Hi Guys,
I took possession of a 14ft Hobie Elite race yesterday and got so excited that I had to paddle it this morning to get a feel for it.
Woke to a very windy and rainy morning but thought Mosman would be a bit sheltered so parked up east of the yacht club and dropped the board in the water with only a surf fin that would fit it (Bummer, fin was missing when I got it). It didn't matter, I was pumped for a good paddle.
Straight away I jumped on and it felt really stable, in fact more than I expected from a 28" board. I paddled east along the shore just getting a feel for the board and trimming it. It didn't take long and I felt comfortable on it. It didn't track quite as straight as I would have expected but I am thinking the surf fin may have had something to so with it.
There was almost no turbulence from the tail of the board when in the right trim and the nose was hypnotic to watch as the water peeled apart and little "plips" or droplets were launched an inch or two directly above the bow due to the shape of the reverse nose shape. After about a km, I turned downwind and just had to have a go. Despite the inevitable paddle back upwind 
, I gave it heaps and off we went.
About 500m into the DW'er I started looking for chop. I was heading pretty much straight down the river towards Lucky Bay. First runner and I felt too far forward, the nose went under and I panicked a bit and jumped aft to save it. The nose came straight back up with no course deviation, so I crept forward again and inch at a time to see the effect each time I picked up a small runner. Eventually, the right spot to be was just ahead of the handle and the nose and complete foredeck was happy to be up to 3 inches underwater at times and with no loss of speed or stability or any sign of falling off the little runners, I just maintained my position and got some great little rides. The chop was very short period and no bigger in height than about 14inches from trough to crest at most, and yet I was riding these tiny waves and rode far too far downwind as I sought more runners 
.
Eventually paddled across the wind to come in a couple of hundred metres downwind of the boat ramp round from Point Walter. the cross chop paddling wasn't any more difficult to maintain balance and I managed to get across reasonably quickly to the shore where I turned back into the wind. 20 knots + of Nor Westerly wasn't a lot of fun and I decided to reduce windage for a spell. Paddling on knees I managed to make fairly good ground quickly and got back on my feet when I got to the jetty at Point Walter. I paddled past the spit, then again turned West towards Bicton and rode a few more runners until I could paddle in the lee of the Northern headland across from Bicton. I hugged the waters edge along the river until I got back to the boat club just loving the quiet and focused on my stroke.
Overall, really impressed and felt the board a lot more "loose" that I had thought it might be, perfect for surfing small waves I reckon and will put that theory to the test in due course.
Bummer no one else was out and about for a paddle, I had no one to woohoo with, so I just did it on my own. Must have looked like a goose. 6'3" tall dressed all in black, woohooing riding 12 inch waves 
I loved it. More please!
DM
It's a damn shame you didn't have it on Sunday Darren, I couldn't believe the fun we had catching runners in the 25+ knots direct tail wind conditions.
It was only my second downwinder and my first with those sort of conditions so was still getting used to moving forward to catch runners and jumping back when you got a good one. At one stage I completely buried the nose and got catapulted straight over the front but came up smiling anyway.
When we did the run across from Peli point to the Narrows at times I adopted a full on surf stance cutting across the face trying to get back on course.
Would love to catch up with you sometime and have a go of the Hobie.
Hi Kent,
Tomorrow looks like a nice day for a paddle, you're welcome to grab it from the shop and give it a go if you're keen, otherwise I'm planning on a morning sesh for play and evaluation of a few other boards too at Pinna's on Saturday morning early, so you could catch up there if you want.
DM
Hi Kent,
Truck just left with another bit of Joy!
I'm now officially hangin' for tomorrow morning. Yew!
DM
Arrggghhhh stop teasing me.....I'm doing a 12 hr nightshift tonight and tomorrow night so will be pretty knackered in the morning, but if I don't catch you then I will definitely catch up next week some time, they both look sexy!!!
Edit: Sleep is over-rated and Pinnas is on the way home anyway, so will throw my paddle in the car and catch you there if you are heading down.
Nice to see Tightlines down this morning bleary eyed and sleepy. Fun paddling session, I feel I could take on the world after that session! Yewww!
Great meeting up with the local crew. 
DM
i dont think they are hitting aus for a while yet.....but i have been known to be dead wrong about 99.9% of the time
they do look nice
I was really tempted to come down this morning and check out the boards bit I had planned my last big paddle before I start to taper off the training a bit. Would have been the perfect morning to try some new boards. I will definitely be coming to see you soon Darren.
