2015 AI Videos Please……...

It is the local Hobie dealers demo. First time on the water.

In the conditions we were sailing in today (3' swell, 5-15mph winds):

It seems to point about the same as the old AI, not better, but no worse.

It's about 1/2 mph faster in many tacks, and once in a while much faster. We will need more experience to say exactly when. When it did this, nothing I did on my AI would let me compete. It just left!

It does handle waves better, seems a smother ride. Dryer.

It seemed easier to optimize the sail to the wind (keep the tell-tails happy). The sail was beautiful, no folds or wrinkles, tight and taught while full of wind. My old AI did allow me to pull the sail slightly tighter to go more to wind, but at a very slow speed. At optimum sailing (tight) into the wind, the rear of the new AI sail is over the stern while the rear of my old sail is still outside the hull. But, the new sail is noticeably larger.

I helped unload it off a truck rack. I didn't really notice the extra weight.


The whales approved! We had many encounters and they liked the new boat too.

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

I can't wait for someone to try the bigger sail and AMAS on a pre-2015 A.I., then have a race - old against new

Another thing I've noticed about the new A.I. is the 'ski-jump' on the back edge of the rear well. That was
one of my pet hates in the Revo. Things (in particular, fish!) had the habit of sliding out if thing got a little
bumpy. I wonder what the reasoning was in changing this? The well of the older A.I. was far superior to
that of the Revo.

Mike.

Great pix Bob, that sail shape is superb with the 3 battens. I still can't believe the length of the Amas, wow they're long. The extra volume in the front will be great for the expeditioners. Something that has not been mentioned, which was a pet hate of mine in the older models, is the scupper holes in the rear cargo hold will now be able to hold an inverted trolley. Boy that used to bug me.

Thanks for posting, XD.