i9s versus i12s

As I already posted elsewhere, I yesterday managed to inspect a Revolution, and although I was mightily impressed with the boat, it finally convinced me that I can only really consider an inflatable as a practical proposition.

At first, my immediate preference was for the i12, mainly because of it's greater stowage spaces, but having looked more closely at the pictures of the i9, I am not sure that I do not prefer the appearance of the smaller boat - in the pictures, it looks much more 'boat-shaped' than the i12. (I am finding it difficult to track down any real-life example of the inflatables in any UK dealership)

Conventionally, a boat's theoretical hull speed is closely related to it's length - does this still apply to inflatable boats, which appear to me to sit in the water differently from rigid hulls, and possibly have less 'glide'. Will the i9 be noticeably slower than the i12, or will there be little difference?

Ditch

I'd think hull length still effects the max hull speed inflatable or not. The BIG bonus to the i9 is the smaller travel package when deflated. It is a great platform when inflated and preferred by some users here. The i12 definitely will carry more stuff though.

I will try to get our designers to comment more, but we have entered a holiday period. They are off work through next Monday.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I don't think I have seen a picture of the i9s under sail, but I would guess that it would look a little bit like a traditional American Cat Rigger (no relation to HobieCat !!), which is a rig I have always admired.

On it's own, I think the i9s looks a little bit like a working tugboat - no problems there, I'll just get another (much cheaper) inflatable and lash it alongside to carry all my gear!

I used to own a Tinker Star Traveller inflatable sailing dinghy which is made in England, and is roughly the same size as a i12s but wider. It was brilliant, and gives me some of my fondest boating memories. It had a Bermudan rig with jib and mainsail - it was slow but it pointed into wind as well as most rigids.

I would consider another one now, but it is much heavier, takes ages to rig, and costs nearly 3 times more than the i12s. And, of course, it had no Mirage Drive - the rowing position was comfortable, but why would you row when you can peddle?

Ditch

I have used both the i12 and i9 extensively. The i12 is faster and carries much more gear (even an extra person in the back is no problem). It is a work horse where 400 lbs is very doable. The i9 does fine with a 200 lb person and 50 lbs in the back. As far as transport and overall weight and bulkyness is concerned, the i9 is the winner. I can fit two i9s in the trunk of my fiance's civic and only one i12 comfortably. Hope this helps.

Here are some pics of the i9 in action. Great little boat, and capable!

Motoring along with the Mirage Drive:


Stable enough for a little Irish Jig!


Then a bit of a nap afterwords:


Did you know it must be the worlds smallest tandem?


Unfortunately the guy in the back can get an unpleasant surprise if the guy in the front doesn't scoot up a bit!


Here is what it looks like under sail. Unfortunately there wasn't much wind....


Excellent portability, it scoots along well for its size and is a blast to play with!

Thanks Jimczar and RR for the replies - the i9s is definitely a pretty little thing... but I'm not sure about the sailrig

I remember hearing once that if a boat looks right, then it probably is right - maybe I need an Adventure Island for street-cred (street cred?), with the i9s as a tender/dinghy for messing around in crowded places.

Jimczar, I have no fiancee - how should I move my boats?

Ditch

I have owned both kayaks at different points when apartment living prevented me from owning hard shell kayaks. My preference is definitely the i9s. The i12s is bigger and heavier, it is hard to foldup into its bag and does not easily fit in a car trunk. Also the i12s hull weighs 61 lbs so if you are going to fly with it you are looking at an oversize bag. The i9s can squeeze by with paddle drive and pump in another bag. A dealer advised me against the ii9s saying it was comparable to the hobie sport and mainly for smaller women and kids. This is untrue, the i9s has a 325 lb capacity which is 100 lbs more than the sport. As far as speed the i12s is marginally faster but both are slower than hard shells but both are fast enough. I have also heard a dealer say the i12s performs the same as an outback, again untrue in my opinion. Inflatables do not perform as well as rigid boats. In kayaks surfboards boats etc every hull shape compromises something to gain something else. If you want more hauling capacity the i12s gives you more but at the cost of substantially less portability. I fish off the i9s but only with one rod and no holders installed (ounces add pounds). For me an inflatable is all about portability and the i9s does the job far better than its heavier or bulkier cousins the i12s or i14t.