Why I love my AI - Because sometimes, you can't sail.

I took these pictures last weekend. This is another example of why buying an Adventure Island makes so much more sense then buying some other kind of sailboat. You can't always sail, and sometimes, not sailing, can be just as great as sailing.

Sitting on the dock, all ready to go.



Just starting to outrun the ripples that I created by launching.



I wasn't missing my sail at all.



Sorry about the legs, but the coolest thing was that this ribbon of water beside my boat could be followed all the way back to shore behind me.



My favourite picture of that morning.



Another great view.



Hey look a Bravo! There was also a Wave, and a Hobie 16 on the shore of other cottages.


I hope you enjoyed!

So next time someone says they're considering the Adventure Island, or a traditional sailboat. Remind them of this!

EDIT - New video

I'm adding this video that I left out before. I don't think it shows the scenery very well, but it shows another benefit of the Mirage Drive. Silent, splash free operation. I'm a former "traditional" kayaker, and it always looks peaceful from a distance, but traditional kayaks aren't as peaceful as a mirage drive. The mirage drive offers true silence, and true hands free operation.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScAXUZ7MbcM[/youtube]

(I know, I sound like a sales guy... I'm done now)

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Nice shots! That's the same thing we do when we aren't sailing our TI - explore our surroundings and hunt for critters.

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Mitch

2010 Tandem Island
2010 Revolution
Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore

My sailing blog
Our sailing videos

Excellent shots Augaug.

Very inspirational.

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Yellow 09 Oasis
Red 2010 AI /Grey tramps.

Beautiful. Hasta be even better in person.

Thanks.

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

Oh it was! Complete peace. Complete silence except for the call of a loon. It was a great morning. Well worth getting up earlier then anyone else. I love sailing my AI in big winds, but this was just as fun.

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Very nice. Great shots.

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I'd rather be sailing,
Mark.

Wow, that's worth getting out of bed for!

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Some top shots there mate!

Great post Augaug. I have been singing this song for a while now. The AI is not just a trimaran. It is a tri, an outrigger and a kayak. It can be used in 3 configurations, and as you say, gives you choice. That is simultaneously the best and worst thing about the AI concept - choice. Some days it can be a fine line as to whether to configure it as a tri, outrigger or kayak. Max learned that recently... didn't ya mate. I'll let max tell that story

Moral of the story - don't under-estimate and or neglect the potential of the AI to be used as a mono-hull yak... or a single pontoon outrigger. Sometimes you're better off leaving the sail and at least one of the pontoons at home. I'm a huge fan of using my AI as an outrigger in open water if there is no wind.

Seeing an AI and only seeing a trimaran is the most common mistake of observation I see most walk-in customers make. It's versatility is what makes it as cool as it is above and beyond anything else.

Great photos by the way

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Kayak Fishing Specialist: SLH
https://slhobie.com.au

Love the view.

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Paul, Rebecca & Stephanie

What a spot augaug. And the photos showed how peacful it was perfectly.

What's a loon. Down here a loon is someone who is 'a few sandwiches short of a picnic' or someone who isn't 'the shapest tool in the shed' (ie: not the full quid )

P.S. I'm glad you apologised for the leg

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Don't take life too seriously................it ain't permanent.

A loon is a pretty cool bird. It looks a lot like a large duck when it swims in the water. It can fly, but you most often see them alone in lakes, and they're known for their diving abilities. They're tough to get close to on a kayak, because as soon as you get close, instead of flying away, they'll silently dive underwater, and swim away. You won't see it until it surfaces 100 metres away.

I'm not a loon expert, just a Canadian. So you'll have to google them for more info. They are also known for a really unique "call"

In Canada, we have One dollar coins, and the loon is on the back side of that coin. I've never met anyone who calls the coin, the one dollar coin, we all call it the "loonie" We also have a two dollar coin, which everyone calls the "Toonie" (two-nie)

Yes we're totally aware of what a loonie is in the rest of the world.. but hey, what can I say. That's just part of why it's cool to be Canadian!

Here's a picture of a loon.


Here's a YouTube clip of a loon making a whole lot of noise. The first 3 seconds of that clip show the traditional loon call, and they usually stop at that, and you'll hear something like that about once a minute... obviously the guy in the YouTube clip either ticked the loon off, or scared it, so you get to hear all of the sounds that it makes.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw1It3AlXmQ[/youtube]

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You're right, that is a hell of a cool bird. Thanks for that.

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Don't take life too seriously................it ain't permanent.

augaug,
Those pics are amazing. So clear and still and crisp.
As a former SIK paddler I certainly agree with you and Yakass on the versatility of the AI.
I am very impressed with the Adventure's performance at the other end of the wind scale in 30+ knots. The Miragedrive handles those conditions (and very strong currents) extremely well.
Is there a more versatile craft? I think not.

Wow, what a beautiful part of the world you get to use and admire, those shots are stunning thanks for sharing.

That loon is an incredible looking and sounding bird as well, have heard of them before but never seen or heard them, they would be fantastic to hear first thing in the morning in such an environment, a great peaceful way to start of a day, I am jealous .

As for the uniqueness and diversity of the AI and now TI, nothing compares and simply brilliant bit of kit. Someone mentioned 3 ways it can be used, I started to make a forth, just a couple of cross bars from the amas with a plastic seat, similar to the Hobie float cat I also intend to mount the Mirage drive into it. At first I thought of getting a Sport for those little steams but then I thought why not a little float cat with what I already have, I am not a big bloke, so I think it ill support me fine.