Launching /Retreival Hints Wanted

I have a TI with a Trailex trailer. I'm looking for your "secret tricks" to speed-up the time from when you pull up to the boat pre-launch area until you are under sail. Also, from the time sail up to the dock until you drive away in your car.

Gary
2014 Tandem Island
1984 Hobie Hawk Glider

Aloha Gary

I probably do my launching a bit different than most, but hopefully it may be of some help for you.

After pulling in and parking at the ramp/harbor trailer parking, I remove all straps, rudder cover (which is also my towing red flag(s)), and sail bag(s).

I add and secure my safety gear, most now back in a milk crate for speed of loading and stow other important personal items (lunch, water, GPS on RAM mount, etc.). Attach rear haka leashes and put up the seats and bungee them.

I then fold out the ama and attach the Sprayskirt side lines, as well as assemble the double paddle through the heavy-duty leash and put in it's holder on the aka. I open up the front hatch then because I store the Hobie scupper cart with it's small cradle, all disassembled in it at launch.

I put up the mast and pull all the reefing line through it's cleat but roll back 1/2 - 3/4 of a turn on the mast drum and cleat it, to keep the sail tight when fully reefed in higher winds. I pull the TI off the rear of the trailer a couple of feet so I can stand on the front cross bar of the trailer to attach the hook to the clue. I tie the end of the reefing line to a permanent small loop at the end of one of the sheet-lines so it's always quickly reachable. I then pull the lines down to the right side gunnel and attach with a permanently added bungee at the side of the front seat to keep the lines tight and off-center and out of the way during launch and maneuvering until we're ready to sail.

After lines are secure I check the whole boat to be sure everything is secure. Leash it or loose it, in and on the boat!

I start pulling the boat off the rear of the trailer, first to install the rear mirage drive and bungee one pedal shaft back to keep it flat to the bottom. Then back just enough to add the cart in the center scupper holes. Most like to float their boats off the trailer, but then you need to re-park it, and should really be rinsed (which most don't). I'd rather walk the boat down with my trailer parked and secure in a spot. If I'm by myself I use the cart holder pin to keep it attached, if not I just hold the top coming through the scupper tube while we pull the boat further back till back till the front mirage well is clear of the trailer and the scupper cart is holding up the rear.

I then install the front mirage drive and bungee back one pedal shaft.

Now pull the boat almost completely off the trailer from the rear, slightly raising so it doesn't scrape the pavement and I'm ready to walk it down the ramp, lifting and pulling by the bow handle. It is much lighter than the AI because of it being close to balanced. If other are going with me on the TI, I have them hold the ama handle(s) so I don't run them over with the boat while maneuvering. I do tell them if they slip on the ramp (never has happened yet) to fall on the boat as not to hurt themselves.

When we reach the water I jump between the aka/ama and hull since I can reach the scupper cart and remove in about 2 feet of water and dissemble and pack in the front hatch, all while controlling the boat with just my body against it floating in shallow water. Once the front hatch is secure, I have them sit in the rear seat, I point the boat and push it where I want to head and slip in the seat. I release the rudder UP line and pull the DOWN as soon as deep enough, and lower the daggerboard for tighter maneuvering in the launch area and start pedaling.

I quickly stow my water shoes (leashed) in the hatch.

Once out on the open water, I take a minute to check and adjust everything and with everybody in our party (radio checks) and then we're ready to sail!

This is probably much more detail than you were looking for, but with almost 7 1/2 years of sailing AI's and then TI's, this is what has evolved and works for me. I'm always curious what works for others in their locations and conditions. I do float the boats onto the trailer at the end of our trip, securing only with a front strap each, and wash everything (including the trailer) at one of the wash stations.

_________________

Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

Thanks for posting that information Bob. Very useful to a new TI owner.
- chris

Here is my down under version.
Park car & trailer
Fit masthead wind indicator
Raise mast
Hook mainsheet to clew
Unroll sail and then tie 18 inch tail of furling line to mainsheet tail.
Furl sail
Remove light bar (I have removable trailer lights which sit on top of my TI)
Unfold amas (removing pads separating hull from amas)
Remove rudder boot and bungee
Attach spray skirts
Fit paddle on akas
Launch TI down ramp
Pull TI up on beach
Park car
Climb aboard
Paddle backwards off beach
Lower centeeboard, rudder and Miragedrive(s)
Swing bow round to open water
Unfurl sail and trim
Stow paddle

Reverse process on landing

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

I use a Harbor Freight trailer with a tongue extension and custom flat wood crossbars covered with bunk carpet. I'm not sure if the Trailex can support my method but I load the boat with the bow facing the back of the trailer when I head out to the launch. The amas are folded, the tramps are rolled up, and the mast/sail is secured to the island crossbars while in the storage bag.

