New AI in Kaneohe....wow

Hello,

Wow, what a blast. I'm blown away. I picked up a new 2010 AI on Friday and have taken out in Kaneohe Bay a few times. The thing is amazing. I'm really impressed how Hobie put it all together. What a great company. It is worth every penny.

I was out for a few hours this morning. Winds were 15 to 20 mph. I live over by Coconut Island and headed to the sandbar. From the sandbar I headed towards Chinamans hat. The wind had picked up pretty good and some decent swells were coming in from the side. I started to get nervous about my safety gear and turned around. After I turned around one side of drum shaft lifted up and was stuck out of place. I must have hit the quick release with my foot. It took a little while to get it back in place. On the way back it was bumpy in some places heading into the wind chop. All I can say is this is one crazy boat.

I would appreciate some help with these things.

I'd feel more comfortable with a real life vest versus my old / corroded inflatable belt pack. Has anyone tried the Hobie Hi-Back mesh or Short Profile vest in the AI? It looks like you can fit a cell phone in the pockets. I tried a forum search but could find very little info? What do you guys wear when going out in the ocean?

Are there any after market seats available that provide better lower back support?

Will those grey foam kayak holders for roof racks provide enough support for storing it folded / upright?

I seem to have a short (maybe a foot long) and narrlow black line that came with the boat. I have no idea what it's for.

Thanks for the help.
Dave

Hey! Congrats on the purchase. I live in town, we should go out some time. You gotta get some fishing gear too

You should come to the Oahu AI Sail club, talk to Lorraine at windward boats about getting on the email alias. We do some fun sails in groups and barbeques afterwards sometimes, always a good time.

Usually it is Leonard, Steven, Jon, Boogie (Dave) and I.

Oh, I dunno about using the pads to store it. I just store my kayak upside down on its rails. Then I don't have to worry about warping the hull, same with the Amas (but I doubt they would warp very easily). I transport it upside down on the rails on my roof racks too, never had a problem.

Hope that helps
JG

Congrats on your new toy, Dave, and welcome aboard!

As you're finding out, the AI is just too much fun in one package to be so affordable and still be legal. Sounds like you've got the perfect winds to play with too. You've got a lot of fun ahead of you, but you already have figured that out.

For transport, the foam blocks you mentioned work fine for supporting the hull. I wouldn't be comfortable putting my hull and amas on the roof with them though. While the hull will be supported, I'd be worrying about the amas bouncing and hitting the car. I think that could, over time, also wear the mountings for the amas & the akas. The stress in this case would be opposite of what the amas and akas are designed for. They are designed to support the boat with the water pushing up on the amas, not for the amas to be hanging from the akas supported only by their shock cords.

As for the short length of line that you mentioned, is there a piece of line tied to the corner of the sail that is left exposed when the sail is furled? Since that is the only short length of line that I can think of on the AI, a think that might be what it is. Tie the line to the grommet at the clew of the sail (corner where the mainsheet hooks on). Then, with the sail furled around the mast, tie a knot in the line so that it will keep the sail furled when the knot is slipped around the plastic hook that is on the sail. If you already have such a line already attached to the corner of the sail, then I'm out of ideas on that one. At any rate, good luck & keep having fun!

Happy Sailing,
- Jim L

Thanks for the insight.

I've been taking it out every day this week mostly just as a kayak but I left work early today to get some sailing in.

One thing that I've found is that I prefer my canoe paddle over a kayak paddle in the AI. I find that the width of the kayak makes it difficult to get any power out of the kayak paddle. The canoe paddle feels much more natural. I'll be sticking with that for backup.

Has Hobie considered putting the Mirage Drive in light weight boat like a one man canoe? I'd buy one. That thing would fly.

Only one more day until the weekend.
Take care,
Dave

the ai is a blast. wanted to ask you if the canoe paddle you are using is a wooden one? I use the kayak paddle one sided and agree that it is hard to get power out of it. think it flexes too much or is smaller or something. i often thought about a hawaiian-style canoe paddle and since you mentioned it... also try the ai in oc-1, one ama, mode, surprisingly very stable and good to use for light wind days.

would really help to get some roof racks, worth the investment.

hope to see you out there soon dave. your $$ was well spent.

Hi Mongoose,

Where do you do your sailing?

My one man canoe (OC1) paddle is made by Quickblade. The shaft is wood, the blade is carbon fiber. I like wood shafts due to the flex and a little easier on the shoulders. But, this particular wood shaft is very stiff and I should have purchased it all in carbon fiber.

The width I think is around 9inches which is maybe a little narrow but I like a faster stroke. It's not ideal for the AI but I like it much better than a kayak paddle. If I were to buy one for the AI I'd get a wider blade for steering and a little shorter since you sit lower in the AI than a OC1.

I have a broken, all wood, canoe paddle that I'm going to have repaired and that will be my AI paddle. I think wood is fine on the AI.

Take care,
Dave

hey Dave,

I sail anywhere but usually have a line in the water also. on Oct 18th there is an AI club mtg and hope you can make it. Lorraine should have the details on where and what time.



aloha,

steve

Howzit Big Dave,
Welcome to the AI fun! What's up Hawaii guys? Anyone know where the sailing meet is this month? Don't see anything posted on our spreadsheet... I'm ready and looking forward to the 18th. Maybe we go Kane'ohe and welcome Big Dave into the fold. Keep in touch. GO YANKEES!
LR

The short thin black line is for tying the scupper plugs together, I think? that's what I use it for.

You use the scupper plugs? You must not me here in Hawaii with the rest of us

_________________

Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

I only use them for flat water (slow) sails or peddling. My dog (Sam the Rat Terrior) rides in the back and he hates to get wet. I have a carpet entry mat back there for him but I just got the tramps and I think he will love those. He is always trying to see around me so now he should be able to ride right up front, leaning over the front aka DiCaprio style.

Between work, family, and the AI there's not much computer time.

I'm having a blast with this boat. The bay has opened up for me. I saw two guys trolling in Hobie Kayaks (mirage drive only) going out the Sampan channel on Sunday.

http://sailvector.com/2803/Kaneohe-Bay-Oahu-East-Coast

Does anyone know how to approach Kapapa Island to land on it? The waves were wrapping around the Island and meeting on the backside. I was in the area of the "obstruction" on the south side. That's some kind of obstruction...

I picked up a nice, cheap, waterproof light at Walmart. It's small, decent run times, pretty good brightness and clips to a hat.
http://www.uwkinetics.com/product/22

Please let me know if anyone is planning to be in the bay. My work number is 595-6770.

Take care,
Dave

Hey Dave -

Thanks for letting me sail your AI this evening...I think I'll head down to windward boats tomorrow morning.

Jeff

Awesome Jeff. I'm looking forward to sailing with you.

Where's the wind today?

Have a good weekend.
Dave