Launching TI in surf

Had an interesting experience in Rayong ,Thailand on Saturday.My wife and I were launching our TI into about 2 foot surf,directly into onshore wind.Everything was going well until we were about 150 metres from shore,almost through the shore break,then we were hammered by a couple of 4 foot breaking waves.I suspect the nylon aka pin was broken by the first wave,then the second wave rolled us over.My wife was great,no panic at all.I asked her to hold the front of the boat while I tried to furl the sail.Finally succeeded,then removed the mast(not easy in the surf in about 2.5 metres of water!)Then we proceeded to bring everything to shore.The boat came through the whole ordeal with only two broken nylon aka bolts-exactly as designed!I must say I was very impressed,Before ,I was concerned the boat may be a bit flimsy,obviously it is far from that.We also have a new AI2 that I sail almost daily.I have had many,many boats before,but this experience just confirms my belief that these boats/kayaks are probably the best all round fun machines you can find on the water.I use a little 150cc Chinese quad bike to take the boats to the beach(only about 250 meters)on home-made trolleys.I also still have a Hobie Wave,which basically never gets used anymore.I already sold my Windrider,great boat,but just too heavy and difficult to launch without a boat ramp at our beach. The reason these boats(AI's and TI's)are so great is that they are so easy to assemble ,launch and use.They may not be the fastest(although I have had my AI2 up to nearly 20 kmh according to my hand held Garmin gps),but they do sail very well.And not many boats have so much built in redundancy-pedal power,paddle or sail,plus a motor if you wish.Just awesome! In closing ,I would just like to say that if you are thinking about getting an AI or a TI,just go for it,you will not regret it!!!

Thanks for sharing your experience.
If you have a motor mounted, just fire it up on the beach and with the wheels still in the scupper holes pull the kayak into the water while pulling from the front toggle. Once you are afloat, have your wife jump into her seat. Do not install the mirage pedals or lower the rudder. Just jump in your seat and hit it full blast with the motor. Once safely out past the surf zone, reach down under and pull out the wheels, install the pedals, lower the rudder.
Do it all in reverse on the way back in. Landing with the wheels installed allows you to zoom all the way into shore with the motor. Jump out and pull the TI up onto the beach.

This is how I do it. Makes it much easier for getting thru the surf quickly and safely.

You may want to install keeper/safety lines to ensure your amas don't collapse from a broken aka bolt on the brace or having the aka arm pull out from it's locked position. Both in the surf and out on the water. Motors don't like salt water inside them.

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Mark
Tandem Island- 2013
2 - Sports - 2014

Hi Mark,thanks for your input regarding the use of a motor.I do have a 2.5hp Suzuki 4 stroke for the boat,but I was glad I didn't have it with me on this occasion.I was very happy that the boat stood up to the ordeal due to good design features.Even using the motor,I believe I probably would still have been rolled over.The water was just too churned up to get any drive through the surf.I had trampolines on,which stopped the akas from folding in,but still managed to get rolled.The only reason we went out that day was to meet a friend on a 53 foot yacht ,who rang earlier to say he was passing by our beach on the way to Koh Samet.In hindsight,I should have stuck by my original choice to not attempt a launch in those conditions.But I am glad we got through the experience unscathed,and learned a few valuable lessons on the way.Never to old to learn.I'm 61,and still learning every day.These boats are great for young and old ,experienced and inexperienced alike.I use the motor only in calm conditions for fishing,I have rolled a multihull before( a Jarcat 16 footer fitted with a 15 hp outboard)My point is don't hesitate about getting an AI or a TI,they really are hard to beat.Happy Islanding!

Thats one thing about the AKA sheer bolts, each time they take a hit they deform a little, so they become a ticking time bomb. When doing surf entries one wave might not take them out, but each wave deforms them a little and they eventually break, might be 3 big waves or it might be ten, you never know. It's just good insurance to add the safety lines. Takes all of 3 minutes to make them initially, they are then on there for the life of the boat, we just stuff ours into the mesh pockets when not using them (mine are 5 1/2 yrs old now (exactly the same ropes and clips)). The smart guys like Tom Kirkman replace their sheer bolts regularly.

Just get some cheap 3/16 or 1/4 stretchy nylon line (like 125 lb to 200 lb test) and 2 stainless clips. Simplest form on the newer 2015 boats is clip to the lifting handle in the center of the left AMA, run the line around the front of the left outer center hull bracket then behind the sail brackets (so it's out of the way of the mast), then around the front of the right outer aka hull brace, then out to the lifting handle on the right AMA. With the AMA's out you want a tiny bit of tension on the line. Don't worry about the handles, they are very strong. Now it's important to test it. First remove the AKA brace and try to fold the AMA back (simulating a sheer pin break) it should only swing back maybe half way back then stop (preventing capsize). Next push the buttons in on your AKA bars and try to pull them out, they will of course come out a little but not all the way ( which is usually enough to notice while underway so you can stop and plug it back in). Next is the AMA test, remove the front bungy from the AMA and push down ( this is the one that usually breaks), this simulates a broken or weak bungy, the AMA should not come off (wiggle it simulating wave action, if it comes off increase the tension on the safety rope just a little) ( pointer... Leave the AKA braces unlatched until after you have attached the clips, then drop the braces on the balls (easier to install)). Now remove both bungy's from the AMA's both front and back (simulating forgetting to attach the darn bungy's alltogether), the AMA should not fall off.
Now the real test (optional), go out under sail (full speed) turn around and ram the dock as hard and as fast as you can with one AMA. This is simulating a real collision, the AKA sheer pin should break, the AMA will begin to fold, as tension increases on the nylon line it acts like a giant spring obsorbing the boats forward energy, if the energy is too great the line simply snaps and the AMA folds in harmlessly, yea you might go over but you have not done any structural damage to the hull or AKA's. Pick up all your crap, put a new sheer pin in and your off and running again ( if you get scared, just stand up, your right next to shore (lol), ( I wouldn't really do the last part ( lol, just kidding around)) Obviously there are many other variations guys have done, I'm sure any work just fine.


We have done several terrible surf entries where the boat went sideways and we had to bail off and let the boat crash to shore, both sheer pins were broke but no other damage (knock on wood), in that situation you kind of want that safety line to snap and allow the AMA to fold against the hull (it's safest from further damage there). Of course by that point all your tramp clips have snapped and need to be replaced (the tramp clips break away like a zipper one at a time). Don't ask how I know all this (lol). I suspect we were just lucky we didn't fold or bend the AKA bars (which are pretty expensive (a couple hundred ea). Once on shore we replaced the AKA sheer pins, replaced the rudder pin and we were off again once the storm passed. We were smart enough to attach the bungys to the mirage drives before coming in so the mirage drives survived ok. I suspect that once we were in real trouble if we had not jumped out of the boat damage would have been much worse because of our weight. Don't ever get between the boat and shore, a dangling line behind the boat can help, something to grab onto while trying to guide the boat in nose first. Hanging on to the back of the boat itself doesn't work unless you enjoy getting thrown 3 ft in the air. Obviously we don't do this kind of stuff for sport or fun, but when sudden severe weather hits (usually without notice in Florida in the summer) you have to beeline for shore and safety.
FE