Pros: Tracking excellent, speed for its width/length is good (very good if two people paddling), stability good, glide good, seating comfort excellent, hatches don't leak to any significant degree, can fit 2 piece 230 cm paddles and life vests into main hatch, can float in very shallow (~6-8 in?) water with 225 lb load, turning OK for length.
Cons: water accumulates in footrests (not uncommon for this type footrest), No tank well (but does have decent bungee and eye pads at stern)
I fish solo and take my kids out for crabbing, fishing, wildlife viewing and fun. We go on slow rivers (class II rapids at most), lakes, ponds, and bays/estuaries. This boat fits those needs best. For long solo paddles the hobie seat broke down on me (I'm 6'2" with a long torso) but the Ocean Kayak taller seat works better in the middle seat. Hobie seats are more comfy for the bow/stern seats...just experiment. We bought this boat because of the comfortable seating ergonomics and are happy with that. Mama sat in one and said this is the one so that was that. I agreed that it was the most comfortable seating but wondered about other features. After using it and trying other boats I understand the trade-offs and am not disappointed. We were looking at the WS Pairadise but there was no comparison in seating comfort and speed. In fact, the longer I have it and the more other boats I try, the more glad I am that I bought the Odyssey. For solo fishing, I like the big open spaces front and back rather than trying to access hatches with multiple straps or crawl aroung on the boat to get at them. I can keep my ice chest, 8# mushroom anchor, fishing rod, and paddle easily accessible. I used to want a Widerness Ride or Cobra Fish and Dive for solo fishing but have decided that the extra speed of this boat and its abundant open space make it just as good. For tandem use it works great, although I'm not sure about two larger adults in it. I use a 6" foam pool floatie hollow noodle piece sliced lengthwise and velcroed in between my legs as a rod holder so the fly rod sticks out straight ahead and lays across the bow and not upward to tangle in tree limbs. I use paddle strap clips on the side eye pads to hold the paddle when I get out and wade or anchor out. When going tandem, I use a milk crate at the the stern to carry gear...not ideal but it works fine.
I liked this boat so much I bought two. For solo touring or just lake/ocean paddling, I would go with a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 16 for its wonderful speed and tracking but it doesn't have as much stability or places to put stuff outside of the hatches. For all around use as described I think the Hobie is a great choice. We don't camp from it and it might not work well for that, I have not tried to stash camping gear thru the 8 inch hatch. For solo fishing only, I might go with the Fish and Dive for its flat open storage and stability. These boats are pretty heavy but don't pose a problem for me to move around with wheels (I'm 200 lbs and lift weights). If I had to cartop them it would be tough alone but I just lift one end and slide them both into the bed of my pickup and strap in through stern straps and scupper holes. Sometimes I even lauch from a boat ramp by sliding them out into water. I definitely prefer the graduated molded in footrests over the foot pedals like the Wilderness boats have, even if they are wet. Being able to move to diffrent positions helps leg comfort.
Overall this boat is the best I've found for its multiple uses and no boat can be perfect for everything so I gave it a 9. It will definitely run circles around the OK Malibu II or other similar tandems for speed but probably isn't quite as stable. You can't sit in it and hang your feet over the side because of the cockpit shape. I've only turned mine over once in a rapid where I should have just gotten out and walked it through. Hope this helps...