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PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 7:28 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:09 am
Posts: 141
Location: Sweden
Hello folks! I have a couple of questions:

Is it possible to pull a 22-33 feet long sailing boat by pedalling the SI or the TI?

Could you imagine taking the SI or the TI up onboard a sailing boat that size?


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:05 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
You certainly can tow a large boat with a Mirage Kayak. roadrunner does rescues on, what seems like, a regular basis. We also easily towed a 24 power boat for our promo video.

I think trying to pull the tandem... even just the main hull up onto a sailboat will be a challenge. The Adventure would be easier. I suppose you can rig the boom as a, sort of, dinghy davit (crane) to help. I would assemble and dis-assemble island config in the water.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 12:23 pm 
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Location: Sweden
Do you have a link for that promo video? What speed would one be able to hold for a long time with a 30 feet sailboat in good conditions without wind and waves? 1 knot? Maybe 2 knots with the tandem if you're two healthy men pedalling? You might make some more nice promo videos with the TI, perhaps even using the sail!

I hope the boom is strong enough for lifting the TI! I suppose a winch would be quite helpful. Perhaps it's not much of a problem to have the Island just a few feets above the water by the stern, unless you have to go against the wind.


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:52 pm 
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The kayak promo video has this shot at (1:38)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYcIDjJWssU[/youtube]

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


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 11:04 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:46 pm
Posts: 3017
Location: Escondido
Here are some thoughts on towing. The most important tool in towing is Turbofins. They can bring additional thrust to the tow. It doesn't matter much what boat you are towing with, except that shorter towing boats have a little better directional control at these slower speeds. To that end, the large rudder is very valuable. As you will find out, directional control of both boats at slow speed can be challenging, especially if there is any wind.

Towing under sail is generally not feasible if you're towing a heavy load, as you cannot get enough speed fast enough to gain rudder authority before blowing downwind out of control. The heavier the tow, the longer it takes to get it up to speed. Once you get it going though, it's not too hard to maintain.

The weight of the towed boat is not so critical as how clean the boat is in the water. For example, a 2000 lb. motor boat with its outboard motor raised probably has less drag than your own Hobie cart (if you forget to unplug it) in the water!

A good tower with Turbofins can generate about 50 lbs of thrust for awhile. I'm guessing that a 30' 7000 lb. sailboat can be towed at 1 to 1.5 kt by one (fit) person and 2 to 2.5 kt by a tandem (no wind, chop, tide or current), but have never tried anything that big. Your tow line can be held over your shoulder for better directional control over the tow. The advantage to that is you can tug to create some slack momentarily then accelerate briefly for better rudder authority to redirect your tow if necessary.

The bigger the towed boat, the larger the effect of wind, chop and current on the result. But if your sailboat is becalmed, a good old Mirage Drive tow might be just the thing -- sure beats a set of oars! 8)


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PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2010 3:10 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2006 1:16 pm
Posts: 605
Location: Colorado
A little different twist on this thread but what about towing an AI behind a sailboat?

Can you tow the AI with the Amas extended? I think I read somewhere on this forum that it does not tow well with the amas retracted.

We've taken family trips at Lake Powell where we have towed kayaks behind a sailboat, the arrangement in the picture for towing three kayaks took a while to get it to work well

Image


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