I fully rig the boat (amas out, tramps on, mast installed and sail ready) while in the parking lot with the boat on the trailer, only secured by a single strap and then back into the boat ramp. The wheels never get dunked and the boat slides right off the trailer into the water, bow first. I lay the mirage drives in each seat then park the truck/trailer, walk back, pop in the mirage drives, and pedal out. (secure your boat when you park your car or have your partner hold onto it.)

When I return, I'm bow forward, I remove the mirage drives, get the truck/trailer backed up to the ramp, lift the bow up (need partner for this, too heavy to do alone) and slide the entire rig onto the crossbars, secure the bow with a strap, and drive to the parking lot to clean up the boat (fold in amas, remove mast, secure everything) and drive away. Everything gets disassembled and a fresh-water wash when I get home.

This keeps the time I occupy the ramp to a minimum.

Enjoy!

So the next time you launch, it goes in backwards? Or do you take it off the trailer at home?

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

I learned quickly that the TI is much better to propel and has more control going forward than backward. Since I usually launch at a boat ramp, it's quicker and easier to go in bow first (and return bow first). Some boat ramps I've used are too narrow to manually rotate the TI and the first time I had to paddle backwards with an unfavorable wind convinced me to avoid paddling the boat backwards in confined areas as much as possible.

My TI comes off the trailer at home to be disassembled and thoroughly cleaned, then stored inverted with wide straps along with the amas/sail using an electric hoist (Garage Gator). This takes about an hour but keeps the boat in top-shape after a day in the salt. The Garage Gator works really well.

The trailer folds up and stores vertically taking up little space. Sometimes I store it inverted on the trailer if I'll be going out the next day and leave the truck outside the garage.

If the boat is on the trailer, it's trivial to reposition the hull before adding the amas/akas.

Try rigging a hobie 16, and you will never complain about a TI. My biggest issue on the TI is answering questions because it is so new around here that it draws a crowd.

Gee, I can't help but think you are making your life much harder than necessary! In all honesty, a TI is infinitely more stable direction-wise when reversing. (It might be worth you trying, as it was a surprise to me, which I discovered when I had to cover a long distasnce in only one foot of water). I launch it backwards, and don't even hurry to drop the rudder quickly, as my TI show no sign of wandering off the straight and narrow while going backwards. Once clear of the ramp and other vessels, I drop centreboard, rudder and Miragedrive, performing a tight U-turn by applying reverse rudder and using the paddle..

Coming back to land, I use the paddle once the water is too shallow for Miragedrive etc.

Fortunately, I can store the TI on its trailer, so I do not need to disssemble anything, just give everything a good wash (we have washdown taps at the ramp, so the TI gets a blow-dry on the way home).

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

I'd like to launch the TI from a boat ramp. The ramp has good docks on both sides. I have the Trax 2-30 cart with TI cradle. My plan is to put in on the cradle bow first close to the dock with crew on the dock tending a bow line. Once the boat is afloat, the bow line would be cleated and the cart removed. I'm concerned that I won't be able to remove the cart because of the wheel buoyancy. I considered two person carrying in but will be with my wife sometimes and don't think she could manage. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I modified a little trailer I bought from Lowes by adding a 10 foot tongue and the Hobie Cradles on top. I also fabricated a couple of guidposts out of PVC that are set out board of the folded TI to make it easy to back the trailer in behind my truck. I unfasten and remove all tiedowns, preload everything including the mast on the hard before backing down the ramp. I tie a dock line around each AKA attach point on the main hul. these lines are 15 feet long so I can capture one in the rear door of the truck keeping the boat from floating away. I launch next to a dock so I have to tow the TI around the end of the dock and tie up on the other side out of the way. Once the truck and trailer are docked, I drop in the drives, lower the dagger board and rudder, Then I extend the outer AMA, push away from the dock, extend the other side, and pedal away.

The return is just the reverse. I float the folded TI onto the trailer using the PVC guide posts to center and fix the front trailer tiedown to the boat. The tiedown keeps the trailer positioned fore and aft as I pull out. Once on dry land I remove the mast, refasten all of the tiedowns, and stow all gear.