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PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2018 12:31 am 
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Serious question here. Are these sailing clubs that have events where HOBIE island members sail together? Or is it some sort of marketing scheme?

As a solo guy I would really like for there to Ge HOBIE events to go to, if I get an island. But near as I can tell none of these clubs are actually active.

Also, where are the HOBIE island nationals? Of the route cruising groups? Just things I would assume exist.

Finally it seems like this forum used to be a lot more active and islands used to be sold a lot, but I’m getting the impression this isn’t the case so much in recent years.

Please don’t take this negatively. I’m on the outside looking in so to speak, don’t have an island and have only seen one in person once.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2018 7:26 am 
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Location: South Florida
It's hard to answer many of your questions because you have not indicated where you sail or plan to sail. Please put your location in your Profile.

Keith

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2018 1:52 pm 
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Location: High Point, NC
How active any individual island club is depends a great deal on the people involved. It also makes a huge difference if a local Hobie dealer becomes involved. Here in NC, we have a couple dealers but one is located about as far as you can get from anywhere in the state and the other has zero interest in heading up a club. I am aware of other states where dealers maintain a leading role (and reap the sales benefit). If your nearest dealer is not involved, try using this forum to connect with other island owners that may be looking for the same thing you are.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2018 2:01 pm 
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Location: Houston, TX
Jay we have these clubs in Texas but some are more active than others. They tend to be more educational than clubs. We created one of our own in Houston for group sailing events. They are what the members make of them.

I agree the site is less active. I think that in the years past everything was new and people were posting new modifications. With all the topics disscussed and information in the archives, it's getting harder for people to come up with new ideas to post. That's my take anyway.

Greg

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2018 6:00 pm 
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I don’t have a HOBIE Island. Previously owned a fiberglass sailboat. I’m hitting the road in January with the time intention of traveling full time and working from the road (I’ve worked remote for years.) Initially I’ll be doing a shakedown “cruise” of my rig and mountain bike but later I’m thinking about getting an island.

If this were an active class with a half dozen races and a half dozen cruises around the country each year and maybe an annual Rally then I could schedule my travels around those, and that would be convenient.

Alas, I’m thinking I may need to scale down my ambitions to an inflatable kayak that can take a sail and carry it around with me all the time.

The difference between taking up some space in my van and towing a 20 foot trailer behind me 24/7/365 is pretty huge.

How do you feel about pulling into gas stations while towing an island?

Anyway I wrote earlier this year about some ideas of how to rig up a way to carry and island without towing it, but the advice was to just tow it. (Though I don’t think there are many people towing islands up to ski resorts, which is what “just tow it” would mean for me in the winter!)



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PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:03 pm 
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Location: Brisbane, Australia
The South East Queensland Hobie Island Club is very active, we sail abut twice a month year round www.seqic.com.au

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 6:50 am 
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Location: Pula - Sardinia
Jay,
well for sure there is a big difference between the freedom of an inflatable kayak and a sailing boat as the Hobie Island is. There is also a big difference between a tandem and an island. If you sail solo u should consider the AI as your target and in this case i should suggest you not to use a trailer but just to travel with the trimaran on the roof of your car. It will still be heaver than an inflatable but u cannot really compare not only the emotions but also the range of your expeditions.
Fot the forus, yes I think in the lasr year is less active, maybe becaise some infos are not being placed on Facebook. But the forum has a great advantage that u completely loose on fb. you can search and find the old posts. i really wish a long live to the forum


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 3:10 pm 
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Location: Colorado
Regarding the OP not being able to decide after all the posts so far in several threads, just go and actually start your adventure first. If you cant decide then... Im not sure we would be of any help.


Regarding the club sailing, there used to be a club in Colorado but somewhat fell apart. Im not sure why. It was mostly a good thing.

I have had some of the most fun and un-fun sailing on the TI in group outings.

Most fun group sailing has been when we have had a pack of similar equipped TI's and we go do a "water hike" to some destination. Usually couples (more fun for me since my wife likes to go on the group outings) and since the boats are nearly identical, its not really racing, more like taking a hike with friends. We might pedal sail many miles to a restaurant or some cool destination. This might be my very favorite type of sailing and I also have a 26 foot sailboat right now sitting in a slip that also gets a fair amount of use (Arizona). TI group water hikes are the best..

