New TI owner

Hello all. Second post here. First one I asked about buying a used TI. Decided not to, and bought new instead. 2024 TI in the "Dune" color. Over the weekend I got it put together and on the trailer. Trailer is a 4x8' aluminum utility trailer. I bought the Hobie cradles and mounted them on a 2x10 so they were well supported.

Above: Picture of the TI. Let me know if it's not visible to you, I'm sharing from Google Photos.

This is my first sailboat. I have wanted a small sailboat for a long time, considered a Hobie 14' cat on and off for a while. Also wanted to get a canoe or kayak, and was starting to look for one. Then I saw a Hobie tandem inflatable kayak with Mirage Drive and used a SUP with Mirage Drive. I looked at Hobie's kayaks with pedal drive and saw they made one with a sail, and was like "perfect!"

Haven't been out yet. Spent the weekend putting it together and getting the mounts ready. I still need to anchor the mounts to the trailer and extend the trailer tongue, which I hope to finish this week. Also planning on getting some lightweight tubes and extending the rear taillights back till they are in the same plane as the rudder. Extending the lights will be a requirement as the kayak is currently hanging off the rear by almost 6', which is more than the limit of 4'. I could hang a red flag off the end, but I'd have to hang a red light off the end at night, and extending the lights seems better, and less chance of someone rear-ending it.

Hoping for a maiden voyage this weekend.

Enjoy your new TI!

You will love it!

Been cruising around the Chesapeake Bay after almost 2 months exploring the Florida Keys.... can't beat the TI for having fun.

Hobie Tandem Island - Chesapeake Bay by Jim Powers, on Flickr

_________________
Jim
Hobie TI 2022 - Offshore rig - Outboard - having fun!
Hobie TI 2021 - Offshore rig - Outboard - sold
Hobie TI 2016 - Offshore rig - Outboard - sold
Hobie Kona 2014
Hobie AI 2015 - sold
Hobie Rev 13 2014 - sold
Hobie Outback - 2008 - sold

Thank you! I was out on one of the Madison, WI lakes the last two evenings. It was a lot of fun sailing. Quite a wet ride, as I've seen people mention. Now the additions start. Need some benches or trampolines, so we can do 3, maybe 4 people (or to level it out while sailing). I want some lights, so I can be out after sundown or at night. May get a sonar for it...

I did have some quick learning. My rudder wasn't straight if the hand controls were straight. This wasn't just an OCD issue, but because the steering control uses a semicircle to move the lines, the front control not being centered when the rudder was centered meant the rudder didn't move equally left and right. I assumed it was supposed to and someone at the factory just did a quick job. I loosened the screws and moved the rudder lines. All looked good, but luckily I thought to keep that Phillips screwdriver in the boat...

First evening out, the rudder control started getting play, progressively worse over a period of time. I furled the sail, drifted, and pulled out the screwdriver I had stashed and went to the rudder and re-positioned and re-tightened the lines on the boat, in the middle of the lake. All was good the rest of the evening.

Second evening out, with my partner, we had some headwind coming out of the boat launch. My partner and I accidentally "fought" over the steering controls, and suddenly the rudder control had no resistance. The rudder was disabled. With the wind pushing us back to the shore, which we hadn't gotten far from, I just used the paddle to steer and pedaled back until we were pushed into some weeds on the bank from the wind. Luckily I still had that screwdriver. I tightened up the lines and we went out again. Not too far out, the rudder control was loose again!, so I furled the sail, drifted, and grabbed the screwdriver and went back to the back of the boat yet again. This time, I realized the issue. When I originally messed with the rudder lines to straighten the rudder, I wound the line around both screws clockwise. This is from wiring outlets, if you wind the wire counter-clockwise, the screw pushes it out when tightening. So I wound both clockwise. But I realized only the starboard screw was loosening. I then quickly realized that by winding both screws clockwise, as the starboard rudder line pulled the rudder that way, the line would be pulling on the screw counter-clockwise, loosening it! I re-wound the starboard side screw counter-clockwise, tightened it down, and got back to my seat and popped the sail back out before we got pushed to shore a second time. The rest of the evening, the rudder lines held, and the rudder control had no play in it the entirety of the remaining time out on the water.

Nedt time you go out:
Rudder down! And cleat it
The steering will be easier and lighter

Have fun on the water
Peter

Rudder was firmly down and cleated. Steering isn't hard. I had just wound the strings on the rudder wrong, and the string was pulling the screw that holds it in a counter-clockwise direction on the starboard screw, which caused the screw to loosen and the rudder to loose control. Winding the string counter-clockwise caused to to pull the screw clockwise when the rudder is turned, tightening the screw and preventing the string from loosening.

Sorry
Lots of times when there are problems with the steering wires it is because people don’t cleat the rudder down

Have fun on the water
Peter