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New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=67009		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  NuArcher [ Wed Jul 22, 2020 2:25 pm ]
Post subject:  New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
Heya.

I've been coverting a Hobie AI of my own for some years now; Saving my pennys and watch the 2nd-hand marketplaces.
Well. Last week I saw a deal too good to refuse. Made an offer, paid a deposit and made the 1200km drive to pick them (2 x AI) up.

Two, good condition, early-ish model AIs. A 2009 and a 2010 model. Great condition actually. Minor surface wear with no deep cuts or scratches. No cracks. Includes tramps, splash shields & carts. Drives in good condition. No rust or bends. A few decayed bungies is about it for damage I think. I got a std box trailer with a custom carry frame to carry both of them as part of the deal. Has two sets of Pro angler trailer cradles.

As soon as the weather is suitable I'll take them for a run in the local lake. It's mid winter here right now so my initial sails are likely to be short. But I'm a total noob at sailing. All I've ever done is go out in paddle kayaks/canoes.

What I wanted to ask was "What do I NEED to know?"

That is - Is there anything I need to know that I'm not likely to pick up with practice? A few things come to mind I guess. Keep spare rudder pins. Don't over sail till I know what I'm doing. Water, sun protection and PFD always.

So. Any suggestions?
Author:  quattroguy [ Thu Jul 23, 2020 5:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
If they have the rudder that sits flat on the deck when up(twist and stow) look into upgrading to the newer style that sits straight up. It is a bigger blade and more reliable. Look for cracks in the mirage drive well, sorry to say this after the purchase but older boats do have issues with this. Inspect the rudder up/down lines and steering lines inside the boat.
Last and most important thing, have a great time. These boats are a hoot for beginners and experts. Expect a crowd with lots of questions and envy.
Author:  NuArcher [ Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
quattroguy wrote:
If they have the rudder that sits flat on the deck when up(twist and stow) look into upgrading to the newer style that sits straight up.


It IS the twist and stow type. I'll be paying my local hobie dealer a visit soon and I'll ask about possible upgrades. Cheers. No cracks in the drive well fortunately.

My twist and seal circular hatches are not closing properly. I'll inspect the seals and lubricate them lightly. I may have to replace them yet but that looks easy.
Author:  panotaker [ Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
I'm a newbie too. I have been out 3 times already in my adventure island. I have never sailed before either. First time out I started from a long cove. It was about a mile to the big part of the lake, and the wind was coming right at me. So I had to learn how to tack pretty quick. To start off, just peddle until you get away from shore. Aim towards the wind and put your sail up. Peddle and turn your rudder and the wind will catch the sail and your off to the races. These Hobies are pretty easy to sail. After a while, practice tacking so you will be able to get back to your starting point. You will figure it out pretty quick. Since you bought a used one, I suggest you bring some kind of handheld bilge pump, just incase they have a hole in it that you don't know about. Learn how to furl the sail before you get caught in strong winds. I got caught in strong winds yesterday, and couldn't furl the sail. Finally, I pointed at the wind to take the pressure off the sail, and I was able to furl the sail. I learn a little bit each time I go out. I would change out those two plastic bolts on the akas, and the rudder pin. No telling how old they are. My two aka bolts where pretty bent. I got some new ones and some spares. Next thing I am going to change out are the bungees that hold the Amas on to the Akas. Im going with the double bungees like the newer Hobies have. I think the previous owner changed out the bearing plate on the mast, because so far, my bearings haven't fell out. Practice setting up your kayak at your house. Lift it off the ground high enough and make sure the peddles go in and out smoothly. I had to adjust mine because they where hard to put in. I got a feeling that is why the last guy sold it. I just had to adjust them and now they go in and out smoothly. Next thing I have to do is make the front hatch more water proof. I got caught in strong winds yesterday and my bow went under a couple of times and I got a bunch of water in the bow. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, but I did get to practice using my bilge pump. Just make sure your used kayaks are safe, and you should be good to go. The hard part is figuring out which way the wind is blowing, and whether you have to tighten up the sail, or loosen it up. I'm still working on that. Keep and eye on those two ribbons on the sail. When you got the sail trimmed right, they will be streaming in the same direction, and you will be hauling ass! Have fun and stay safe.
Author:  NuArcher [ Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
panotaker wrote:
I'm a newbie too. I have been out 3 times already in my adventure island.
Thank you. All very good to know.

Quote:
bilge pump
Ah. That the sort of thing I meant. If you have to learn from experience to bring one - it's probably too late to get one.

Quote:
make sure the peddles go in and out smoothly. I had to adjust mine because they where hard to put in.
All smooth so far. One of the fins was offset about 30deg to the other when they should have both been straight down. Somehow one fin was 1 sprocket point out of line. Removed the chain, adjusted the position and re fitted the chain. All good now. Gave it a bit of a lube while I was at it.

