Which Kayak?

Visited my local Hobie distributor in Melbourne today. Great service and advice received.
I can't decide whether Revolution/Adventure or AI? Any advice from forum members?
I read some comments on AI forum about mast collar problems, steering mechanism problems, rudder probems etc.
What is sailing like on Revolution and Adventure? How is stability of Revolution and Adventure for peddling and sailing? I intend purchasing sail kit.
Any advice to help me decide would be appreciated.
Thanks
Andrew

i've had the adventure with a sail kit and sidekicks and turbo fins it does not compare at all with the AI as a sailing vehicle. go for the AI if you want to primarily sail you will be much happier, i am with mine. if you run into any of the problems that have been discussed on this forum there are usually solutions to be found here also.

Many thanks for reply. I very much like the AI - but have read some reports about leakage, rudders, mast problems, etc which conern me.

G'Day Andrew,
With the AI you are getting the most versatile package so if cost isn't a factor I would be going for it. The Adventure can be upgraded later to an AI but it works out more expensive that way.
Don't be concerned about the problems you have read about. Remember we generally only hear of the problems. The majority without problems don't post here. Hobie are well known for their great service and back-up and I have found Hobie Australasia and my local dealer HobieSports to be just as good. Any minor problems I have had have been handled promptly and to my complete satisfaction. I will be buying an AI next.

AI's are the best. the problems suck, the fun is great. they have fixed some of the (censored) but not all of it. good luck with your local dealer. our on oahu hawaii sucks big ass

_________________
I love AI kayak fishing

Problems...

Most of the issues people have with the Adventure Island are related to pushing its limits and the conditions. I can't promise that it will excel in all conditions. Rough and windy conditions are a challenge for all water craft.

We have addressed most all the problems I am aware of, so I would be interested to hear if there are others we can focus on.

- We have changed the rudder up/down line system for positive lock down.

- We have modified the rudder blade for smooth and balanced control.

- We have changed the rudder pin material.

- We have re-designed the drive drums to hold the crank shafts securely in a locked position. This also re-routes the cables and chains to reduce stress on the cable ends. This change is starting to hit production soon.

- We have modified the plastic materials for a few parts that had high stresses and some failures under loads.

- We re-designed the mast cup and mast lock in system. This also helps to reduce debris from getting into the cup.

- We re-designed the mast base pin to help avoid debris retention in the connection. The pin is now in the cup and the mast has a receiving hole in its base.

As far as the local dealers go...

Dean Froome has been a Hobie dealer for a very long time. Originally as his own company and now under Windward boats. If you have a specific complaint about a dealer, send the information to us at [email protected]

If you have a local dealer who should be carrying the Hobie product, have them contact us. We can't always set a dealer up due to their proximity to other dealers or buying commitment levels which must be met, but we can look at it.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Many of these items could have been caught or known prior to sale. It leaves me looking foward to the next AI. Feels like customer R & D by Hobie. Just bought AI this season. The balanced rudder was supplied. Now we need labor from the dealer to install these other up-grades. Discount on next AI. All of these improvments will be completed when? How are we supposed to know when to buy..How many hours did Hobie put AI thru prior?.... not enough....That these basic faults did not emerge...What is considered rough condition? It is fun and stable ...could be bigger / faster and broken less...and how about that front hatch seal might as well get that in there soon. Beef up the rudder handle...bigger stronger. For me right out the box rudder bungee was cut and v-frame nut was loose on the shaft bolt

Many thanks to all my fellow 'forumers' for your kind assistance and advice. Any further comments would be welcome.
Also, thanks to Matt.
Matt, How can I tell that I am getting the lastest model AI (or any other model for example Revolution/Adventure) with all the recent imporvements you have mentioned? (My local dealership might have 'old' stock) Is there a 'complianace' plate on AI to show year of manufacture etc?
I was at beach this afternoon - 2 Revolutions and 1 Adventure were being used - but no Adventure island - hopefully I will be first to have one at our local beach. Weather forecast is for 90 deg (Fahrenheit) in Melbourne end of this week.
Best wishes to everyone
Andrew