AI okay for me & 3 to 7 yr old kids?

I'm thinking to buy a used AI and add trampolines so I can take my twin 3 year olds camping and sailing on northern california reservoirs in our vw vanagon (with the AI on top of the van).

I don't expect to be able to take my wife and kids sailing at the same time. Just looking to have some safe fun and go sailing at the same time with one parent and one or two kids on the trampoline - once they know how to swim a bit better.

Any comments about whether this is a good idea or maybe a bad idea?


I've been sailing and racing hobie catamarans and big boats for decades but don't see how to do a hobie or a monohull on the cold california ocean water safely for several years yet. So looking for something I can easily store at home and transport without a trailer to warmer reservoirs. Maybe can even use the trampolines as swim platforms for teaching swimming in shallow water.

Keep it under the 350# load limit and it should be great. Go for it!

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

I only weigh 130, so don't think I'll have a weight problem until the kids are teenagers. That is, unless my wife wants to come out too -- but if that happens very often, I'll have to upgrade to the tandem and that'll be a great problem to have if the entire family loves it that much. For now, I'd rather have something I can more easily man-handle reasonably on top of my car.

Make sure everyone wears a PFD and always carefully check the trampoline buckles before heading out.

My wife weighs less than 130, yet the trampoline buckles on our Tandem broke last summer - pitching her partially into the drink. Fortunately she wasn't hurt, didn't go all the way in, and was wearing a PFD at the time.

We have since replaced *all* the original tramp buckles with a thicker model the same size from West Marine.

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Mitch

2010 Tandem Island
2010 Revolution
Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore

My sailing blog
Our sailing videos

I had my 5 year old with me the other day, and that was ok. But two of them? It might get very wet if the wind just increases above a slight breeze. The height of the tramp above the water is no more than about 3-4 inches when the kid is sitting on it. I have a 4 year old as well, and playing around with the beach and dry towels close by is something which is perfectly ok with both of them, but I wouldn't make any longer trips.

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Joakim
- A noob with a red AI -11.

"Sailing with 4 on the Hobie Adventure Island"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4euSPdE6K_M

Not my video above, but this might answer some questions.