Possible purchase of Adventure Island...

Hi all, first post from me (long, sorry) and already I'm asking questions

I live in North Wales, UK: exciting coastal paddling with strong tides and conditions (but plenty of calm, light-wind days). I kayak proficiently (BCU 5 star sea, lev 4 sea coach) and started when I was six years of age (now 46). However, I get upper back ache and shoulder aches from paddling these days and am struggling to remain motivated by the "weary slog" of paddling. Just last year I bought a small fishing rod and took it out on the kayak a few times - catching Mackerel and floating around daydreaming... enjoyed this.

I am tempted by dinghy racing and windsurfing (done a little of both) but each of these has their own downsides - small dinghys are useless unless in safety boat environment (dangerous solo around much of my coastline); windsurfing... well, it's more about blasting than exploring/watching the seals/photography etc. I have been in this limbo land for a couple of years now - focussing on work not play and not excited enough by something to get me out of the house. Cannot justify (afford) a yacht.

Then the other day, on the Interweb, I spotted a Hobie Island Adventure - and, to my surprise, have not stopped thinking about it ever since. I have spent the last few days avidly watching every video and reading every post about the Adventure Island and have an unusually strong desire to own one. This is despite "the pedalo" jokes by my wife (paddles a glassfibre Romany sea kayak) and the laughter from a mate (who windsurfs). Something about the sail/pedal/paddle choice really appeals to me - as does the comfy looking seating position and leg workout.

There is something very Swallows and Amazons about this craft; something that says "explore" and "adventure" to me.

Sorry... too much information... the questions:

I will be out on my own most of the time (unless I can persuade somebody else to purchase one) - at sea (I'll have VHF, flares, mobile etc.). In a sea kayak there is not a lot to go wrong. What might go wrong safety-wise with an AI?

Broken rudder... could I just use my paddle as a stern rudder whilst sailing?

Broken Mirage Drive and no wind? Can I paddle this thing with the outriggers pulled in to the kayak? If not then...?

I suppose my main thoughts are "what can go wrong kit wise that means I am stuffed?". I have even thought "can one dismantle (saw off) the outriggers and cross members, dump them at sea and paddle home with just the kayak?"

Many thanks in advance.

Julian

Broken rudder: yes, use the paddle as a temporary rudder to get you back to shore where it is usually a simple matter of replacing the rudder pin (spare comes with the boat).

broken Mirage drive/no wind: check out Roadrunner's posts on Mirage drive problems. Seems that it is very unlikely that the drive would completely fail. You can usaully hobble back with one of the two fins still working. Even so, to answer your question, you can paddle over the folded-in outriggers if needed, although not the most comfortable way to paddle.

Lastly, if you are really deparate, you can simply pull the hinge pins on the outriggers if you just want to dump them so you can more easily paddle back (no saw needed!) in Adventure mode.

Julian, the Adventure Island is probably as near as you'll get to the perfect boat for your needs. They are very seaworthy, even in quite rough conditions. Have a look at some of the posts by Reconlon on this forum. He and his friends sail exclusively offshore, often in high winds and waves.

You have answered your own questions (correctly) about what can go wrong. You can steer with the paddle and you have three independent modes of propulsion, so you can afford to lose any two of them. You don't need to saw off the outriggers. They come on and off easily with slip fittings. In the unlikely event of a Mirage drive failure, you can paddle, but you are better off leaving the outriggers out and modifying your paddling technique than trying to paddle with the outriggers retracted (too much drag).

Without the outriggers, the hull is a formidable kayak in it's own right. You may well be able to answer your wife's jibes by leaving her in your wake in kayak mode.

You can get an excellent cardiovascular workout with the Mirage drive, better than paddling, if you choose to pedal hard. Most people (myself included), find that pedalling is much easier on the back than paddling.

They are also ideal for exploring inland waters. It's easy to take the mast down to get under low bridges or to travel up creeks.

