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First Thoughts on the Mobius 49

Posted: 12.04.2014 BY Natty Cordon

It’s refreshing to paddle a small playboat that actually feels like it's designed for the smaller paddler, rather than feeling like a shrunken version of the medium size. I’ve owned my Wave Sport Mobius 49 for a week now. I meant to post up my initial thoughts sooner but I haven’t been able to leave the boat alone for long enough to actually sit down at my computer. Fortunately for my lack of self-control, all of my paddling buddies seem to be busy today so here’s a brief round-up of my initial thoughts on the Wavesport Mobius. 

Set-Up and Outfitting

Wave Sport’s Core Whiteout outfitting was one of the first features which attracted me to their Recon, and has to be near the top of my list of favourite features of the Mobius.

 

The set-up was remarkably self-explanatory with pockets for extra foam in the hip pads, a hand-screw to move the seat backwards and forwards in 0.5cm increments, and two allen key screws to move the thigh braces. 

 

The outer section of the thigh braces are also removable which gives a little extra leg room to the taller paddler.  One of my favourite features of the outfitting is the seat pad which can be unhooked at the front to make space for the additional layer of foam which comes with the boat. This lifted me up nicely and overcame my slight concerns about the volume around the cockpit area. 

Comfort is often overlooked by play boaters but in my mind, the more comfortable I am, the longer I can stay on the water and the more I can enjoy myself. The thing that has struck me the most about my last week of playboating is that I seem to have been able to paddle twice as hard for twice as long. The adjustable ratchet leg-lifter in combination with the wrap-around padded thigh braces offers unparalleled connectivity, control and comfort.

On the Water

My initial impression of the Mobius on the water is that it is surprisingly forgiving. This is true of all of the locations in which I tested it: in the surf, down the river, on a wave and in a hole.

In the surf, I had initial concerns over the short length of the Mobius  and how it would cope with boofing out through the waves and with getting up the speed to get a decent surf but I was wrong to worry. The continuous rocker made it a dream to boof and in combination with the boat’s forgiving nature, would surely be an asset on the river. The width of the hull made it relatively easy to plane in spite of the short length. The length also meant that I could have so much more fun with messing around on the flat-water between sets of waves.

On the river, I found relief in the Mobius’ relatively high volume and its ability to retain the wave or the hole. This made it so much easier to have fun trying out new moves without the risk of losing playtime. The short length also delivered so much control and manoeuvrability whilst on the wave or in the hole and really allowed me to take my time in finding that perfect position to initiate a move. 

Overall, my first impression is that the Mobius 49 actually feels like a  boat which is designed for the smaller paddler, rather than feeling like a shrunken version of a medium sized boat. The combination of the unparalleled connectivity provided by the Core Whiteout outfitting, with the Mobius’ shorter length, wider hull and greater volume makes for a great day out wherever you are.