Load AI-2 On To Trailer Upside-Down ?

My fantasies of cartopping my AI-2 seem to have run their course.

Between the prospect of rusting out the roof (as per NoHuHu and FusionEng's posts), and Rhino's powered side loader taking over the entire roof rack space... and conventional side loaders and T-loaders requiring a dead lift and press of at least half the hull weight, and Hullavators requiring a 66-pound lift...... I think that cartopping is out of the picture for me.

So.... Unless some miracle happens vis-a-vis me and my Hullavators..... Trailer Time....

Reading between the lines of Hobie's docs and just thinking about it; it seems to me like the optimal (and maybe the only sane...) way to transport and/or store an AI is upside-down with the weight supported on the gunwales, preferably distributed a bit better than direct contact with 1/25" bars or round bars.

What appeals to me (and what worked with my 20' outrigger canoe):

• 1) Roll the AI on the scupper dolly between beach and trailer
  .
• 2) Position the AI on scupper dolly next to the trailer
  .
• 3) Grab the AI at the bow and lift it to chest height.
  .
• 4) Set hull on the front crossbar - rightside-up
  .
• 5) Lift the hull at the stern and set the rest of it on the rear crossbar - still rightside-up
  .
• 6) Grab the dolly and use it as a lever to rotate the hull to upside-down
  .
• 7) Wiggle the hull until positioned to taste and strap it down.

The Questions:

• Is there any hope at all of loading the AI on to the trailer upside-down with amas attached?
  My intuition says "No" and I have no problem disassembling it and either strapping the amas on top or cartopping them.. but talk's cheap and I figured I should ask.
  .
• Is anybody actually *doing* the rotation/upside-down thing with an AI-2.
  AI-1's don't count because they are lighter and have handles.
  .
• Failing an easy upside-down load, has anybody been actually storing an AI-2 for months at a time right-side-up in the Hobie cradles without hull deformation?
  No promises....No theories... Just actual, concrete experience over a period of at least six months.
  After reading all the threads here, my bias would be towards a trailer with 3" schedule 40 PVC conduit bunks running the length of the hull plus something to support the amas.
  .
• For the rotation thing to work, it would seem that bar height needs to be somewhere south of 24" (gunwale height when I pick up the bow to chest height), lower being better....so Rack-and-Roll might be a player (22") if the bar width would allow loading in step 5 without the dolly hitting the side of the trailer, but scratch Malone (32")

Does any of this make sense to anybody?

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

Most folks that trailer either use hobie cradles or make pvc bunks. The pvc bunks are the cheapest solution. Then you don't have to worry about flipping or disassembly.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

_________________
2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

I have stored my AI2 on the trailer in the Hobie cradles since March/April with no issues. It is stored outside underneath the house with no direct sunlight on it.

_________________
James

2006 Quest
2015 AI

I have never heard of anybody trailering an AI (or TI) upside down, as both the common methods, Hobie cradles and pvc bunks, appear to be totally acceptable solutions. I wonder that you might be ovecomplicating things.

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

Wouldn't be the first time....-)

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Rack-and-Roll trailer.

First shot will be upside-down...

If that does not work, my fallback position will be 3" PVC bunks.


Edit 2015 08-31 10:13:

I think I got a decent price on an R&R 66: $1,870.32 including the spare wheel/mounting kit.

http://www.rackwarehouse.com/yakima-800 ... ailer.html

Hopefully by the middle of next week... then we'll see if:

• It even arrives
  .
• All parts are present and accounted for
  .
• Any heinous acts were visited upon it by the carrier....

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I would skip the Rack n Roll (if you haven't already bought it) The Trailex Island Trailers are a better fit and work with our cradles. (And they're less expensive as well)

_________________
Jacques Bernier
http://www.hobie.com/
http://www.facebook.com/HobieCatCompany

Three considerations:

• Big wheels roll easier on my lawn... been there, done that with other trailers
  .
• The ability to remove the running gear, fold in the tongue, and lean it up against the back of my garden shed are a big deal for me.
  .
• Ditto above, but stuff it in the back of my pickup truck to avoid trailer tolls when "Dead Heading"... obviously not huge, but the cheapskate in me likes it.
  .
• I don't want my survivors to have *too* much fun...

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

Harbor Freight has a folding trailer for $300. All you would need to do is add removable PVC bunks.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1195-lb-capacity-48-inch-x-96-inch-heavy-duty-foldable-utility-trailer-with-12-inch-wheels-90154.html

_________________
2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

I looked at FusionEng's Harbor Freight implementation and thought it was elegant to say the least.

But past experience with low-end Chinese stuff (I had an eBike motor where they messed up the axle threads... How in the world can somebody mess that up??) plus imagining a bearing failure on the Atlantic City Expressway nudged me towards passing up on that solution - the consequences of failure were out of proportion to the benefits received.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I can respect that. My dealer supplied a trailer for my TI for a reasonable price ($900 + cradle cost). They fabricated the trailer in-house, so I'm sure if I had requested that I be able to disassemble the trailer with ease they would have accommodated. Have you checked with any local boat dealers?

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

_________________
2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

Can anybody say what the desired length of the bunks would be?

Seems like 16" would be overkill.

Also seems like, whatever the length, there is going to be a minimum overhang beyond the point where the PVC is resting on something solid. i.e. At some unsupported length, the PVC will sag so much as not to be effective in supporting the hull.

??

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]