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 Post subject: Winter Storage Questions
PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:59 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 6:28 am
Posts: 181
Location: Detroit, Michigan
I just purchased a Tandem Island and will be storing it for the winter in Michigan. I have a few questions about storing it outdoors in cold and snowy weather.

Should I remove the sail and tramps and store them inside? Will the cold temps damage the sail if left outside in the mast bag?
Do I need to cover the boat to keep the snow off? It's common in Michigan to get a snowfall, thaw, then another snow. I'm concerned about melting snow pooling in the boat and then freezing again. I want to protect my investment, but I don't want to waste time and effort on things that are overkill. Any advice would be appreciated.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 6:51 am 
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Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2014 6:43 am
Posts: 202
Location: Chalfont Pa
Welcome to the fleet. Be prepared for more information and opinions than you need. Anyway, here are mine.

The boats are somewhat flexible, the main hull can deform or twist if not stored properly. However the deformation sometimes goes away in warm weather. Had this happen on my last TI, slid it forwards on the hobie cradles to make it fit in my garage for the winter. The hull is also brittle in very cold weather. No actual experience with this, just what I have heard.

Most use some sort of support made of PVC tube fore to aft in the recessed areas of the hull. If your boat has drain scuppers this area needs to be deformed or cut out. My trailer now has PVC tubes, hobie cradles are trashed. For the winter I have an old aluminum ladder with pvc tubes screwed into it. Using my engine hoist on the ladder makes it easy to lift and position and the ladder is stiff enough to hold the boat. There are pics in the hobie TI facebook group, advise you join this.

Sails get stored inside also. They are easy to hang in the rafters.

If you don't have a garage or covered area to store make sure the hull is supported well. And a tent to keep snow off wouldn't hurt.

And once it is put away enjoy lots of videos and pics, especially on utube to help plan the summer events. If you can't wait till then there are two places in Key Largo that rent them!


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:58 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 6:28 am
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Location: Detroit, Michigan
I assumed I could just winter the boat on the trailer. It is sitting on the two Hobie cradles. Is that not enough support? If just the cradles is OK, where should they be positioned?

You mentioned the hull being brittle in cold temps. I plan to take the boat from Michigan to Florida in February. Is trailering the boat in 20 degrees a problem? Especially with the hull sitting on just the two supports?

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 7:31 am 
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Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2014 6:43 am
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Location: Chalfont Pa
You can research the cradle position, it is probably ok. I slid my boat way forwards and the aft cradle deformed the hull a little. But it came back to normal in the summer. As far as transport in cold weather hopefully others more knowledgeable will chime in. Don't want to steer you wrong, but having pulled my TI to FL is was worth it and the sailing was great. Consider stripping the boat down to kayak mode to see the manatees in Crystal River. They got a kick out of the flippers on the mirage drives!


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 10:32 am 
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Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2015 6:14 am
Posts: 28
You may wish to loosen the ama drain plugs, to prevent deformation created by trapped warm air cooling, partially collapsing the side of the amas


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 5:28 am 
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I build a lean to, against a cyclone fence in the yard. I take 1” PVC pipes ( 6 or 7) and set the base over pieces of rebar which I pound into the ground. I fasten the other end of the PVC pipe against the top of the fence with zip ties. I then Place Long boards , 2 or 3” wide, across the PVC ribs and attach with duct tape. Once the frame is up, I cover it with a tarp, fastening against the fence, or with fireplace logs holding down edges of the tarp. This is similar to the Fairclough cover set up we use for the big boat, and seems to work well.

As others have noted, soft stuff like tramps, sails, life jackets etc are better stored indoors if you can find room. Good luck.
Kent H, Connecticut


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 6:11 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 6:28 am
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Location: Detroit, Michigan
I am trying to figure out the proper positioning of the cradles under the boat. Hobie says to space the cradles 67" apart. But they also said what is important is that the contour of the boat matches the contour of the cradles so there is maximum surface area making contact. I started with the cradles 67" apart and found that the contour of the boat was not even close to matching the cradles. I kept moving them closer together and eventually found the points where the contours matched. But they ended up much closer than 67". Is my boat an anomaly or is this common? Why does Hobie continue to specify 67"?

When strapping the boat to the trailer do the straps go over the 3 hulls but under the akas, or over the akas also?

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 7:30 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:58 am
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Location: Forster, NSW, Australia
wxup wrote:
I am trying to figure out the proper positioning of the cradles under the boat. Hobie says to space the cradles 67" apart. But they also said what is important is that the contour of the boat matches the contour of the cradles so there is maximum surface area making contact. I started with the cradles 67" apart and found that the contour of the boat was not even close to matching the cradles. I kept moving them closer together and eventually found the points where the contours matched. But they ended up much closer than 67". Is my boat an anomaly or is this common? Why does Hobie continue to specify 67"?

When strapping the boat to the trailer do the straps go over the 3 hulls but under the akas, or over the akas also?


No need to sweat the detail... the distance of 67" is going to provide enough support over enough area to avoid any hull deformation. My TI has sat on its trailer, on the cradles, for over six years, with absolutely zero deformation.

Secondly, while there are many alternatives for tie-downs, I have obtained a reject damaged wetsuit, and cut 6-8 inch wide loops from the thigh area (like giant calamari rings :)). I then added a thin plastic tube (underground watering system pipe) in the middle, plus loop of cord. I then hang these double-thickness wetsuit "calamari rings" between the hull and the amas. This provides a soft barrier between them, and like the cradles mentioned above, has not resulted in any visible harm since 2012.

I secure the hull and amas in two places across the top of all three, only tightening the straps when actually about to hit the highway. When stationary, the straps are loosened to remove any pressure on the TI. BTW, I also have a line which secures the bow to the trailer when on the road.

Hope this helps.

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


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