Storage is going to be a bit of a bugger. I wasn't really counting on getting two of them but this offer came up. My wife wanted one anyway so we can go out together. However she just want a kayak so I've stripped one down for her. I'm counting on her changing her mind with experience.

Cheers.
Author:  NuArcher [ Mon Aug 10, 2020 3:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
The weather was finally good enough to take one of the girls out for a splash.

Had a few issues though.

    Could NOT get the drive to lock in no matter what I tried. I eventually 'gave in' and got the other drive that I'd brought too. That one seated OK.
    The sail had issues unfurling when pulling the mainsheet. I'm reluctant to apply too much force as the mast was already bending at that point. So each time I scooted forward and unrolled the mast a turn or so by hand. Looks like there's some friction in there.
    Finally at one point I rolled out of the boat and onto the tramps and three clips snapped. Guess I'll have to replace them all too.

That said - it was a hell of a lot of fun. Wind was a bit spotty from my limited experience. It would die down to nothing, then build up so hard that the downwind ama was just about underwater. I reefed the sail a bit at that point. Didn't want to overdo it.

Got a long weekend coming up with just about perfect weather. Planning to give it a better go after a bit of maintenance.
Author:  dammit [ Mon Aug 17, 2020 5:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
Welcome NuArcher ! You will have a blast :)

And I am sure you can convince your wife once she seems how much more stable it is with the two amas vs a stripped down version!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Yk-bZLYg4 check this out for how to get the drive to lock in. Basically you need to look at that little front piece of plastic to make sure it ends up sitting on top of the mirage drive well, and keep the drive level and straight down. (note when the drive is level, the fins will not be going straight down, as you can see in the video). The older models were a lot harder to get the drives in, but you will get the hang of it. Once it is inserted, I used to (in my old 2012 model) grab both pedal sticks and try and move it back and forward together and I'd know very quickly if it was locked in place, or wobbly and not secured properly.

Unfurling the sail, if there isn't a lot of wind it can get a bit sticky. I usually just grab the sail by hand in the point where the main sheet goes through the eyelet, and pull by hand out and give it a little riggle, and it will come out good. However, first thing to check is make sure you have the yellow furling line uncleated, because if it is cleated, you won't be able to unfurl the sail out! Check out this video too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqMQE0tbfQI (particularly look at 4min 35sec)

I find the sweet spot in my tandem island is 5-12 knots of wind, any more than that, and it is quite hard work, particularly if inexperienced. You can go out in stronger, but better to furl the sail a lot (or completely) and pedal until you get your confidence up. Keep at it! Sailing didn't come naturally for me either and the Hobie Island is a really great craft to learn the basics whilst having backup plans of pedals and paddle if you need it!
Author:  NuArcher [ Mon Aug 17, 2020 2:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
dammit wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Yk-bZLYg4 check this out for how to get the drive to lock in.
Yeah. I was aware of that video. I've been scouring the web for any and all basics videos. Hat's off to Hobie though as they have some excellent starter/guide videos. I was sure that I was inserting it level but in hindsight, I think it may have been off. One drive was adjusted for shorter legs and holding the drive by the pedals may have thrown off the level. I 'thought' I was taking that into account but maybe I wasn't. I still had troubles inserting it this weekend in my backyard. But once I readjusted the pedals for the mid position it seemed to insert ok. I guess I was still off a bit.

Quote:
Unfurling the sail, if there isn't a lot of wind it can get a bit sticky.
I posted in the "Help with repairs/problems" forum as it's possible that there may be a bit of excessive friction in play. Or I'm overthinking it and it's normal. If I don't get any replies I might try a bit of dry lube on the flat areas in spots to see if that helps.

Quote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqMQE0tbfQI (particularly look at 4min 35sec)
Thanks. Another nice beginner video to add to my list. Doesn't help my specific problem unfortunately. I can get the sail almost completely unfurled but at about the last two turns of the mast, it seems to stick. Photos I posted in the problems forum show wear on parts of the mast base and receiver. I'm wondering if the mast receiver pin is just a fraction too low.
Author:  dammit [ Thu Aug 20, 2020 5:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Hobie owner. Anything I NEED to know?
Quote:
I can get the sail almost completely unfurled but at about the last two turns of the mast, it seems to stick.



Hm I had the same issue but just grab it by hand and riggle/pull it and that gets the last turn out, its usually when the wind isn't strong enough, is it just like that or is it really jammed/fused tight?

Not sure how to solve it, if you have it in your backyard does it happen? If you can post a video might help?

I also think that there are two parts to the mast, which connect in the middle, I am not 100% sure but maybe there is an issue with that..maybe you can search for this on the forum. Not much help but trying! :)
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