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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:37 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:07 pm
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Location: sunshine coast, australia
Hi. I've got a 2013 adventure (just the kayak, not the island) and I'm keen on trying a bit of sailing. The side kick amas and adventure daggerboard look good but I'm undecided on whether to go for the hobie sail. I've read that when the sail is furled it can be stowed in the same spot that the paddle is kept. Is removing and installing the sail while on the water realistic or is it more a case of being possible but not something you would make a habit of.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 10:11 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
Using the furler kit makes this pretty simple. You can leave it furled and up or slip forward to pull the rig down. Since you are using the SideKick amas... no problem!

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 7:23 pm 
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Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
Posts: 3058
Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
showmethecoffee:
We have been using Hobie Mirage kayaks for about 10 yrs now, for the longest time we were going out pretty much every weekend. We are also campers, and have if I had to guess 250k road miles with camper in tow and Hobies on the roof, putting in any body of water we could find all over the country.

We have never taken a hobie out on any water without a Hobie sail kit strapped to the side of the boat (not even once). Whenever we buy a new kayak we always buy the sail kit with the boat (usually at a pretty good discount, when you buy stuff with the boat).
On most, if not all of the Hobies they have a bungy on one or both sides for attaching the standard double end paddle. We just attach the furled up kayak sail to that. Heck we go thru mangrove tunnels and everything with the thing on there, just on the off chance we may get a little wind and be able to kayak sail. Heck we have even kayak sailed up the Sante Fe river (in Florida, bunches of crystal clear natural spring there. (lol, with all the monkeys from the 50's tarzan movies cheering us on (yea they have a monkey problem there lol), makes goin up stream a breeze if the wind is right.

We attach all the ropes and pulleys for the sail kits onto every kayak we own permanently. Actually I dangle/drag the 1/4" dia sail control line behind the boat to improve tracking on the smaller hobies (like our revo's), which don't track and glide all that well when you don't have the mirage drive and rudder down, (just paddling), we tend to paddle more up really shallow rivers than pedal, especially the one's with lots of weeds, then on the wider and deeper areas, we peddle and sail if there is any wind.

We made our own PVC furler kits and put them on all our Hobie sails , (they only cost $2-$4 bucks to make and 15 minutes, just using a drill and regular 1 1/2" PVC (about 8" long, and two end caps from Home Depot). I'm sure Hobies furler works great, however I've never owned one, so I don't know, (lol probably because I have a half dozen of those crazy pvc furlers layin around the garage (they unfortunately last forever)).

It only takes 30 seconds or so to grab the sail kit toss it into the hole in the boat, clip the control line to the clew, and your off and sailing, just furl the sail in and out as needed, often times we run with the sail partially furled in higher winds.

We never used and pontoons or side kick kits, (we call them training wheels). Once you get the hang of kayak sailing, you will likely leave them home. Yea of course you go over once in a while kayak sailing, it's a pretty good idea to practice getting back on board your kayak, ( it's way harder than most people think). We practiced for hours on end in our heated pool in the winter, I'm sure the neighbors thought we were nuts.

Kayak sailing is the most fun aspect of kayaking in my opinion.

Here is one of our revo's, you can see the pvc furler on the sail. I wouldn't bother with the jibs and spinnakers starting out.
Image

Here is our most current setup, the kayak will be on that roof for the next 3 months.
Image

On big water we use the full rig, (with AMA's and big sails), when just kayaking we furl this kayak sail up on the side of the boat, just in case we find any wind,
Image

Yea of course we go over when kayak sailing, I tell my wife if she goes over and gets scared, just to stand up, 80% of the water we kayak sail in and around the keys is only waist deep (lol).

Have fun


FE


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 1:28 am 
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Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:17 pm
Posts: 679
Location: Auckland NZ
Like the other respondent I always take the sail and nearly always end up using it.

Personally I find having the mast always up is a pain: it adds noticeable windage, it makes the boat noticeably less stable and it gets in the way if fishing.

