Having a rough time deciding.

Wave's are a fun ride .. no doubt about it and you'll probably have more fun flying a hull going much faster than a TI/AI ever could ..

.. but if you are single-handing it most of the time, I'd say the decision would be based on what your options are for getting it to - and into/out of - the water. Even with a trailer and a good boat ramp, the wave is going to require A LOT more effort from the time you arrive to shove-off time. The TI/AI on a trailer can be done in under 10 minutes easily. If you have very easy access to store and shore-launch a wave, then all of this is negated (although at one Caribbean resort, I had to drag a wave about 50' through the sand to the water by myself .. I'll NEVER do that again ..)

As also stated earlier, if the wind dies and you're on a Wave .. well, lets just say - bring extra sun screen.

Im going to go out on a limb here, but I'm willing to bet that the Marage drive on the AI/TI has "Saved the Day" at least once for everyone on this forum and gotten them home, when a Wave without backup power would have been left a floating dock out in the middle of no where

In summary .. and in my own personal opinion, I only go out for one reason -> to sail. I won't even think of going out if the winds are under 10mph. Do I have fun ? YOU BETCHA !! Could I have more fun on a bigger/faster boat ? Probably .. but it would not be possible with the ease and convenience, low cost and low maintenance that the Island's offer.

.. and I know Im going to get home.

_________________
Alan W.

Papaya AI2 to replace my well worn V1
TheTwins - His/Hers 2007 Papaya Hobie Adventure Island's (v1.00.01)
.. and a Hobie Outback SUV

As a woman of a certain age and size and bad knees, and also as a business person with limited play time, it was really important to me that any boat investment be one that was going to be easy to set up, easy to maneuver, comfortable and fun to play with, and (fully recognizing our limited sailing skills) relatively stable and somewhat idiot-proof. We came "this close" to investing in a Catalina Expo, which also has a carbon fiber mast and furling sail. But putting that in and out would have been a lot more work compared to the TI, and on evenings with little to no wind, it would have been a lesson in frustration without a motor -- and Muskegon Lake is big enough that you don't want to risk getting stranded far away from a dock after dark or if inclement weather blows in. Evn with a motor, we'd either have to hassle with gas and winterizing, or invest in an expensive battery version and manage charging.

We managed to find our TI used locally on Craigslist, and it ticks all the boxes for us. We keep it parked on a trailer at our local yacht club. If we decide on a whim to take it out after work, we can have it in the water in 15 minutes, go out for an hour, and have it put away and covered back in its spot in less than a half hour.

When the wind dies or is going in the "wrong" direction, WE are the motor. I joke when the big speed boats go by and count out "$1, $2, $3 ..." in gas consumption. It makes the few hundred bucks we play in club fees a very reasonable investment!

If you want to race, I'm guessing this probably isn't the boat for you. But if you want a fun, versatile toy you can enjoy pushing to its own limits and really get a lot of use out of in multiple ways/conditions -- look no further. We are so happy that we didn't buy the Catalina.

_________________
........~ media1der ~........
............. Chris .............
2013 Hobie Tandem Island
--- Muskegon Yacht Club ---