What accessories for a new TI ?

I've decided to buy a new TI. So what accessories should I buy? I figure I have more bargaining power for genuine accessories if I buy the whole thing as a package. However I can see my inexperience (and over enthusiasm) leading to me buy a whole bunch of stuff I won't use .

I've got a old jetski trailer that I have lengthened, I've also got a roof rack boat loader, so transport is sorted.

I need a trolley and from what I have read the Trax 2-30 scupper cart seems the best of the Hobie carts. Would the Railblazer Sandtrax be better?

I also want a set of tramps. Do I go genuine or is there an aftermarket alternative?

I've sailed before so I think the spinnaker kit would be fun.

Spray skirts would be good, I would probably buy these from Kayaking Bob.

Anything else I should consider. Do I need a Dodger? Maybe a pair of bags to store the mirage drives? A rudder cover?

Any suggestions, either for or against particular accessories welcome.

Thanks

Brad

_________________
Brad K
Papaya Tandem Island - "Dry Reach"
Lengthened Jet Ski trailer
"Kayaking Bob" Spray Skirts
Trampolines

Brad
I use the Trax cart and there is an accessory short cradle that goes with it that has to be purchased separately.
I have the mirage drive bags and use them to both protect the drives and my Thule cargo box from damage. The bags are too small and it's difficult to get the drives in them but I think they are worthwhile. You might find a cheaper alternative though.
I bought tramps but quickly switched to spineboard Hakas. I may revisit the tramps this summer and try using one tramp/one Haka but I have a feeling the Hakas will prevail and I will eventually sell the tramps.
A couple of deep gear boxes for the hatches are useful but need some modification to be useful, in my opinion.
Spare parts like shear pins, rudder pins, tools etc. ( I keep in a shallow gear box at the stern)
I have the boat cover and have never used it but I am a day sailor and keep my trailer in the garage. I might use the cover on an extended trip though.
I can't imagine why I would want a rudder cover.

Non Hobie stuff:
tire tool that fits your trailer lug nuts
trailer spare tire ( I also carry a spare hub\ bearings\grease\jack with any trailer going on a road trip, very cheap insurance against being that boat on the side of the road on a jack waiting for the owner to return with a tire or tow truck)
straps to secure the boat\ sail to the trailer ( 12 Ft is about right for my trailer )
A large cargo box on the trailer over the boat is awesome for conveniently rigging the boat and storing stuff
A Cooper anchor with appropriate chain/rope setup and a bag of some sort for it
First Aid Kit in waterproof box
Waterproof case for your phone
waterproof bag for spare clothing
spare pfd's of various sizes for your various sized new friends - I bought these used over time
Hand bilge pump and something to bale water out of the boat interior
pool noodles if you are in a place you can hang out in the water
some kind of cooler for water/food - I now use a Yeti 30qt and sometimes a separate lunch box size one for frozen 16 oz water bottles.
DIY mirage drive leashes and leashes for anything else you don't want to lose. I think they have improved the Vantage seat leash but I did something DIY
I have an Ecoxgear bluetooth speaker\phone receiver I like a lot
303 UV inhibitor for the hull
Whatever additional communication\safety items you feel are appropriate for offshore sailing if that's your destination
A Tilley Hat - expensive and worth every penny IMHO

These are the things I don't go sailing without.

Chris

Chart plotter & 7Ah battery
Personal Locator Beacon (or EPIRB if you local regs require it) make sure it is GPS equipped
VHF radio (it is good to have this one GPS equipped too)
Sea anchor
Torch(es)
Bilge pump (manual)

That is a fairly pricey bunch, but your dealer should have room to cut you a good deal with these and the above suggestions. I got a discount of over $500, off the whole package so it is worth trying for.

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Tramps are very handy to have, I like to have my dog sit out on mine.

Rudder cover is good if you trailer your island and have a little overhang. Makes the rudder stand out so you don't get someone run into it.

Cradles for your trailer

If you fish, get the silicon mesh pocket replacements. They are more hook friendly than the standard ones.

Again if you fish, a couple of railblaza rod holders that mount on the akas.

The steering knob makes steering more comfortable.

If you have kids, the tramps are great. We got the boat cover as at the moment the boat is stored outside - it's a pretty nice cover. Would recommend leashes for Mirage drives.

My solution was to purchase two inflatable paddleboards and strap them to the top of the tramps / aka braces.

