Hobie's Plastic Welding Kit

The Hobie KC Welder  (seen on the right) is a wonderfully unique product. It's a kit that allows you, the kayaker, to fix your boat on your own! It's a fairly easy-to-use product that comes with instructions and doesn't require a license to use. It also comes with a strip of plastic in the colors stocked by Hobie in particular, of course, but it can be used for any boat. This way you can fix cracks without duct tape, catch-all as that product can be for repairs, at home, and you won't have to worry about losing a favorite well-used boat due to a mishap or a particularly cold winter.

Hobie UV Protectant

Hobie, along with their other products for their adoring consumers, offers a UV protectant for boats. Like the KC plastic welding kit, this is designed for Hobie boats, but isn't strictly for them. Any Hobie die-hard will tell you that all their products are top-of-the-line and that you can trust their name, that's why there are so many people who swear by the brand. The Hobie uv protectant keeps boat colors from fading if you can't keep them indoors or covered, but it does more than that, too: it helps to restore color that's already been lost. The spray works on any kind of boat you can imagine, and also works on things like sprayskirts and drysuits. It's a nifty little item, and well worth the fifteen dollars it costs.

Hobie Accessories

We've been spotlighting some particular Hobie accessories recently, but today we thought we'd tell you a little bit about them all in general. Hobie has an extensive line of kayak fishing accessories, like their fishing pole holders, rod leashes, anchor kits, fish grips (a useful little tool that keeps your fish from jumping back into the water), things to store your gear, and accessories for your fish finder. They also manufacture a number of safety equipment options like a compass, a drift chute, a collapsible paddle, and inflatable life vests. For traveling, they have three different cart options, and for their biggest boats, they offer a cradle.

But you're not here for a list of their product options. You want to know how they work. And, for the most part, they work great. There have been some reported problems with the twist-n-stow hatches, but their fishing equipment is all excellent. The Mirage Drive is an excellent invention for kayak fisher folk in particular, but for others as well, and the ST Turbo Fin upgrade makes for a faster, smoother, easier ride. The Mirage Drive is generally easier, because we walk around on our legs, not our arms, and lengthening the fins makes it even less difficult.

Hobie's plug-in cart line is clever, as well, because any Hobie boat can fit into any Hobie cart, so you can walk it to the water. They offer their standard wheels for people who'll just be going down a ramp, a set of wheels for sand, and some heavy-duty wheels for cross-country, in case you have to walk your boat unexpectedly. And, best of all, the carts can be stored behind the seats of the boats while you aren't using them, so you don't have to walk them back to your car!

As far as self-inflating technology goes, Hobie has two options: a set of vests in red or brown which are far less bulky for storage and constricting for movement or air flow (important on a hot day) but can be inflated in a moment; and a seat pad which inflates automatically when the stopper is turned and can be pressed flat so as to store more easily.

What do you think about Hobie's accessories? Have a favorite? We'd love to hear from you!

Choosing a Kayak Seat

When you're a kayaker, you know that kayak seats are important. Fancy kayak seats aren't necessary to have fun, of course, but a good kayak seat can mean the difference between a fun ride today and back pain tomorrow, or an excellent ride today and another one tomorrow. Especially for expedition kayakers or people interested in kayak fishing, a good kayak seat is one of the most important pieces of gear in the arsenal. And the comfort of the seat is one of the things that makes kayaking so available for everyone. I used to canoe, but the discomfort of the seats (when I used them) was so noticeable when I tried kayaking that I've never switched back.

The thickness of a kayak seat pad is a big factor in comfort. A kayak seat with a thicker pad will last longer, give more support, and have more ability to conform to the shape of your body than a thin seat will, like a lay-z-boy armchair instead of a mildly padded computer chair. You can make do in either the computer chair or the minimal seat your kayak will come with, but given the choice, the upped expense is worth it.

One thing to be aware of, with kayak seats, though, is that padding on the back of a seat isn't really necessary. Lumbar support is just as good with a low, hard plastic seat back (such as the Old Town or Necky Active Comfort System sit in kayak seats, or the Ocean Kayak Comfort Pro Seat)  than it would be in a high-backed angler kayak seat such as the  GTS Elite, and the padding isn't really necessary unless you're using a PFD like this.Your life vest will offer as much back padding as you need, and anything extra isn't likely to be felt through the vest. So don't be overwhelmed by the options when you're looking for an upgraded kayak seat, because where seat backs are concerned, sometimes less is more.