Choice between i11s and i12s

Hi - I think the difference between the i11s and i12s are as follows.

i11s - Airplane friendly, suitable for lake/river, can be used like a paddleboard?
i12s - not necessarily airplane friendly, can be used on ocean/bays, has sail ability and is more "dugout like a regular kayak.

We are planning on moving back and forth between the Florida coast and NJ coast as snowbirds. I think the sailing aspect is nice and my wife loves the idea of the drive. Is it impossible to get an i12s on a plane? Is anything else I stated incorrect? Also, any "deals" out there? Seems to all be $2300 for i12s and about $100 for shipping. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks for the input. I think my most important question is whether the i11s is suitable for the ocean or not. Sailing is an option but being able to take the inflatable back and forth on a plane is most important.

Aside from stock sailing kit, I can't see why anyone would get the i12 over the i11. Check out rogerdodger's youtube clips of him taking his i11s out in varying conditions, and I've uploaded a few videos myself. Extremely stable, catches virtually no wind, and weighs 37 lbs w/o seat and drive!

rogerdodger's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcJuTWlsfBY

mine: https://youtu.be/6IgdyRk7VRU?t=892

I've had mine in the ocean off of Oregon 3 times, here is the best video that I posted:

https://youtu.be/nYwhXRQ7JsU

_________________
2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

I'm actually wondering if the i12s actually has more rear deck space due to the raised tubes down each side, the i11s is basically flat.

Here they are side by side, per Hobie, the i12s is 36" wide, the i11s is 39" wide.



as for i11s stability, from my 'i11s waves' video, sitting on the edge of mine, I also do some standing/paddling in the video...



cheers, roger

_________________
2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

Thank you very much for your helpful reply on the other thread, Daft. I have decided to move to this one, focused on i11s and i12s. I have learnt a lot, particularly from you and Roger, regarding inflatables. But it really is a complicated decision, as there are always trade-offs. I really like the idea of sailing, and you seem to enjoy it on the i12s. If things get dangerous, is it easy to bring the sail rig down? With an i11s and a windpaddle, it would be easier to bring it up or down at any given time, but no upwind sailing, of course. Oh, why didn't Hobie make the i11s sail kit compatible?

And do you think they are both equally capable of transporting a child on the back?

I think I have the same bias for sailing. But I am a bit worried that if the wind is too strong there isn't a way to bring the whole rig down, if necessary. Daft, you seem to enjoy your i12s. Are you actually considering to give it up for the i11s? If so, why?

Very good tips! As for buying only the hull of the i11s, I believe I read on another thread that the price was not very attractive for drive-less hulls.

Wow - thanks everyone for the wonderful input. I had already pulled the trigger on the i12s now wondering if I should ask about returning for an i11s, and see if the dealer will help with shipping lol. I haven't unpacked the i12s yet, so I will leave it up to the wife who it is for as to whether she wants to get the smaller one. I thought the sailing aspect, something she always pined for, was a great idea but now she's saying not a big deal. The 20lbs might be a big deal for her and the aspect of bringing it back and forth to Florida from NJ as snowbirds weighs heavily for the i11s.

I'm actually a bit more inclined towards the i12s now. I really want to be able to sail with it, and some of the sailing videos look really tempting. But I do wish they had included the mast base on the i11s...

Does anyone actually fly with the i12s? We belong to United Mileageplus and get two free pieces of luggage up to 70lbs each. Looks like the i12s is actually over that even if I separate out all the components from the boat itself but I think the dimensions are okay. I'm afraid it would be $200 to fly but now thinking I can might be able to get it shipped separately (Fedex/UPS) for a reasonable cost. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

No - I do see 53.5. I guess I'm asking because the i11s is touted as the plane friendly one on their website. I am still worried about the ability for my wife to actually get it to the beach but I assume if we get the wheels it would make it super easy. Thanks for the response, I think I'll stick with the i12s and get the cart but it looks like nothing is available for the beach (hard sand only). Might open another thread for this or actually look into DIY.

If you take a look at the Hobie Accesories Catalog, you will find the i-Kayak Trax Cart, which seems to be what you are looking for. I think we share similar concerns.

Thanks. Not sure I how I missed that, I actually searched and went through the catalog (apparently not very well). Looks like they are somewhat tough to locate for purchase. Also see some interesting discussions on these boards regarding how to wrangle the inflated tires once you are partially in the water. One suggestion was to partially fill them with water.

hi all - still in the research phase on my purchase, but i am basically at the crossroads mentioned in the title of this thread.

airline travel is not really of great concern to me, though it would certainly be a bonus. i live in brooklyn, and will most often be fishing in the bays of south brooklyn, with the possibility of becoming braver and heading into the ocean once i get my sea legs.

i do head down to southwest virginia on a regular basis, and was entertaining the idea of bringing the kayak on some of the rocky rivers there.

i am most interested in the portability / storage aspect of the inflatables, as i live in an apartment with limited storage.

sooooo i am torn. i feel like i am drawn to some of the more boat-like elements of the i12s, but the sleekness, width, and stability of the i11s is also appealing. not really looking to sail the kayak, although i do love sailing, the idea of setting up the sail seems a bit fussy to me / would be more equipment i need to store.

it seems like there are a lot of acolytes of the i11s on this board, and also while i was calling around to dealers, most of them carry the i11s but few carry the i12s. i am not sure what that indicates, other that supply and demand, i suppose.

anyhow, very open to any input, as i am planning to buy this month! thank you.