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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 6:57 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2015 3:13 pm
Posts: 655
stringy wrote:
The quality of Hobie’s cradles must have changed at some point because my 8 year old cradles have had no problems. My TI sits on 3 of the carpeted version cradles with no issues at all.
Hobie do not recommend PVC bunks.
https://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/view ... 9&p=290038

I can't speak for the older cradles, but with the current design if you have any flex in your trailer cradle mount this is what may happen after a time:

Image

This cradle was installed on a boat trailer by a Hobie dealer, it cracked at the beginning of the second season of use. These cradles may work great for less stressful applications but for a boat trailer which experiences a lot flexing and bumping, I don't think they are the right choice. If you can find a way to mount the cradles so they experience no flexing you may have better luck.

I don't know if Hobie recommends PVC bunks but many TI/AI owners here do, including me.


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 7:09 pm 
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Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2008 3:56 am
Posts: 50
pro10is wrote:
stringy wrote:
The quality of Hobie’s cradles must have changed at some point because my 8 year old cradles have had no problems. My TI sits on 3 of the carpeted version cradles with no issues at all.
Hobie do not recommend PVC bunks.
https://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/view ... 9&p=290038

I can't speak for the older cradles, but with the current design if you have any flex in your trailer cradle mount this is what may happen after a time:

Image

This cradle was installed on a boat trailer by a Hobie dealer, it cracked at the beginning of the second season of use. These cradles may work great for less stressful applications but for a boat trailer which experiences a lot flexing and bumping, I don't think they are the right choice. If you can find a way to mount the cradles so they experience no flexing you may have better luck.

I don't know if Hobie recommends PVC bunks but many TI/AI owners here do, including me.


My TI was delivered on cradles in the same condition. The dealer deducted them from the cost.

_________________
Bud
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2018 Tandem Island -


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:33 pm 
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Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:25 pm
Posts: 2863
Location: Central Coast NSW Australia
Those cracked cradles are not good. I wonder what has changed that makes them weaker than the carpeted version?
Mine sit on 2” RHS steel tubes that run the full cradle width. There is no flex in the mount, but there is flex in the trailer.


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:22 am 
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stringy wrote:
Those cracked cradles are not good. I wonder what has changed that makes them weaker than the carpeted version?
Mine sit on 2” RHS steel tubes that run the full cradle width. There is no flex in the mount, but there is flex in the trailer.

There are many possible formulations of plastics. They can be formulated to be very hard but brittle, or soft and flexible. Yours are probably benefiting from a better formulation and/or the solid steel tubes.

The current cradles look thick, hard, and nearly indestructible, but they simply can't take repeated flexing over time. If Hobie ever redesigns them for use on trailers, they'll need to make them more resilient. If you want to use them in their current form, make absolutely certain that they are mounted in such a way that they will never flex, such as on solid metal tubing. I'm not certain even then that it's possible to ensure no flexing on a boat trailer.

If you want to use these cradles in static or low flex conditions, they should be fine.


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:18 pm 
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Posts: 69
scc wrote:
itiming wrote:
scc wrote:
RX350 wrote:
I needed to bump this article.

I have a Yakima Rack & Roll trailer and looking to buy a Hobie AI .....I have been trying to figure out if the Yakima trailer could handle a Is this trailer light enough to use as a dolly? --meaning, can you launch/retrieve a TI from/to the water from this trailer by hand?


With a TI, you're talking about 350-400 lbs. Using it as a dolly on pavement with anything more than a slight grade is difficult for me, but I've done it. I'm 6'2" 175 lbs and in good shape. When I get home, instead of backing into my driveway, I've detached it from the vehicle and dollied it into my garage where it is hoisted to the ceiling. It's okay going down a slight grade, but going up a grade is tough. Launching/retrieving will definitely involve a grade, a wet surface and who knows what else. I wouldn't count on it as a dolly alternative.

The Hobie cart is worth the $260 if you need to hand launch.



Thanks much for sharing your experience/advice. I have the hobie scupper carts with both hard and ballon wheels w the cradle. My issue is difficulty in fitting the scupper cart under the TI, when the TI is in the water. Currently, I resort to removing the ballon wheels; install the cart frame; add one wheel at a time. Am hoping to find a solution that gets wheels under the TI more efficiently, when the TI is both floating in the water and flat on land.


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:26 pm 
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Posts: 219
Location: SF Bay
itiming wrote:
Thanks much for sharing your experience/advice. I have the hobie scupper carts with both hard and ballon wheels w the cradle. My issue is difficulty in fitting the scupper cart under the TI, when the TI is in the water. Currently, I resort to removing the ballon wheels; install the cart frame; add one wheel at a time. Am hoping to find a solution that gets wheels under the TI more efficiently, when the TI is both floating in the water and flat on land.


For getting the beach wheels cart under the TI when it's in the water, I would first remove the amas and turn the hull a little on it's side. Alternatively, I'm heavy enough to be able to submerge the wheels and get the posts into the scupper holes. Another option is to add some water to the tires to reduce their buoyancy. Not sure if any of these would be an option for you. On land, I was car-topping so I'd slide the hull back off the roof rack enough to get the cart posts inserted then continue to slide off the roof rack.


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