Tom Kirkman wrote:
There is no such thing as a 99% capsize free boat, although the TI comes very close to it as is. Everything is in the box and under normal conditions no further "safety modifications" are required.
tonystott wrote:
There is no need to wait for Hobie to make any changes to the TI to make it safe in all but the most extreme circumstances
Interesting comments. The
emphasis is mine. I'm sure Nap will not be taking his PA out in other than
normal and certainly not
extreme conditions. As Tom correctly points out, no boat is capsize free. The Islands are certainly
capsize resistant. Still, let me pose the question: say you have your Island on a reach, in 15-17 knot winds, and your leeward aka-brace pin breaks. You happen to be looking to the horizon, typical of a sailor, and don't notice the break. You have no tramps, hakas, keep-out lines. What will happen in the next 5-7 seconds? Has anyone experienced this? It would be simple enough to test. Hobie aka-brace pins do break, otherwise why are people replacing them with everything from Nylatron to SS pins?
Capsize is a serious problem, especially in rough seas. Chief, the manager of the Everglade Challenge--a 280 mile adventure race, now requires all participants to certify that they can right their boats in case of a capsize. I wonder how many Island owners can say they have done that?
Furthermore, in the event of a capsize, you had better have everything that you do not want to lose, securely attached or tethered to your boat.
Keith