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| Adventure Island for light winds? http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=43341 |
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| Author: | Tom Kirkman [ Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:26 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Adventure Island for light winds? |
I've sailed my Revolution a couple times now. Once with the Hobie Ama Sidekick kit and once with my own outriggers (modeled sort of after what is offered on the AI). It was a blast but I'm not getting the speed I want. The thing is, other than spring time, most of our normal daily windspeeds on the inland lakes where I live is only going to be about 5 to 10 MPH. If I want to sail around here, I need to come up with something different. I thought about having a larger sail made for the Revolution but I suspect that the hull is only going to be "seaworthy" safe with a certain size and I don't want to exceed that. Maybe I can do more with it (I'll soon find out) but I'm well aware this thing can only handle so much. So, I'm on the tightrope about pulling the trigger on an Adventure Island (one more beer and one more AI youtube video is probably going to do it). It offers a lot more sail area and I'm guessing it would allow me to capture more wind and therefore more speed, on our less windy summer days. What's it like sailing an Adventure island in winds of less than 10 MPH? |
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| Author: | stobbo [ Sun Jun 17, 2012 5:03 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
AI in light winds is OK - a lot drier than in strong winds which is a huge bonus - but IMNSHO it is nowhere near as exciting as sailing the kayak without the amas... It will be a lot quicker than the kayak though, due to the much larger sail area and the additional stability (which allows you to make the most of what breeze there is because you are at next to no risk of a capsize). That said, it is perfectly possible to increase the sail area of the standard kayak set up by adding a jib (foresail) - to do this you need additional string (to stay the mast and provide the required forestay triangle) and the risk of a capsize is greater but the challenge (interest) is increased, sail shape is improved and your light wind sailing speeds will improve noticeably. Adding a jib to the standard kayak set up is a d%^$ sight cheaper than buying an AI in case that's a consideration. Like most things boating it's a case of which compromise appeals most/"horses for courses"... |
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| Author: | Tom Kirkman [ Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
Thanks for the response. I noticed on my Revolution, and from videos of the AI, that both seem to have maxed out the capacity of their masts - they flex very deeply under strong winds. I have the means to fabricate masts for either, that are much lighter, yet much stiffer. What advantage could I expect with a much stiffer mast in terms of sailing speed? |
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| Author: | ElementAI [ Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:50 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
Tom Kirkman wrote: Thanks for the response. I noticed on my Revolution, and from videos of the AI, that both seem to have maxed out the capacity of their masts - they flex very deeply under strong winds. I have the means to fabricate masts for either, that are much lighter, yet much stiffer. What advantage could I expect with a much stiffer mast in terms of sailing speed? Can the v-Brace and hull handle it? are the masts going to use stays? are you thinking of adding a jib or Spin? this post could get interesting to watch. |
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| Author: | Tom Kirkman [ Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
No sure. The Revolution has a 7/8th inch mast bore. Even with alternate materials and more wall thickness, you can still only get so much stiffness without external bracing. I get the sense that a boat like the Revolution might simply be overcome with much more sail power. To that end, I bought an Adventure Island this morning. Should be here Thursday. I'll see how that goes. |
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| Author: | SteveLIBS [ Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
That sounds like it was a 2 beer decision, not a 1 beer decision. LOL |
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| Author: | KayakingBob [ Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
You'll love it! So stable - so versatile. |
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| Author: | Tom Kirkman [ Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:52 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
It was going to happen at some point, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger. The lady that took my order assured me that red was the fastest color, so I took her advice and went that route. |
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| Author: | Jbernier [ Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:45 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
Tom Kirkman wrote: It was going to happen at some point, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger. The lady that took my order assured me that red was the fastest color, so I took her advice and went that route. Nice - great choice Tom, you'll love the Island... they are just too much fun! |
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| Author: | Tom Kirkman [ Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:51 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
I plan to continue work on the Revolution. To some extent it's the most versatile boat Hobie offers, although for slightly larger waters the AI might be equally if not more versatile. One thing I do like about them both - when preparing to jibe, the mirage drive lets you power through the turn so there is no reason to get caught "in irons." I noticed this right off and appreciated it. In fact, this is the reason I went with the AI instead of a regular Hobie cat. Of course, I may eventually wind up with one of those, too. I love to fish, but have to say that sailing was an absolute blast. |
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| Author: | Steve0 [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Adventure Island for light winds? |
The mast may flex, but it is pretty stout. Made the mistake of forgetting to remove it before driving off with my AI on a trailer. Took out the neighbor's cable TV that day, couldn't find any damage to the mast or v-bracing. That flex is also helping to re-shape the sail in the higher winds, making it fuller. I would not mess with trying to stiffen it. If it's getting too much flex, might be time to reef! Really concur with the mirage drives making this such a great sail boat. Once I absolutely amazed a becalmed 25 footer by towing him about 1000 feet to get back into the breeze with just the mirage drive. He had ran it out of gas already. We get some strange winds in Puget Sound. |
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