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PostPosted: Mon Apr 25, 2022 9:48 am 
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Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2018 2:09 am
Posts: 12
Hello everybody.
I'm thinking about buying a Tandem Island and I've pretty much figured out how to store it and use my car to transport it but the following:
- I've been looking into the Hobie plug in kayak carts (I have a c-tug but it's not rated for the weight of aTI) but how do you get it on and off a TI at the waters edge? I mean, you can't turn it on the side like a kayak.
- With the weight of a TI, is it possible for one person to push/pull it onto the incline of for instance a boat ramp (not taking into account the slipperiness)?

At the moment I'm kinda scratching my head :D .


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 7:00 am 
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Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 6:38 pm
Posts: 199
Location: Pennsylvania - Philly Area
Recommendations:
- Trailer for the TI - fair bit of weight with the fully rigged TI. This is the best option, know it adds other issues....where to park the trailer...
- You may be able to pull the TI up and down the boat ramps, but as you point out, it can be slippery. Also depends on the grade (how steep is the angle) of the boat ramp.
- Beach dolly is an option, no need to tip over the TI to remove the plug in carts. You can just float the TI off and on the beach dolly, even on the boat ramp. Depending on your environment, you can obtain wheels for the beach dolly for either sand or hard packed surfaces. I use the beach dolly with the soft sand wheels for launching off of beaches. Works great.

_________________
Jim
Hobie TI 2022 - Offshore rig - Outboard - having fun!
Hobie TI 2021 - Offshore rig - Outboard - sold
Hobie TI 2016 - Offshore rig - Outboard - sold
Hobie Kona 2014
Hobie AI 2015 - sold
Hobie Rev 13 2014 - sold
Hobie Outback - 2008 - sold


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 2:44 pm 
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Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2015 3:13 pm
Posts: 656
ChrisWMan wrote:
Hello everybody.
I'm thinking about buying a Tandem Island and I've pretty much figured out how to store it and use my car to transport it but the following:
- I've been looking into the Hobie plug in kayak carts (I have a c-tug but it's not rated for the weight of aTI) but how do you get it on and off a TI at the waters edge? I mean, you can't turn it on the side like a kayak.
- With the weight of a TI, is it possible for one person to push/pull it onto the incline of for instance a boat ramp (not taking into account the slipperiness)?

At the moment I'm kinda scratching my head :D.

Hopefully, you've read my latest post on your other recent thread. If not, please take a quick look.

I'm really not trying to hound you about this, but please be absolutely certain that you actually do have a full working solution for car topping a TI by yourself before you buy it. It's not easy by any means and a proper, proven solution is required. On your other thread, you were planning to use a Rhino-Rack Side Loader which is rated for only about half the weight of a TI. That's not going to work, especially if you're trying to lift it alone. I hope you've come up with something considerably better.

The problem with kayak carts, and again I speak from experience, is that they're a hassle. They're tricky to get on, tricky to get off, and then you need to find a place to store it while you're on the water. And, unless you're young, big, and quite strong, it's going to be very tough to haul a ~300 lb fully rigged and loaded TI all the way up a wet, slippery, steep boat ramp all by yourself. I used to do that with just a regular kayak on a cart. It was no fun in the hot sun, I can tell you that. There's no way I would want to have to do that with a heavy TI, especially after a long, hot day on the water, and then need to additionally try to haul it on top of a car rack. That would be miserable. Also, keep in mind that many boat ramps can be very busy, you always want to get in and out quickly and efficiently. Other boaters have little patience for someone taking more than their allotted time and holding them up.

The best, truly hassle and strain-free way to load/unload a long, heavy TI is with a boat trailer. Everything else is a considerable compromise. So again, please review your plans. If you can't use a trailer, you're better off with the lighter AI for both car topping and using a cart, and even that is not going to be easy.

I won't bug you about this further, this is the last I'll mention it unless you ask for anything else, but please remember that I did try to tell you. I wish someone had told me when I was just starting out and in a similar situation.


