kayaksailor sail kit and Hobie Adventure...

Hi everybody,
i've a Hobie Adventure Kayak and would like to upgrade it with a sail, i know that Hobie makes a sail kit for its kayaks but i've seen a sail kit made by kayaksailor: http://www.kayaksailor.com/store/pc/viewcategories.asp?idcategory=2 , as i'm not only using my Hobie for fishing, i would like a sail that can fit my other kayak.
That's why i've selected the kayaksailor sail kit, but i'm not sure it fits easily the Hobie adventure.
Once placed on the Hobie, it may be hard to reach easily.
Has some of you ever try kayak sailor kit?
Do you think it' made for a Hobie adventure?
thanks for your help.

You might get better response on this by posting in the Hobie kayak sailing forum. Since the more experienced guys haven't replied, here are a few thoughts worth every penny you paid for them:

• This looks like a very clever but somewhat complicated design compared to the extremely simple Hobie sail.
• It does look like it could be hard to reach but that is probably true on any kayak and it seems to be designed so you don't have to reach the mast.
• The rig sits pretty far forward, almost a catyak. This could create a lot of weather helm that may make sailing difficult to windward.
• The Hobie sail is about 20 sqft vs. 17 for the 1.6 kayaksailer and 4lbs vs. 10lbs.
• The kayaksail is either up or down. With the addition of a roller furling line, the Hobie sail can be partially deployed if the winds are too strong for a full sail.
• The boom on the kayaksail may allow better performance going downwind.
• It might be simpler to install a mast pocket on your other kayak and use the Hobie sail on both. This would require also fitting some sort of daggerboard on the other kayak, however, perhaps mimiking the dual pivot design on the kayaksailer.
• Installing a kayaksailer on a Hobie you would have to take care to mount it far enough forward so you don't get whacked by the low boom and the central beam doesn't interfere with the pedals. Also, it may take some creativity to keep the lines from fouling the pedals and keep the rig from blocking access to the front hatch.

The best sailing rig on an Adventure would surely be the Adventure Island setup, but that doesn't help if you need a sail on your other boat as well. Second best would be the Hobie sail kit, preferably with an Adventure daggerboard, this might be adaptable to your other boat. I think the kayaksailor kit would be pretty awkward but probably doable on an Adventure.

thanks for your reply, it helps a lot.
i have some few more question about hobie sail kit, with an Adventure is it usefull to put Hobie Sidekick Ama Outrigger Kit?
as i've never seen sail kit in action, i wonder if speed gain is worth the price?

You really should read through the Hobie kayak sailing forum, there are a lot of great ideas. Based on my sailing and limited kayak experience, this is my thinking:

Sailing in any kayak is more about fun than speed, although part of the fun is thinking about how to get a bit more speed. You're not likely to go much faster with a sail than you can pedal/paddle. Sailing and pedaling can get you a bit more speed but hull speed limits make those last few tenths of a mph a lot of work. The Adventure Island is an exception being well adapted for fast sailing. If speed is your only goal, however, I doubt it could keep up with a Hobie 16 but the AI is more versatile. If you want to go fast to get someplace in a hurry sailing can be frustrating, the wind never seems to be going where you're going.

That said, adding a third means of propulsion on a Hobie or second means on a regular kayak adds a measure of safety and lets you keep moving while resting a tired muscle group. Sailing is a lot of fun. Pedaling a little while sailing in a light breeze can keep you moving at good speed with very little effort and make for a pleasant afternoon. Having a stowable sail on board to deploy when the winds are favorable can be a big help and very gratifying.

I haven't tried sidekicks but I'm sure they add a lot of stability. I doubt they add much speed, however, because of the increased drag. The consensus in the sailing forum for best speed seems to be to keep the sidekicks out of the water by keeping them high and balancing the boat with your weight, with the sidekicks mainly for gust protection. In fact some people find the balancing a desireable challenge:



Which came from this thread you will probably find interesting:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=8455&start=30

Rico, I'm sure either sail would work, but looking at the Kayaksailor, the Hobie sail appears to be simpler, more accessable, larger and less expensive.


Another alternative is the Windpaddle. Here's a link with pics of Kepnutz using one:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=10967

Sailing is fun in its own right, but it can also add trolling speed and extend your range when fishing. Aloha Dan used to troll offshore with his Adventure and Sidekick before he switched to an AI. You can look up some of his early posts to get more insight on some of his techniques. As choochoo says, the sailing forum has lots of tips on rigging the sail.

With either sail, you would probably want Sidekicks while fishing and sailing so you can concentrate on the fishing rather than the sailing, especially if the the wind picks up suddenly. Here's a pic posted by Skymax (on the sailing forum) sailing his Revo with Sidekicks:


With a little practice, the Hobie sail is quick and easy to set up and take down while on the water; you can store it as shown here for unrestricted rod movement:


or just furl it in place if you prefer (this is a little more work but keeps the cockpit uncluttered):


With any sail, you need some sort of centerboard or bilgeboard in order to go upwind. This is essential to keep the boat from drifting sideways. On the Hobie your fins will do (Turbofins work best because they have more surface area), but for better performance you can add a daggerboard if you have an Adventure. Additionally, you will need a large (sailing) rudder if you don't already have one.

The problem you're going to run into with your other kayak using a sail is the lack of a provision for a board, so the sail will be essentially useless upwind unless you can fashion a "leeboard" to reduce the side-slip. You will need a good rudder to control any weather helm. For this reason, you'll notice Hobie doesn't make a sail available for its own non-Mirage kayaks. Realistically, you're better off concentrating your efforts on just one boat IMO, and your Adventure is very well suited for the job having the fins, daggerboard well, mast receiver and large rudder already in place or easily available. And for that, the Hobie sail would be hard to beat.