The Mirage Drive has many advantages over conventional oars and paddles, the most obvious being that the Mirage Drive is powered by your legs which straight away allows you to use more of your body's power. Another nice feature of the Mirage Drive is that your hands are always kept free and dry.

Some less obvious advantages are that with the Mirage Drive you face forwards, unlike rowing when you must face aft. You will also find that coming alongside is much easier with out any oars to get in the way.

The Mirage Drive is very efficient and requires very little effort to push the boat along. As you are reclined when pedalling, the whole experience is more comfortable and less fatiguing than normal rowing. One of the reasons why the Mirage Drive is so efficient is because both blades are producing power throughout their stroke, unlike oars which have to be lifted out of the water at the end of every stroke.

The pedals can be adjusted for maximum comfort and the Mirage Drive still works even if you do not make full strokes with the pedals This means that the Mirage Drive can still be used even in shallow water. Yet another advantage of the Mirage Drive is that it can be used a centre board when sailing. Simply bringing the pedals together leaves the blades in the vertical position. Using the Mirage Drive in this way may not be as efficient as the proper centreboard but it's good enough to allow good sailing performance with some leeway.

The unit itself is made from plastic, rubber and stainless steel. It is beautifully engineered, very well put together and should last many years. It costs about 500 Euros which is a lot of money, but it compares well with the price of an outboard and you'll never have to put fuel in it! It requires no maintenance except for rinsing with fresh water after use. It keeps you fit and is great fun. It'll be money well spent.

To find out more and to see some very convincing videos, please click here.

The Hobie Mirage Drive was designed for use in kayaks and is a wonderful example of bio-mimicry. Two flexible blades, shaped much like fishes' fins swing from side to side creating forward motion.