Least fun group sailing was a group just out buzzing around a beach and one person thought no one should be pedaling (called himself a sailing purist) and would yell out cheater if someone was pedaling. Killed my enthusiasm for that type of sailing very quick.

The Adventure islands have somewhat of an identity problem with clubs. Some people just want to "sail" and the pedals are like an aux outboard on a sailboat. Some people like to pedal sail and do water hikes or water bike rides. Others get these boats to fish and only sort of care about the sailing aspect. I noticed that even the Hobie marketing is a little more focused on the fishing aspect maybe because that is who is buying most of these boats.

The club I would like to be part of would do the water hikes where you pedal as much as you like but even that got somewhat messed up when Hobie came out with the Spinnaker. Makes it hard for a group now since some have the spinnaker, some dont.


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 11:53 pm 
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Location: Cleveland, OH
For inflatable carry, consider a front hitch receiver, with a steel or aluminum cargo rack forward of your front bumper. That's how I carry mine on my Class C RV.

I would not consider a non-drop stitch inflatable at this point. Hobie does not offer a drop stitch model that I know of. I like the pedal drive for the TI- a big, heavy sailboat. For a 40 pound, 15 foot inflatable, I prefer the paddling experience.

Around the cans racing TI's seems pointless- it's an adventure boat, which means a partially athletic component.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 1:18 am 
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<Apparently I can’t delete this post. This post is redundant because others answered the question.>


Last edited by jay2018 on Wed Dec 26, 2018 2:08 am, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 1:23 am 
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Sardinian Islander wrote:
If you sail solo u should consider the AI as your target and in this case i should suggest you not to use a trailer but just to travel with the trimaran on the roof of your car.


I’m traveling in a ProMaster cargo van. The vans LOA is 21 feet— but that’s bumper to bumper. So an AI or TI on the roof would be hanging over the front hood a bit.

If I’m trailering the difference between an AI and a TI is negligible-/ a 22 or 24 foot trailer isn’t that big of a difference.

Right now the best solution for an Island seems to be to get a V-nose cargo trailer and put the HOBIE inside of it (would love all that roof real estate for another 1-2k Watts of solar power.)

If I go that route would probably leave the TI in the van in storage somewhere in the middle of the USA and pull it out for specific trips.


Last edited by jay2018 on Wed Dec 26, 2018 2:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 1:30 am 
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walt wrote:
Regarding the OP not being able to decide after all the posts so far in several threads, just go and actually start your adventure first. If you cant decide then... Im not sure we would be of any help.


Regarding the club sailing, there used to be a club in Colorado but somewhat fell apart. Im not sure why. It was mostly a good thing.

.


Oh I’m starting my adventure, in fact, I have started it. Just haven’t bought a boat. I won’t be buying a boat soon either because I’m working my way down the list. I see no reason to make a decision now when I don’t have to, and am not ready to buy. I had never heard of the island until last spring— and the island club made me think there was a class and events for this boat.... so that’s why I’m asking now about the activities of those clubs. Sounds like there was one you joined and it was too small and broke up (a health community would have enough to have different groups for the different interests.)

If you find my questions annoying or think I should “just decide” that’s a bit like the sailing purists you bemoaned who only see things thru their own filter.

I don’t deny my choices and lifestyle are pretty radical.... I’m doing something nobody else I have heard of has gone with my camper van (which is why I’m building it myself) and adding a boat to this is just an option— I am asking for info only.

Specifically about the nature of island clubs and any events they gave.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 1:36 am 
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daft wrote:
Oh, I see elsewhere the OP was considering a large campervan with sort of a toy garage.


Yes I was considering a 20 foot box truck and a complex loading mechanism for a TI. Maybe I should have gone that route- would have given me a lot more freedom in my build. But I went with a campervan.

Live the minicat, looked at the dinghygo and that four piece dinghy from France. Those are all great suggestions. Alas, cats and dinghy don’t provide back support and I need that.

So far the islands seem unique. At this point, though, if I’m considering a 20-25 foot trailer, maybe I should just buy a trailerable fiberglass sailboat?

Anyway, if HOBIE made a two piece island that was two 12 foot long sections that would be perfect.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 1:57 am 
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daft wrote:
That's why I offered the nest-able glass sailboat as a (pricey!) Hobie companion. Even the inflato catamaran has a rigid boat feel because all the rigging is attached to rigid tramp frame.

