i11s WindPaddle Adventure sail testing

I tested out the WindPaddle 47" Adventure sail on my i11s this week and it worked great, it clips to the front attach rings and will be riding there from now on. I did add about 18" to the steering rope and also added a bungie up front between 2 of the rings to hold it down securely without using the normal closure strap.

In a steady 8mph wind (third day out) I was scooting along at 4 to 5mph and it was easy to run 45 degrees off from the wind...if you are curious how easy it is to get back on an i11s, I took a quick swim at 2m30s into the video...cheers, roger

https://youtu.be/aYWMP2IDjws

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

That looks like fun! But I'm more interested in how you're mounting your sonar unit now that the front "hatch" is taken up by the sail...can't tell from the video.

I moved my sonar board back to right front corner of the seat and mounted the battery in my BlackPak. The little lunch-meat tub on the board is where I keep scent bottles and toss loose spinners/jigs. The dark green bungie gets trapped under the front leg of the seat and that holds down the inner part of the board just fine.

I had previously decided that keeping weight off the front "no-hatch" area was best, it reduces spray and hull flexing in choppy water, so carrying the sail up there is excellent...



my latest BlackPak configuration:

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

That is ingenious!

Does the board interfere at all with the rudder lines? and the outside lash-down is from handle to the rudder clip correct?

I've extended my rubber "fish mat" so it goes over the right side, for sliding bigger fish onto the deck. This precludes a glue-mount solution for a sonar unit, since the left side is blocked by the paddle. If you could take a look at this photo, is the red rectangle approx where your wooden board is seated?

Apologies for hijacking the sail thread, please feel free to start another one showcasing this sonar mount solution!

-roger

you are correct, I slide the board under the rudder lines and then install the little tub for scent bottles next. I made a bungie 'loop' that loops around the handle and then clips to the rudder line clip. cheers

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

I also own the 2017 Hobie i11s. I've bought a yellow windpaddle Scout sail. The Scout the smallest off the windpaddle sails for the lightest air. However, it also has the best visibility as the clear middle section of the sail runs the entire width of it. I plan to use the i11s recreationally only. I have one for my spouse too. The plan is to pedal up breeze until it is time to come back to the beach, then break out the Scout and have it pull me all the way home. My concern about the larger sails, the Adventure and the Cruiser, is they could overpower me or the i11s if a sudden gust were to hit. I don't ever plan to go out in a blow although they can develop once you are out. I love that you can let go of the sheets and the sail depowers itself as it lays flat on the deck. See it at:

http://www.windpaddle.com/product/windp ... ayak-sail/

~John

John- I considered visibility when I decided to go with the 47" Adventure sail, almost went with the Scout for that reason, but in the end, I wanted better off wind performance from the shallower design of the Adventure. What I found right off is that visibility was not an issue for me, the sail is far enough forward that I really didn't look through it much at all, I could see what was in front of me all around and over the sail...

I also have some concerns about big wind gusts, especially when popping up or putting down the sail. I will be very careful in white-cap situations when the wind is over about 10mph and gusting higher, being able to just let go and have it flop down in the front is definitely a plus.

cheers, roger

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

some of you might have noticed, I certainly did, that my prototype sonar board is looking a bit ragged after being modified and moved around a bit. I recently had a good reason to make a new one that I think looks just a wee bit better...cheers, roger

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

Haha a good reason indeed!

As soon as I saw rogerdodger's new sonar board, I shamelessly begged for one made. Roger delivered, and since we both have the i11s...no fuss/muss/measurements needed, perfect custom fit! I had it in my hands within the week and just test-mounted my new Hook 4, will be sea-trialing it this weekend.

Thanks Roger!

Did you get some on the water action with the new plate? I'd like to see how it looks from the siting position.

Hi Roger,
Do you use a lifetime table as a kayak stand for all that extra work? Does it handle the weight okay? That is kind of brilliant I was thinking about buying a kayak stand for washing and cleaning and putting on the UV coating etc. Just realized I do have a table lying around and can be used exactly for this.

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-i11s Newport Beach, CA area.

I have some of those white plastic tables and they work for sure, the trick is to strap the kayak to it so you can hang it off far enough to, for example, work on the drive well, putting drives in and out...also make sure the table is heavy enough to not tip over...

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2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

I need to place an order for the rogerdoger sonar board!