HOBIE’S EVOLVE: Ready for the rough and tumble. INSET: The flip-up rudder mount.
Would you surf launch one? Hobie’s Morgan Promnitz was responsible for field testing the eVolve prototypes. He didn’t blink when I revealed our planned trial by fire, straight into the surf zone at Califor- nia’s famous La Jolla Shores. “Go for it. It’s tough. You can’t break it,” he said. He was right, although that day’s
mushy two-foot surf wasn’t much of a challenge. That would come later, when we dodged legitimate crunchers at Windansea reef, casting for calico bass between clean-up sets. The eVolve delivered welcome bursts
HOBIE EVOLVE: EVOLUTIONARY ENGINEERING
$1,899 plus your choice of Hobie kayak
www.hobiecat.com
HOBIE’S ENGINEERS took the already re- fined Torqeedo kayak motor kit and adapt- ed it to meet their own high standards for fit and performance. The elegant, add-on eVolve is the result, a suitable match for most of Hobie’s top-shelf product line. Attention to detail shows everywhere, from the clean installation to the superior qual- ity of the waterproof wire fittings. The two-horsepower motor comes
ready to click into a Mirage Drive well, but there’s a second, more intriguing, Twist and Stow rudder mount option. That’s the best of both worlds, pedal and electric power, with very little downside. Our test unit came rudder-mounted on the company’s Outback, a wide and stable model. Installation looked simple, just
34 … KAYAK ANGLER FALL/WINTER 2010
a couple of holes to drill for the factory- prepped in-hull wiring. There are three main components: the
motor pod; a high-tech eight-amp lithium manganese battery and computer unit so light it floats; and a tidy lever-oper- ated throttle module with magnetic safety key / kill switch. It’s smart too; throttle readouts show battery life, speed, power consumption and time remaining, provid- ing blessed peace of mind. The setup is as well thought out and luxurious as anything you’ll find attached to a plastic hull. That’s appropriate, because this thing boasts a price tag to match. Counting the boat, the total’s up around $4,000 out the door. That buys a small gas guzzler in this economy.
of wave-clearing power when needed, even spinning within its own length. And get this—reverse in a Mirage Drive boat. Finally! This one topped out at roughly nine kilometers per hour—that’s five mph. Expect results to vary depending on model and load. It easily outraced an Ocean Kayak Torque, although the battery life at comparable speeds feels short. After six miles of admittedly heavy-handed opera- tion, the eVolve was down to 16 per cent while the Torque retained a half charge. Operated judiciously, the eVolve should easily outlast a typical day. Our battery reported eight hours of run time at 50 watts power consumption. An occasional kick on the Mirage Drive kept us at cruis- ing speed. Used like a bass boat’s trolling motor, for the fine-tune maneuvering to make that perfect cast, it’ll give you all you want and more. Idiosyncrasies include a noticeable elec- tric hum under power. It might be quieter in a Mirage Drive mount. Full throttle’s likely too much of a good thing for choppy conditions, as the nose threatened to dig in. Better ease off on that thruster. Over- revving in reverse pulls the motor out of position, a legacy of the kick-up feature that prevents damage upon grounding. The prop collected floating strands of eel grass, a thin, wiry aquatic vegetation, but it wasn’t a hindrance due to the prop and shaft design. Yep, the eVolve is that tough. Rugged enough that I considered ending my trip with a full-power run through the surf and right onto the sand. I didn’t. I could never be so vicious to a machine that kept me from a humbling, reef-break yard sale. —Paul Lebowitz
PHOTOS: PAUL LEBOWITZ
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52