How much faster is the Tandem versus AI?

Yes, excellent contributions on this thread.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

So guys, if you want a boat that's fast, needs trailering, carries two or more people, can sail without a Mirage drive AND has a jib, why not a Hobie 16?

_________________

Yes I did toss up between the Hobie 16 and the TI. The TI won, both are 16ft but the TI is lighter and can be tossed onto the roof of the car and hoisted onto the roof of the garage for storage. The Hobie 16 needs a trailer and somewhere to store. But both are great craft

_________________
Paul, Rebecca & Stephanie

"Yes I did toss up between the Hobie 16 and the TI. The TI won, both are 16ft but the TI is lighter and can be tossed onto the roof of the car and hoisted onto the roof of the garage for storage. The Hobie 16 needs a trailer and somewhere to store. But both are great craft "


Sounds more like an argument for an AI than a TI. That's the primary distinction I see between the two boats. The TI is probably a tick faster and may even head up a couple of degrees higher, but the difference does not seem significant enough, in itself, to make the difference in purchase decisions. The main distinction is the ability to sail with more people on board. Aside from that, the difference (IMHO) is not worth the extra weight (need for a trailer, etc.) and cost. If you sail solo, it's hard to beat the convenience of car topping - not needing a boat ramp to launch, not having to pay for and register a trailer and not taking all that space up in your garage. Plus, if you occasionally want to use the boat just as a "solo" kayak , the AI seems to be the preferred choice for the same reasons just cited.

I can state, from experience, that you will only notice a difference in speed on a sailboat if you are trying to keep up with a faster sailboat - otherwise, you will just be enjoying a good sail. There will always be faster sailboats, and very few are actually fast. Think about it, we don't go out for a sail to see how fast we can get somewhere. You've arrived as soon as you launch. The AI is a very nice combination of wet sailing and kayaking. The TI adds the dimension of taking passengers along. The rest is just grist for discussion on sites like this:)

Ted

But what do you do when 5 miles off shore and the wind dies for the day?

_________________

Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

Not to mention the huge difference in rigging time!

Hee hee, just stirring the pot

_________________

I am fortunate to have both: an 08 red AI, and a brand-spanking-new yellow 2010 TI – I am very happy with them both, each is sailed for a different sailing experience.

As another fine poster pointed out, speed is not all that important unless you want to follow another higher performance sail boat.

I greatly admire the Hobie Cat 16 (and other Cats) -- I am a member of a local Hobie & Prindle Catamaran Club where I keep my Adventure Tandem Island. (There even is a Hobie Trifioler there a on the beach, a few yards away from my TI).

But for me, the greater complexity of the rigging, the weight of the craft, the need for large beach wheels, the required help of another crew member (I am a healthy 62 year old), trailering and storage, would greatly hinder my use of such fine Hobie sea crafts.

A few older members of the club have taken an interest in the TI -- my guess, for the same aforementioned reasons, their time also will come.

If I were in my 20’s (and had the money) I would like to think I would be sailing one of the high performance Hobie Cats. (When I was in my 20’s I played Steve McQueen on my Yamaha motorcycle.)

What I like about the Hobie AI is the elegant simplicity and the thrill of solo sailing that it provides.

I can still handle the TI by myself, but with an enthusiastic sailing partner on board, it even is an easier and more enjoyable day of sailing than with my trusty AI. (And before not very long, the Hobie TI’s will be sailing with an optional jib.)

Bottom line:

With either the AI or TI (with their Mirage drives) I can take a chance to go out into the bay looking for wind , whereas the adventuresome Hobie Cat sailors are still waiting for the right kind of wind to pick up.

Thanks for your question.

Thanks for all your replies, I taught that the TI will have been a lot faster due to a bigger sail area, I installed a jib on my AI (I cut the top part of an old windsurfer's sail) and I can really feel the difference in speed when I put the jib up.

Dan

Eddie,

Very interesting.

I weigh about 220 and have always sailed my TI solo from the rear cockpit but I don't have tramps. The boat never has felt unsettled to me even when I start to bury the ama except when an aka popped out and the ama folded in and I got knocked down.

It sounds like the tramps are catching a lot of air and lifting the front of your boat.

Jerry

_________________
Jerry D.
St. Johns, Florida
2010 TI
2008 AI