Hobie Cat

On our canoe trip we saw many boats. I believe there were more kayaks than canoes. One kayak in particular stood out. The owner called it a Hobie Cat. Here is a photo from the Hobie manufacturer. This picture is pretty close to what she had. Her kayak had a rudder. It also had a wheel behind the seat so when the kayak is inverted, it can be wheeled and towed behind a bicycle. She had a double paddle like most kayaks do but she seldom used it. She propelled her kayak with her feet. In the leg compartment she had a pair of pedals much like a exercise stepper. She stepped with her feet moving two paddles beneath the kayak much like a penguin moves when swimming. She maneuvered the rudder with her hands. And let me tell you, she could move in that thing. She was tooting down that river at a very fast pace. There was a space in front of her where she could attach a sail as well. This was the perfect boat for the Mississippi challenge. When her arms tired she could use her feet. When her legs tired, she could use her arms. When both were tired, she could have used her sail. I don't think she used the sail at all on this trip. What a cool contraption! I have never heard of such a thing before.