as is holding yourself steady for target casting to structure.