i11s rigid & stable enough for child toting?

Hello friends. First post. Been reading pretty much every thread on many of these Hobie beasts. Great community here!

Considering an inflatable as my first Hobie boat mostly for convenience and stability. I’m in Maine with a young family and keen to explore lakes, rivers and the bay, sometimes with my 4 year old as a passenger.
Convenient enough that I can transport and launch it from beaches or lake shores that require a short walk down a path (or from a parking lot 1/2 mile away), and stable enough to have a small passenger along for the ride. I’d love to take the kid on short journeys on the semi-protected bay waters around Portland without getting completely drenched too.

i11s = 35lbs hull, 65 rigged
i12s = 53lbs hull, 82 rigged

I think the weight speaks for itself... but if the i12s is much better suited to hauling the kid on the back and keeps you significantly drier, it might be worth the weight.

Versatility between the two is a stale-mate for me. Sailing is interesting, but also my wife would love the SUP feature of the i11s.

What do ya’all think?

I have an i11s and my husband has an i9s. I think the biggest thing for you to think about is that the i11 has a super flat top as opposed to a "normal" kayak like the i12 where there are sides to help keep you in. Would your 4yr old fall off of the i11?? Especially since your child would be riding behind where you can't see him/her. And there's no chair for them, right, since it's not a tandem?

You also mention sailing. The i11 CANNOT use a sail so that might be the decider for you. That's what happened to my husband: he got the i11 and then decided he wanted to be able to sail too, so I got the i11 which made me very happy!

FYI for your wife wanting to SUP on the i11, I live on a small lake and like to keep my options open so usually install the chair and Mirage drive even while SUPping. The Mirage drive will help keep the i11 a little straighter than just the rear fin. I like to do one lap of the lake pedaling and one lap SUPping, which I find is an excellent overall workout.

Thanks! Makes sense. Good to know about leaving the drives in while in SUP mode.

I imagine I’d rig up a small seat for the kid to sit in behind me on either that 11 or 12. She would always have a PFD too.

Not sure if sailing is really a factor for me at this point since I see myself also getting a bigger tandem rigid like the oasis or compass duo in the future too.

I think Gregbenner has a better idea than I did. Here is his post: https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=64543#p309760 where he put a fin on the drive plug-- no pedals in the way!

Good luck!

I have a new i11s which I keep on the side of my boat in the Oceanside harbor. The weight is critical since I lift it up to position it between the gunrail and the cabin (I’m 70). I dont take anyone along, but I see others with smaller dogs on the front with no issue.

I also have a tandem Oasis which I keep in the water. I have a sail for it, and have recently started sailing it. Lots of fun. I got the skeg on the mirage plug idea on this forum. It really helps when paddling the tandem solo.

My wife came out with me in the ocean one time on a calm day. Im 200 and she's around 110. We were slow moving, but no issues. She sat in the seat..... I simply sat on the back facing the rear. We still moved and cruised around for about 30 minutes. If I was in the seat it would have been fine.

On calm waters I think someone weighing 75lbs or less wouldn't be any trouble.