They don't weight much more than spine boards, are great to sit or lie down on or even to stand on.

They would be great in a camping situation to sleep on, deflated or inflated to just the right "hardness" and one can actually use them as paddle boards it so desired.

They also float better than a spine board.

The only drawback is they don't have all the cool holes, slots and handles like a spine board and though they would be better than nothing, if needed as a spine board, the spine board would be better.

Wet butt and saggy trampoline problems solved and they deflect much of the water that may splash on them from underneath.

They also look cool, deflate and inflate easily for transport in the back of the truck or car and they store in a bag during the off season.

Hi Tom

Where did you get your inflatable paddle boards from? I have looked at these on eBay and they seem to vary a bit in price.

Did you get a brand name or "no name" SUP boards? How much do you need to pay?

Cheers

Brad

_________________
Brad K
Papaya Tandem Island - "Dry Reach"
Lengthened Jet Ski trailer
"Kayaking Bob" Spray Skirts
Trampolines

Tomthouse:
It would be great if you could post pics of your setup, and let us know what models of inflatable SUP works well and why, and where you got them and how much. I curious if I would be able to sit on them without damaging. We have a TI that has the AKA bars extended by 1 foot on each side so there is now a huge gap between the edge of the tramps and the AMA's (best mod we ever made btw). I would love to cover the AKA bars with pool noodles then strap/lash the SUP's to the outside of my AKA bars. As long as people can sit on them (kind of useless if we can't).
The reason I'm leaning this way is once we get to our destination we can unstrap the SUP boards and use them (dual purpose). Plus if they are collapsable that also solves the transport/ storage problem.
The only other concern I have would be in higher winds (over ten mph) would they blow the boat around like wings making the boat unmanagable (TI's have tiny rudders). Contrary to popular belief our tramps have never caused us any problems, we have never been on the water without them actually (6 yrs of heavy use).
Currently when we are snorkeling we board our TI by climbing over the AMA's and flopping onto the tramps (kind of the only way to get on the boat from the water without a ladder). Having two 10 ft SUP strapped down out there might make getting on the boat way more difficult.
Sure we could put 8ft Child SUP's up there but those are likely too small for my wife and I to use as SUP's (we are both over 200 lbs).
I plan on adding somethin out there, but what I end up with I have no clue yet, the dual use SUP idea interests me but only if it is practical and works.
Since we have never been on SUP's there may be a good reason you don't see older heavy people on them (most everyone I've seen on SUP's are way younger, and way mor fit than us, there might be a good reason for that, if so then the dual use idea goes out the window.
If we end up with the spine boards, I'm not picturing myself whipping it off the boat and attempting to surf with it (lol). And the likelyhood of us coming across an accident where they really need a spine board is pretty slim so the dual use idea is kind of out the window.
FE

Edit:
Actually if we do get more into SUP's ourselves (jury is still out on that one since we have never seen anyone our age and size on one) we may elect to tow them behind our TI vs carrying them on board similar to what we currently do with our inflatable equipment 4 person dingy and smaller kayaks to our destinations, we also tend to tow other TI's and adventures a lot then break up on our our own at the destination exploring (using the TI as the mother ship).

We stand, sit and lay on the inflatable paddle boards all the time. They didn't seem to be causing any damage to the AKAs or the paddleboards.

When sitting on them, they don't sag much at all and allow us to sit in a normal sitting position sith legs down instead of strieght out in front all the time.

I haven't yet tried them in high wind conditions, though I'd rather not be out there in such conditions anyway.

I believe one came from Costco for around $200 and one came from Scheels fo about the same price and both were on close-out.

I'll post a couple of pics next week, after we go back up to the lake house for the weekend and return.

For fun I looked up spine boards on eBay and found a couple that are considerably less expensive than when I looked before.

That is in the past I found them on eBay for around $200 which may or may not include shipping.

Around $200 is what I paid for the inflatable paddle boards so that is the direction I went, for all the reasons I previously discussed.

However, today when I looked at eBay, there are a couple that are being offered for half that cost, e.g., Iron Duck Back Board Transfer SpineBoard Spine $65.00 plus $50.00 shipping.

Though good, they still don't do all that a inflatable paddle board does including being soft and able to double as something to lie on while on the beach camping or on the water goofing off.

However, these spineboards are still yet another option and for a pretty good price.