I had a go on the 14 Hobie and Fanatic, both really nice boards, love the way those bows slice through the water, would be hard to pick one over the other, as the saying goes six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Love to have a go in some downwind conditions one day.
Also tried the Fanatic 12'6 x 301/2?
Hi guys,
It was awesome trying both boards back to back this morning. It must be wrong to be so keen on paddling 14'ers.
Initially the Hobie seemed more stable, but then after riding the Fanatic, I'm not sure that is right. Perhaps the sunken deck does make it more stable, but need to test further in more stable conditions.
Fanatic tracks straighter but this could be attributed to the race fin as opposed to the surf raked fin currently in the Hobie.
I thought the Hobie had slightly better glide but this again was hard to determine in the cross chop conditions.
I think The Fanatic accelerates a bit faster but I think both seem about as fast as each other in top speed. Both slice the water beautifully, perhaps the Fanatic slices with a little less resistance.
Hobie can hold a little more water in the sunken deck whereas the Fanatic holds no water.
The rails of the two boards are VERY different, Fanatic rails are hard and sharp and hold that hard edge a fair way forward from the tail whereas the Hobie has very soft rounded rails and only harden up in the last foot or two before the tail.
I think it would be great to test them on a DWer. I'm taking them on a run on the flat smooth water of the river, so perhaps will have more to add tomorrow afternoon.
DM
Absolutely smoking board, had it mainly in the flats with a few little runners today with a group of experienced downwinders and it was unanimous this board rocks.
Swapped between DC16, Naish 14, C4 Swjitchblade and the Hobie.
Final test would be a serious dw paddle but there should be no issues, nice bow that feeds into the nose rocker and then nice tail rocker. Rails are nice and rounded so will be forgiving. Wide square tail to push onto runners. The thing just motors when you push hard. Real smooth ride as the bow cuts through the chop.
Hard to fault nice solid construction a tad heavier than expected but that did not detract from the ride.
One niggle though, and this happens all the time, why can't they get the f ing handle in the right spot
Are you over on the Goldy Hilly? Who's riding the naish? I thought they only rode dc's and fanatics over there.....
i love my 12'6' catches runners in the lightest of winds is surfable, nothing better than watching the nose dissapear under water only to pop backup again, love a piss cutter bow,how mutch u selling them for aks.
Hi Radman,
Rather not be putting prices up on the forum so will PM you what you need.
Cheers mate,
DM
Hi dogman,
I just got word from the guys at Hobie HQ. Apparently the first Bamboo 14ft is due in oz in late October.
Not sure when quantity will be available, probably shortly afterwards. Not sure about that blue stripe??? I like the white, red and carbon look myself
DM
Three words for this board- smooth and mesmerizing.
I have paddled this board a couple of times over the last few days and at frist i couldn't focus on how the board went as I was too busy being mesmerized by the way the water runs off the nose.
I was saying to Darren this morning I did the same paddle as I normally would yesterday and after doing it on the Hobie felt virtually no fatigue.
Word on the new 14 hobie also is they have sprayed over the bamboo on the deck and they are not full carbon either. I am confused as to why they did that.
Had a lazy flat water paddle on the Hobie this afternoon. Only my 2nd paddle on a 14 footer but I found the board easy to paddle and clocked up just over 7km around the boats in the river, board is pretty stable even with my 120 kgs. Initially I found it a bit sensitive at first but thats me coming off a 32 wide surf sup. The 2ndary stability is great, it has to go a long way to tip.
It feels quick and it was easy to pour the power on and it just seems to go faster and faster. Paddled well into a light head wind and it tracked pretty straight and easy to get down the back and pivot turn.
Thanks Darren for the loan of the board, great way to spend an lazy afternoon on the water and a great part of the city to put a few more kms under the belt, dolphines, old boats and glassy conditions
Cheers
Hey Darren, I paddled the 14 with Hilly that day and also loved it... Just wondering are you selling the 12.6? Or possibly even have a 12.6 to demo?
Im in the market for a new 12.6, and after riding the 14 im hopefull that the 12.6 might be the board im after..
Belly
Hi Belly,
I'll be getting a 12'6" Hobie race in the next shipment, it's on order but awaiting a container that will ship from Sydney after the Mandurah Boat show stuffed full of Hobie Kayaks ordered from the show.
I'm also bringing over some CM Ultimate wave SUP's and some 14'ers for stock.
DM
