We have a new TI. Well, new since December. The 2011 model. And after something like 20+ trips out into the ocean with it,
I feel compelled to let you other TI sailors know of some equipment problems we have experienced.
Oh, we haven't had the dreaded drive well issues. Or the mast support breakage. Or the cart hole damage, or the rudder popping loose. And our akas are straight and good. Nah, all that stuff is great. Boat sails beautifully.
We've had other equipment issues.
First, on the very weekend we launched the boat, we had one of the new fibergla$$ kayak paddles bounce out of the boat between the house and the ramp. We went back and looked ( we live four miles from nearest pavement, and this was all on a dirt and limestone road) and it was gone.
Then, two days later, La Gringa put her hand on the other fiberglass paddle while it was clipped onto the aka. She leaned some weight on it to get out of the boat, and it cracked. The paddle, not her hand. So within two weeks both new paddles were toast. Good thing we had the two aluminum paddles that came with our i14t. Ugly, but tough. I plan to replace them with the telescoping single bladed aluminum canoe paddles West Marine carries.
TI sailors will know about the two Hobie water bottles packaged with every new boat. We like them. We use a lot of water bottles here on a small tropical island. It's like endless summer here. And now with the TI, well you other Hobie sailors know that you need a nearby supply of fresh water if you have a Hobie. I think "Hobie" is actually sanscrit for "Wet Ride" or something. Hey, it's half the reason we buy Hobies, anyhow. But if you have a TI and sail it on the ocean, you need to be able to wash the salt out of your grinning teeth and off your sunglasses. Like, all the time.
On the bottom of these Hobie water bottles is a sticker that says something like "Hand Wash" and "Don't Microwave", and of course, "Made in China"
( Hobie, how could you????) and warns against hot liquids. Okay. It's not a coffee cup, I guess. No flaming daiquiris. Or smoking while drinking straight Everclear. We can live with that.
But it doesn't say don't put in the dishwasher. Now does it? Nope. It doesn't.
(there. I'm covered.)
Well, last night I screwed up. Or so I am being repeatedly told. I had about a half dozen water bottles that needed washing. Including one of the new Hobies. So I put them all in the dishwasher. Ah oh. I bet you see where this is going, don't you.
Warning! Graphic image attached!
If you are squeamish about shrunken threads or deformed plastic, please don't look at this photo!
The bottle on the left is the standard, un dishwasher washed Hobie water bottle. And on the right, it's identical twin brother after being subjected to a standard wash cycle:
Yes, my brothers...the dishwasher turned a perfectly good water bottle into a Texas shot glass. It won't stand up straight by itself, and although the screw on top still works for some bizarre reason ( nothing like a good screw-on), of course tequila leaks right past the threads. Or maybe it just seems that way. It ends up on the front of your shirt, in any case. Come to think of it, the last thing inside this particular bottle was rum and orange juice. But it was cold rum and OJ.
So, be warned. The Chinese Hobie water bottles will not handle hot liquids in any form. And in the darkness of a dishwasher, they turn positively twisted.
So there you have it. If you are contemplating buying a TI, I want you to know that in our experience, there are some real issues. To wit:
1.) the fiberglass paddles are too light and will bounce out of the boat on the trailer if you go too fast on a bumpy road without tying them down.
2.) the fiberglass paddles will not take the weight of an adult from the side.
3.) the water bottles shrink up horribly if you put them in the dishwasher.
(Our dishwaster is GE's 'New Guinea Headhunter' model, I think.)
I don't know what was IN that plastic that is no longer there, but something left it in the dishwasher. It had to. Do water bottles have souls?
There, I've said it. It needed to be done.
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) for those new test tube sized containers?