2015 AI

There is no question, placing my 2011 AI next to my new AI 2, stern even with stern, the AI 2 is 6-7 inches longer. Also, as carefully as I could measure, my AI 2 is very close to 16' 0" stern to bow (NOT including rudder/rudder housing). My 2011 AI is not in position where I can measure it accurately (I'm moving these boats around myself in tight quarters,) but I can line the sterns up, and see and roughly measure, that the AI 2 is longer by 6-7".

Keith

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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

Thanks Keith. I'll put a tape on my AI when I get a chance and measure from bow to stern gudgeon at the waterline.
Do you think the reverse bow adds to the length or have Hobie shortened the bow deck?

The bow deck seems longer and, width to length, more sleek. I haven't made the proper measurements yet to compare the AI to the AI 2.

Keith

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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

What is the interior width of the cockpits, old to new?

I haven't measured that, Tom. What I have measured is the circumference near the rear of the center hatch. The AI 2 is 74.5"; the AI is 67".

Keith

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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

Well it looks like the old specs were typos!
The website specs are now showing the increased length and capacity figures.
So load up that AIv2 with confidence!

Something else I noticed, if the company photos are accurate, is the rear twist and seal hatch has been moved from the rear deck and down into the tankwell. Not sure I understand the reasoning behind this. If you plan to utilize the rear hatch on the water, then your tankwell just lost about a quarter or so of its volume. You either don't keep anything on top of it, or have to move anything you do put on top of it to get into the hatch. Seems an odd configuration.

The TI has always been like this but only due to the fact that its tankwell and related rear deck are so short compared to the AI.

I'll assume there must be a good reason for this and that I'm just missing something.

The AI 2 is like the TI with regard to the rear hatch. I suggest a long time ago that the t-n-s hatches should not be level. If they were not sealed well, water sitting on the flat top would find its way inside--you could test it simply by leaving your boat out in your backyard during a rain. So, I think it is a good idea to have a slanted rear hatch. The center hatch is a little more problematic because the captain often uses that flat area. In addition to moving the rear hatch forward a bit on the AI 2, the hull behind the rear hatch has a ridge--the older AI is flat and the t-n-s hatch cover is flat. With a heavy load, that whole area on the AI can be under water, especially in rough seas. I like the AI 2 stern arch and slanted t-n-s hatch.

Keith

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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

That's certainly true and may be the reason they changed it. But I really like the old AI tankwell as the rear is deep and upright, so items don't easily slip or slide out. The new version with the slanted rear is effectively smaller because of the shape and requires a bit more care in strapping stuff in.

But, I suppose you have to give one thing to get something else.

That's embarrassing! Hobie can't even get their own site up to speed, after months of opportunity to get it straight. Calling the AI 2 specs "typos" is very, very generous. Thanks to this thread for straightening them out. In addition to getting the capacity back to 400 lbs, I see they are listing the AI 2 as 16' 7"--that means they are including the rudder/rudder housing in the length.

Keith

PS To me it looks like somebody at Hobie is hiring their kid to maintain the site. Pretty lame, and we all waste a bunch of time trying to figure it out.

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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

You are right about that, Tom, but I think there is actually more area in the rear hatch. I put a number of small, waterproof items in that area and always worry about possibly tangling in or abrading the lines.

I think I can live with the new rear configuration. On our recent week-long trip, the Turners put a fairly large cooler in that tank well area. We were in very rough seas and my small, 14" high, top-loading cooler always had salt water in it--sometimes as much as 2". It had to come in through the top.

Keith

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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

Oh I think most water that gets into these boats come in topside. If you just sit one on the water, it'll almost never take on water. Let it rain or get a lot of splash on it, and you'll get some water inside.

It's not a big deal, I simply liked the size and shape of the original tankwell.

I've just accurately measured My AI v1. From the top of the bow to the gudgeon (not including rudder) it measures 15' 7-1/2". With the old twist-n-stow rudder it is just on 16'. So due to the normal shaped bow the waterline length is a bit shorter.
I wonder if the reverse bow accounts for the extra length?

Tonight, I don't know.

Keith

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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

Hasn't Hobie released an official spec sheet yet?

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Every day is an Adventure Island day