Fortunately, however, you can easily take the sail down & stow it while on the water. Just hooch forward in the seat, undo the bungee, lift the mast up & out of the receiver & then let it tip to one side or the other as you hooch back into your seat. Then with the mast in hand lying across your lap and more or less centered across the kayak, roll the sail up, secure it with the cord & hook and stow it. To stow it I use a loop of bungee tied round the forward hatch bungee lines to poke the foot of the mast into and a bungee line with a hook attached to the boat beside the seat/in the seat area. To stow push the mast foot into the forward bungee loop and with the mast & rolled up sail lying on the gunwale 'strap' the mast at the seat level with the bungee over it and hook it to something to make it secure.

'tisn't a hard thing to accomplish and surprisingly not too unstable (unless you are a really big fella in which case it might be - I am 2m/100kg and it's fine for me).

While I am on the subject (well almost!)... do try sailing first without the sidekicks. These things IMO are like having training wheels on a bike and to my mind fundamentally spoil the sailing experience. Yes, you will be less stable, the daggerboard will help (but you will want the daggerboard anyway for the upwind performance it adds), but the boat will then behave like a proper yacht rather than a dinner table on the water. So as you become more experienced your feel for the combined action of wind, water and wave on you and your vessel will become much more finely tuned and overall your sailing skills will improve much more than if there is no heel to your boat. FWIW I have been sailing a Hobie kayak for (I am guessing) 7 or 8 years, possibly longer, and I have only been tipped out while sailing on three occasions, so I am not convinced that the risks of NOT having training wheels on are significant - it is all about skill and sailing to the conditions, and you won't learn about those things unless you take the training wheels off... so best to start without them (start without the crutch first and you may surprise yourself with how well you can walk without it).

Either way do give the sailing a go; again a personal opinion, but I find that the capability to sail these kayaks is in many ways their most interesting and enjoyable feature.

Hope this helps!


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 3:19 am 
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Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:07 pm
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Location: sunshine coast, australia
Thanks for the great replies.

It's good to know that I don't need the balance of a tight rope walker to take the sail down while still on the water. Probably a stupid question but how buoyant are the mast and sails? If/when the kayak tips over does the mast float at the surface or does it end up turning turtle?


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 11:01 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
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Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
It sinks like a rock, we have lost two in davie jones locker.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 2:58 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:38 pm
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We have done extensive sailing on both our Oasis and Outfitters.

1. Dropping mast and furled sail and securing them beside one of the paddles is quite easy and takes less than a minute even with the furler kit. We often sail bayous with low bridges and I routinely drop and raise the mast without much thought.

2. When sailing the kayak, a keeper clip (sale downhaul) keeps the mast inserted into the kayak during a capsize even if you turtle.

3. When dropping the mast and sail and securing them to the kayak for longer than a quick bridge pass, I keep the mainsheet run through a rear pully and cleated (as I do when sailing) so the sail stays attached to the kayak and remains rigged. I also lash the mast keeper clip (from the furling kit) so the mast doesn't slip out of the sail.

Peter


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 3:44 pm 
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Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:17 pm
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Location: Auckland NZ
As has been mentioned the mast & sail will sink. As will the daggerboard and the mirage drive and your fishing gear. The key to not losing them if/when you turn turtle on the water is to have everything you do not want to lose secured to the boat with a length of thin strong line that will allow you to use and stow without having to remove the security line - there are plenty of padeyes to secure stuff to or you could install some of your own.

Personally I do not secure my mast & sail to the boat because I have the mainsheet running through a couple of blocks and I have a stopper knot in the sheet to stop it from running out of the blocks; that is enough security for my needs where the mast & sail are concerned, but I do secure my fishing gear, daggerboard and drive religiously to the boat and these simple measures have saved me a lot of money on at least one occasion!

the point is that I learned the lesson the hard way so there's no need for you to do the same: if you can't afford to lose it, tie it on!


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 2:56 am 
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Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:07 pm
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Location: sunshine coast, australia
stobbo wrote:
if you can't afford to lose it, tie it on!


I hear you. I always have my paddle and mirage drive tethered. I wasn't too worried about the mast falling out while upside down. I was more curious about the possibility of damage to the mast and sail if you capsize in shallow water and end up with the top of the mast touching bottom. I also now know to make sure that the sail is secure when I've got it stowed to the side of the kayak.


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