Just bought an i9

I just bought an i9 inflatable kayak ... in my trunk and going to the beach tomorrow.

I'm very impressed with the product, but a little surprised there is so little documentation. No manual to speak of and the QR code that came with my receipt, basically takes me to a video for the hard shell boats.

Does anyone know of a good manual or set of instructions anywhere?

Also, is there a description of the sail option? I have the sail for a hard shell mirage; can I just add a few stays and use it on the inflatable?

There are some links in this forum to things like how to fold the boats up, but they no longer seem active. Does anyone have links to any of these earlier materials on using the boats?

Many thanks. I've used the hard shell boats quite a bit and am blown away with the drive system and the overall engineering of the equipment. Just a bit surprised at the documentation ...

=Ted Hall

Try this link for much info......http://www.hobiecat.com/support/mirage-i9s/

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

There are several Youtube videos on the Hobie i boats.

One tip I can give you, is to have the drive well plug installed when putting the boats back in the bag. In warmer climes, the drive well can get deformed if stored for a long period and make it difficult to get the drive back in. This doesn't happen to everybody, but why take the risk.

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Southwest Hobie Island Club
http://www.facebook.com/southwesthic

The forward cap has caused problems for i9 users. Check out this post:
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=20514

The sails are not interchangable for the regular yak and the inflatables... different mast.

As you may already know, there's only one standard cart for the inflatables. It plugs into the mirage drive well rather than the scuppers, and isn't upgradable to wheelez-type beach tires (axel isn't long enough).

If you have to haul anything bulky/heavy other than a short distance, you need to secure it over the mirage drive well rather than behind the seat (where most of my stuff is meant to go) otherwise the center of gravity is completely wrong & it's a pain to roll. Forces me to rig most stuff at the water rather than the car, which is a nuisance.

If you plan to haul a fair amount of stuff and/or roll over sand a lot you may want to get a strap-on cart & skip the hobie one.

Wow ...

I never thought I'd get such useful info on a forum within (what seems like) moments after the post was approved.

Many thanks for the helpful input.

I've been out peddling/paddling for the last 2 says in St. Augustine after picking up the Kayak. Very impressive. I've used several of the hard versions and I was worried because the i9 was short and soft that I would be disappointed ... but ... it works really well!!

I am surprised that the manual they put in with the boat (seems like pre-inflatable) is not the same as the linked one above ??? The linked PDF is much better ... but still, when you consider how amazing the mirage drive is, the documentation is pretty uninspired ...

So as a newbie ... my quick thoughts ... great little boat. Very well built. And, I continue to be amazed by the "drive" ... I don't know anything about the history of it, but it's right up there with the ipod as the greatest innovation of the 21st century in my book. It should have won some awards!

On the down side, I can't keep the seat from continually stretching/slipping back flat. The rudder works ok if you keep your hand on the tiller dial, but if you try to paddle instead of peddle, it does not seem to maintain its position and it becomes a hassle to keep the boat going straight ... is there some sort of lock or friction clamp that can be adjusted to get it to hold position? On deflation, wow, it stays pretty big ... I just put it in my trunk after hosing off, rather than trying to figure out how to squeeze it back into the bag ... I'm a little worried I'll never get it on my 26 ft sailboat.

But here's my big issue. I happened to have one of the Hobie sails from hard version (I use it with a decked canoe). So today, I rigged it as I guessed it should be on the i9 ... with 3 stays from mid-mast to the attachments on the boat. It looked good and was secure ... though I mistakenly gave it a little rake. But I could not sail with it. The boat just kept heading up because the CE of the sail was too far aft. And, the rudder seemed powerless to counteract. I stopped and re-adjusted the mast perfectly vertical (moving the CE forward). But I still had problems with uncontrollable rounding up. I'm wondering if perhaps the official sail for the inflatables has a different shape or size?? Or, is there some other adjustment I may be missing?? Or, do they just not sail.

Thanks for thoughts,

=Ted

Can't help you with the sail, that's not my thing.

As for the seat, try adding some tri-glides to the arm straps. These help keep the straps from loosening once you get them where you like them. Since an inflatable doesn't use seat pegs like a rotomold boat, the seat just tends to have a lot of play in it & things work loose during use.

If you really want to paddle, the best thing to do is simply not use the rudder. My i12s needs constant rudder adjustment when pedaling - forget about paddling.

I almost never re-bag my boat until I get home because it's such a PITA. That and I usually can't rinse the boat at the launch site. Keep a plastic drop cloth in your vehicle!

It has! After using it for 13 years I'm still totally impressed with it!
Maybe this will help: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=10666&hilit With a little practice it becomes second nature.
You need a large sailing rudder. They used to use a slightly different version for the inflatables, so make sure you get the right one (no notch in front). If you can only get the notched version, you may have to trim it a little to clear the stern. Make sure your rudder is down and locked -- use the jamb cleat provided.

Here's a review -- I think it sails fine... for an inflatable! viewtopic.php?p=56036#56036

The inflatable sail differs from the hard shell in that it is stayed and the mast is shorter (since it sits in the pocket rather than the sleeve), and folds into smaller sections. I also found that raking it forward reduced weather helm. Unfortunately the length of the boat and position of the sail make it impossible to balance the helm, but with the large rudder and raked mast it is manageable. Fortunately this is not much of a problem in light to moderate winds.

It's a great little boat and my favorite inflatable. I'm sure you'll get lots of enjoyment out from it!

PS: Are you using Turbofins? If not, they will really kick up the performance and improve the sailing experience as well. Since keeping the fins down serves as the daggerboard, the larger Turbos help the upwind performance somewhat.

Many, many, thanks Roadrunner!

Those were very helpful links and info.

I have used the Turbo fins on the hard version ... and will now definitely order a set along with the bigger rudder. Sounds like that will help a lot with getting me sailing. I can see that the other disadvantage of my using the sail with the longer mast the other day is that with the CE higher, it makes it even harder to find the happy amount of rake -- though I didn't seem to have any problem cutting a slit in the sail sleeve and tying the shrouds at an arbitrary spot in order to mount it.

I was surprised to see those links were from 2008. I was under the impression that the inflatables were newer as I had just read a review that seemed new in Practical Sailor or someplace like that ... (that's what inspired the purchase; though I'm now worried it may be a little harder to stow the i9 in my small sailboat than I had hoped).

Looking forward to my next peddle/sail ... will probably try the Chesapeake this weekend.

Thanks again,

=Ted

Yep, forgetting to cleat the rudder line is a common mistake I still make!

If you get an electric pump, some allow for reverse operation so you can use them to suck the air out & super deflate the boat. Electric pump may be overkill for an i9s, but saves me time & energy that I'd rather spend on the water. Pretty good $20 investment.

I would never put the yak back in the bag when it is wet. i would take it home and wash and dry before re-bagging it. Just my two cents worth. Good Luck

Unless going out solo, we always fully deflate and put our i9's back in the bags wet. There's no way we could fit all 4 in the back of the car otherwise. It takes us about the same time to deflate and pack the 4 i9's as it takes me to unload my PA and get it on top. Of course I carry much more in the PA haha. When we get home, we take 'em out spread 'em out and let dry in the back yard then repack and put 'em in a corner of the basement until next weekend.