Last edited by pro10is on Wed Apr 27, 2022 5:38 am, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 12:51 am 
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Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2017 4:48 am
Posts: 50
Location: England, UK
I agree with above, I'm 6'6'' and consider myself quite strong but I would only attempt to solo manoeuvre my rigged TI with plug-in scupper wheels on a hard flat surface. Once on soft sand or any incline like an access ramp, it's a minimum 2 person job.
Also getting a plug-in with beach tyres in/out in the water is doable by myself, but a real struggle - I always wait for my wife or son to help.
Same with car-topping - probably doable solo by breaking the boat down into parts, but too time consuming compared to a trailer.
So your best bet for solo would be a trailer with the launch dolly and even then if the trailer is on a fairly steep ramp, you may need help pulling the TI up onto it.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:20 am 
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Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2018 2:09 am
Posts: 12
Thanks for the replies everyone (especially pro10is ;)).
I'm thinking I should rethink my plans. I really want a TI or AI but if I have to move heaven and earth to get on and off the water that's not going to be fun.
Guess the fact that the AI isn't being made anymore and the TI was not a bad deal was making me get ahead of myself.
Maybe i'll start with a Revo 13 just so I can spend a relaxed day on the water (can't use my surfski for that :lol: ) and wait for a house with a garage and car with a towbar.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:09 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 08, 2021 3:44 pm
Posts: 6
Agree with all the advice above, also factor in trying to install/uninstall the cart with any type of wave action.
Fingers, arms are things you want to keep!
If launching from boat ramp, back the trailer, and load, unload right on.
Our usual place involves unloading in parking lot on to dolly, over curb and drag about 40 yards across sand beach. Not bad going in, sand slopes downward.
A struggle pulling out. We have beach wheels on our dolly. Note- we have the dolly, not the plug in cart. Store the dolly in vertical position when not being used and strap upside down on top of boat when towing.
Could be done singlehanded by Charles Atlas type, but to do safely really need set of hands on bow and stern to maneuver boat.
We have 3 post 2015 AI's and takes about 35 mins to launch/retrieve all 3 this way. Of course, retrieving little longer as straps, sail covers must be placed more precisely.
Can be towed safely by smaller cars. I've towed with Audi A4, Mercedes E350 for many years. Have friends who tow with Honda, Subaru, Toyota sedans.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 28, 2022 3:01 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2015 3:13 pm
Posts: 656
ChrisWMan wrote:
Thanks for the replies everyone (especially pro10is ;)).
I'm thinking I should rethink my plans. I really want a TI or AI but if I have to move heaven and earth to get on and off the water that's not going to be fun.
Guess the fact that the AI isn't being made anymore and the TI was not a bad deal was making me get ahead of myself.
Maybe i'll start with a Revo 13 just so I can spend a relaxed day on the water (can't use my surfski for that :lol: ) and wait for a house with a garage and car with a towbar.

At 71 lbs, a Revo 13 is far more reasonable to car top, although again, even that will take some muscle. Car topping is actually not much fun for even a 50 lb kayak, but at least it's fully doable and reasonable. The Rino-rack you were looking at will work well in this case and will help a lot.

If you don't want to give up on a TI or an AI, then please reconsider a trailer. You can easily get a trailer hitch installed on almost any vehicle. Simply go to the nearest UHaul center and they can install a hitch for you at a very decent cost if you don't know how to install one yourself. They'll even install the connector for the lights. Even a tiny compact car can easily tow a TI. It may be too heavy for a person to haul around, but it's very light for virtually any car to tow. That's one of the nice things about it.

You don't need a garage for a TI/AI. In fact, the TI is so long that it's hard to get into a lot of garages. Mine won't fit in my garage. You can store a TI outside, just throw a cover or even a plastic tarp over it. If you live in an area where it might be stolen, you can easily chain it to the trailer and then put a secure lock on the trailer. If you choose the correct lock and security chain, only a professional thief will be able to steal it. I can give you advice on that if you want, I know a lot about secure chains and locks. Few thieves would want a TI anyway, it's simply not the kind of boat they can easily sell, part-out, or even use, and it would draw too much attention being such a peculiar boat. There are far better things they would prefer to steal. You can even insure it as a rider on your homeowner's policy for a low cost.

You're doing the right thing by asking questions and carefully thinking this through.


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 9:11 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2022 3:50 pm
Posts: 1
I know it’s probably too late to weigh in on this, but I cannot recommend the TI with a dolly and trailer highly enough. With the sail and amas, the TI is truly a go-anywhere machine on the water. It’d be a shame to see such an amazingly versatile boat limited to those bodies of water that have convenient boat ramps. (Note: I don’t have any experience with the revo 13. I got the TI to be a go-anywhere do-anything sailboat. If paddling is your thing, sacrificing sail for transport may be a better fit.)

As mentioned earlier, a trailer is the most hassle-free way to get a TI on the water as long as you have access to a boat ramp. But without a ramp, hauling even the main hull alone down a beach access in the blazing sun is hellish — even for two. The plug-in cart with the big beach wheels (Trax 2-30) changes everything! With it, I can park in the nearest lot and single-handedly wheel the whole boat to the beach in one trip — even down a long sandy path or a very narrow boardwalk. And typical of the TI’s genius design, the dolly stores securely on the boat at sea or on the trailer. (There’s much more to say about this and other clever features. They really thought of everything with this design.)

The TI is the most versatile boat I’ve ever sailed — and the most cleverly designed. The addition of a trailer and dolly completes the system; it brings the same versatility the TI delivers on the water to the land. With them, you can go to more and more distant locations and access more remote waterways.


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