If OP is thinking of living in an RV as opposed to occasional short trips, I think I would eliminate the complexity of a trailer and maybe put an AI on the roof (look out for low bridges and parking garages). All I remember in trailering a boat was the wet shorting out signal lights and seizing bearings. And having boat hardware parts stolen. Crossing state lines may lead to being stopped for say, no trailer inspection, then maybe the cop finding contraband that your stoner mechanic left in the van.

Simplicity and internal storage may avoid a lot of problems. Could even start with a modular rigid kayak such as Point 65 Tequila.


Yeah, you are on my wavelength exactly. Yes, I’m living in my class B full time. No “home” to go to other than the van.

And it is a van I built myself. In the back is a rather high bed across the wheel wells (I sleep east west, since it’s a Promaster and a wide body) and under that high bed is a massive drawer with 500lbs drawer slides that can be pulled right out of the back of the van. It’s 60” deep (about 44” wide) and can be pulled out 60”, so open the back doors and slide the whole thing out of the van for easy access to all 60 inches of depth.

It would be easy to fit a minicat in there or an folding HOBIE. That French four piece fiberglass dinghy (reverso?) is just really bulky though and I’m not sure it will fit.

Also I can make space- I could fit a 15 foot mast inside above my cabinets near the ceiling. Almost could fit the main hull of the AI inside the van, but there’s a shelf above the van cab that is not tall enough to fit the AI height.

Price is not much of an issue here. If HOBIE made a point 65 style Island that broke up and fit in the van but cost $15,000 I would be ok with it. (A trailer and TI is pushing $10k, IIRC.)

A cargo trailer behind a generic cargo van (and my van looks totally generic, not like a camper) hopefully wouldn’t get hassled by the road pirates. One concern I have about putting it on the roof is that it’s an excuse to stop me to shake me down.... so inside a cargo trailer means no easy access to thieves, out of the weather, no dealing with salt waters effects on a boat trailer etc.

I had never heard of point 65 before and thanks for that— will research them now.

Alternately, there’s the x-cat, though I can’t find stars yet about how big it is.

The cats are fine possibilities and a minicat might be a done deal— if I can find a way to have back support. I need a sitting position where my back is supported, my data of hanging out over the side of a catamaran or dinghy are in the past.



RedBeardSailing.com carries the reverso, the x-cat and minicat.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 2:14 am 
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I found a series of events that makes the HOBIE Island clubs less critical. Check out WaterTribe.com

I’d love to work up to the Ultimate Florida Challenge— a 1,200 mile race circumnavigating the state of Florida! (About a 40 mile portage section.)

The have HOBIE Islands as a specifically listed class of boats.

Maybe I buy an island, keep it in Florida and sail there in winter.

—-

The x-cat is too big to go inside. Thought it might go up on the roof but on the sides, but the hulls are too long.

A reverso WILL fit in the van as is, under the bed. There’s just enough space for it.

Still would rather a minicat than a dinghy if I can get a good sitting solution.

Point 65 is neat and I like the idea, if HOBIE made a tandem like that I would buy it at any price. Alas, I’m a sailor, not a kayaker. The islands are neat because they are small sailing boats with a comfortable sitting position.

Along the same lines is expandacraft. They make point 65 style modular amas, basically. They have a trimaran you can buy but I lost interest when I saw it weighed 400 pounds. I need to be able to pull it into a beach without too much trouble and 400 pounds sounds like too much trouble.

So minicat with a seat, or island on a trailer... but part of me is thinking if I’m gonna have a trailer maybe I should just buy a Corsair. Like a Corsair Cruze 970- it has a shower, and is trailerable (but I would leave it on the hard, and give up random lake sailing.)

PS- I took 5 years before I bought my first sailboat, looked at boats from 40 to 20 feet and all types. In the end when I saw the right boat it was pretty obvious and I was very happy to buy it. I didn’t mean to turn this thread into a boat buying thing, just really wanted to know if the island clubs were active or a dead initiative. Initially was thinking if the island as “disposable”. $5k isn’t much and can be sold for $3k-$4k if it doesn’t work out. Just wanted a way to have a good sailboat with me all the time... but that may not be practical h less I want to tow all the time or I go inflatable.

This is a corsair 760, it's a whole other level. It's about %50 longer but probably 10 times the sail area, and probably 10 times the price. I can afford it, or I can buy an older version of this for about $20k. But if I'm gonna trailer....

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