They are not lacking in "blast" factor either. Not as fast as a windsurfer, but they really skip along in the right wind conditions.

You can't sink them. There have even been cases where people have cracked the hull and it has filled with water, but stayed afloat due to the amas (pontoons).

If you don't use trampolines, they will not capsize, except in a breaking surf.

Prepare yourself for a flood of endorsements from the faithful.

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The best attitude is to not hammer your boat too much in conditions that can break things, remember its really a Bay Sailer and some people can expect too much from this wonderfully versatile craft, even ocean-going craft have equipment failures sometimes.
Be sensitive to the equipments limitations and maybe you will be like me and never have a broken rudder pin, just dont slam that tiller around.

Whatever you do you will not regret your choice of an AI.

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Fair Skies, Max.

Julian - you sound like someone who will love the AI
The thing that is unique about it is the three modes of propulsion - as noted by ChrisJ.
I guess you would be well aware of the capabilities of this craft from reading the forums and watching videos on YouTube etc. I think you will have lots of adventures exploring all those coastal islands - maybe even Ireland - not to mention your rivers and estuaries
There's a few AI owners in UK now - although I don't think any live near you. Hopefully you'll find some like-minded companions to share your adventures. Sounds like your wife may be one - and your windsurfing mate another When I arranged a demo with my dealer, one of my mates was so impressed he ordered one within days - and once we introduced them to our area, there were several more ordered.
The soon to be released tandem (waiting....waiting......) may be worth considering if you have a keen partner
I'm not sure whether you have had any sailing experience - if not you will love the exhilaration, the free fuel and general lack of maintenance, along with the peace and quiet - to mention but a few. Oh - and if you are an experienced sailor of small dinghy type craft, you're sure to enjoy the stability of the AI. However it is wet so you'd better invest in a dry suit

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Mickey
2016 AI Hibiscus
purchased NEW Nov 2021 - My 5th
Adventure Island Sailing since 2008

Thank you so much everybody for all of your time. I am now convinced

Last question: I can purchase (next week) a red Adventure 2007 model (new) with the DIY upgrade kit at a very good price. Any reasons NOT to go this route (rather than the "buy it finished" route)?

Thank you

Julian

Welcome to the madhouse Julian. I use my AI around Chichester harbour and out in the Solent. It really is the most versatile vessel that can get you just about anywhere. I have sailed in 25 knot winds and big waves without incident and can get about in the shallows and mudbanks, monitoring a seal colony.
It is a blast!

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Either lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!

Julian, There is something wierd going on in the Euro zone. Elsewhere, (the US, Australia), it is the equivalent of about £600 cheaper to buy the Adventure Island "finished", but this does not seem to be the case in Europe. On the other hand, if you are forced to go the upgrade route, you have the opportunity to buy the highly desirable Dune colour. Here's Yakass' photo of the Dune next to the other two colours:

A slight negative for red is that it starts to fade and show its age after a couple of years, at least in some of the sunnier parts of the world. Does the price you have been quoted include installation of the upgrade kit by the dealer? This seems to be a non-trivial task unless you are reasonably skilled at that sort of thing.

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Thanks.

The cost of an AI in the UK is £3,000 (£3,195 for 2010 models). Offer is £2,250 for red 2007 model and upgrade kit. So a good saving.

I am okay with DIY...

Will decide tomorrow Only decision now is red with upgrade or another colour fully finished.

And hi Rokraider... and thanks for spurring me on!

Recent models of the AI have significant improvements over the 2007 model:
The rudder up/down mechanism (I think this is available as a free upgrade).
The click'n'go mechanism for the mirage drive and the V2 Mirage drive itself.
My earlier allusion to cracked hulls was in relation to the 2007 model. There was a weakness in the receiving mechanism for the Mirage drive, which has since been rectified. I believe Hobie replaced any damaged hulls under warranty.
That said, there are heaps of 2007 models out there with very happy owners.

