I have tried setting the cradles for my TI at the recommended 67" or 1700mm center to center and find there are large gaps between the hull and the cradles. I have found my TI sits much better with the cradles set at 1400mm, am I missing something
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| I question the cradle spacing for a TI http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=45432 |
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| Author: | romenfree [ Wed Oct 24, 2012 3:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | I question the cradle spacing for a TI |
I have tried setting the cradles for my TI at the recommended 67" or 1700mm center to center and find there are large gaps between the hull and the cradles. I have found my TI sits much better with the cradles set at 1400mm, am I missing something
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| Author: | maurizio [ Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:20 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: I question the cradle spacing for a TI |
I before I put the papaya on tandem trailer then ... ... ... ... ... half an hour to find the right position, rotating, moving, stretching, reversing the positions. Then I set everything according to the best possible solution. I now do not know how far the spacing of cradles, I don't care!! I care that goes well. . |
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| Author: | Tom Kirkman [ Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: I question the cradle spacing for a TI |
It would be rare that any two plastic boats are going to be exactly identical in overall shape. Close for sure, but not identical. Same with the cradles, possible. So the 67 inches is a starting point. I had to slight adjust them closer on my AI (by an inch) and move the boat fore and aft to find the best overall fit. In the end, I also had to raise the center of the rear cradle by about 1/4 inch (used large diameter rubber washers as shims) to get a near perfect fit. The main thing is - does your boat fit well at the spacing you arrived at? If so, I'd say you're fine. |
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| Author: | TIDALWAVE [ Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:25 am ] |
| Post subject: | Optimum cradle spacing. |
I used a trailer to haul my AI. When I bought my TI, I decided to re-use my trailer. My dealer, who has always been more than accommodating, suggested that I not set the new TI cradles to the recommended distances, but rather adjust them until the hulls settle nicely into the cradles. I found that I needed slightly more distance than the factory setting. Then a perfect fit! My dealer had noticed that when he put various TIs on the same factory trailer with cradles set to the recommended distance the TIs tended to sit differently. So don't assume that your TI will sit perfectly using the factory distance. |
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| Author: | Puget [ Sun Oct 28, 2012 5:48 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: I question the cradle spacing for a TI |
romenfree wrote: I have tried setting the cradles for my TI at the recommended 67" or 1700mm center to center and find there are large gaps between the hull and the cradles. I have found my TI sits much better with the cradles set at 1400mm, am I missing something Romenfree, I sure wondered that too when I got my TI. Tom & Tony and others here and in another thread have pointed out that one can move the cradles around to get a better fit than 67 inches. Others have suggested sliding the TI back and forth to get the best fit. That all sounds great, and I'm going to take another look-see at mine and consider adjusting. But on a Trail-X trailer, sliding the boat could mean leaving a lot of the TI cantilevered out over the end of the trailer. I imagine that in NSW you deal with different trailer companies than I do. What I wonder most about is not a perfect fit for the cradles somewhere in the middle of the TI, but support toward or at the bow and stern. I've had plastic kayaks crease and sag where a few feet hung out beyond their support. Wouldn't the leverage of an unsupported stern would put a lot of pressure on the hull at the aft end of the cradle? Puget |
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| Author: | TIDALWAVE [ Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Modified my trailer. |
After replacing my AI for a new TI, I also realized that the greater length of the TI would extend the stern quite a ways off the back of the trailer. More than three feet. Here in Minnesota, an object extending more than 3 feet behind a trailer has to have a red flag attached in the day and a light at night. I didn't want to have to clip a light onto the stern. So I replaced the original trailer tongue with a longer one. At the same time, I found that the new TI cradles needed to be slightly farther apart than the recommended distance, to better fit the hull. I put a roller under the keel near the bow and one near the stern. I adjusted the roller heights so that they gently touched the keel without applying any upward force on the keel. That way, the keel had something to stop it from flexing downward when the trailer went over a bump or from drooping in the heat. The total length of the kayak/trailer is still the same, but the stern is now about even with the rear of the trailer. |
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| Author: | tonystott [ Mon Oct 29, 2012 12:43 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: I question the cradle spacing for a TI |
My trailer guy bolted a three foot extension to the main trailer "spar", and added a roller and reflector. As the hull no longer overhangs the trailer by more than three feet, I do not legally need to add a light at night, but have instead added squares of retro-reflective tape on the hulls, plus a re-sown hi-vis work vest which includes retro-reflective striping, for peace of mind. Here is the TI as it looks in the headlights of another vehicle. You can just see the yellow reflector under the main hull at the back end of the trailer extension. (The taillights are next to the number plate, but not connected in this photo)  Also, here is my new rudder cover - hi-vis in daylight as well! 
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