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were there any 2007 models sold with click and go? doubtless Matt will know

I believe that in certain batches of 2007 models it wasn’t just the receiving mechanism (cams/ cam pillars) but also a weakness in the drive well itself, a rotomolding inconsistency??.... I dunno, I'm just the dumb user. It would be interesting to know the percentile failure of the earlier models I would imagine pretty low....just wish the hell it didn’t include ME (I am not having much luck on this score ) I'm nearly 60, weigh a paltry 61 kilos, am 5'7" and sail/pedal in a low wind area.....on the rare instances its blowing over 15 knots I'm windsurfing, I'm hardly 'beta-tester-kayak-wrecker' material yet I have just cracked the replacement hull with the click and go (that Hobie aus shipped up free of charge all the way to Thailand over a year ago at what I can only imagine to be an Horrendous cost to themselves). I say I have just cracked it, I didn’t take a hammer to it and I didn’t drop it off the roof I was just out fishing about a week ago and everything got sluggish and tippy and when I beached the boat it was full of water. I bloody well knew there and then where to look.

Maybe it would be an idea if Hobie bought in a high impact plastic insert to receive the drive similar to the dagger board/fin boxes on old polyethylene windsurf boards that would lock in one way and if it were overstressed and cracked you just pry/snap it out drive well with a screwdriver and stick in a new one. Maybe it would help spread the load too, sure as hell cheaper than having to replace/repair the hull just because of a silly crack...anyway looking on the bright side, chris, at least I don’t have to worry about my clicking drive anymore, plus the fish get a break....sometimes I cant help thinking jeez they made it past the Taiwanese, then the Thai fishing fleet, then the local long tail fishermen...then the nets, the traps, bloody hell they deserve a medal pinning on them by the time they get to me!!!!...and what did they get???? Two sets of triples in the mouth!!!!

I have decided to go for a 2009 model and make sure I have the latest spec (well almost the latest if the 2010 have upgrades). If it's worth doing well etc.

One dealer in UK has a red one. One dealer says will have yellow one "in a few weeks". Yellow favourite colour of the two but not too fussed. Yellow is 2010 model at £3195 whilst red 2009 at £2950.

Probably red as really at top end of budget now! Best sell some of the other boats

I have an 07 and did my own upgrade, it's not too difficult if you have the tools, I actually did it at a campsite in a weekend.
The up/down kit is a free upgrade, and well worth the time to put it in. If the rudder fails the paddle will control the boat under sail to a point. If it's really blowing, like 20-25 knots, you'll want to reef in, but I've done it. Putting in the up/down kit I mistakenly undid the steering lines. Oh well, I thought, they needed to be snugged up a bit anyway. But, I did not tighten the screws enough, and had them come loose again in just such a blow. The boat rounded up into the wind and went nicely into irons, and let me figure out what was wrong. A few kicks of the mirage drive with the paddle as a rudder got me right back to shore, where I re-tightened the lines and got back underway.
It's probably good to not get too over confident, but the more I sail this boat, the more impressed I am with how stable, tough, forgiving, and easily controlled even in the ugliest conditions. Not that I head out when it is really nasty, but sometimes nasty weather can sneak up on you, especially in the Pacific Northwest. The combination of the sail, mirage, and paddle are great back-ups, and if you are still concerned, you might look at the torqueedo. You can look at LBYAK's rig with the torqueedo towing mine up the Hood Canal under this section of this forum:
viewtopic.php?f=70&t=16256&start=0
One of these days I'll spring for one, but they are spendy.

A friend has a roto-moulding factory where they produce everything from Toolboxes to boat trailers, when i showed him the oxidisation on my hull from the harsh Aussie sun he took a heat gun and and gently wafted it over the the poly material, this process brought just enough of the compound's Wax to the surface to restore that glossy new look, I then treated it with Hobie protectant.
If possible treat your hull with Hobie protectant and the Sail with FP303 or equivalent, (Not Armour-All), BEFORE you use it for the first time and it will repel dirt and stains for a long time.

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Fair Skies, Max.