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 Post subject: Maiden Voyage of i14t
PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:35 am 
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Overall it was a fantastic trip. I went out to the South Shores Boat Launch in Mission Bay and inflated the kayak in the parking lot and then wheeled it down to the pier. It was very easy to do and tied it down. The inflatable bottom has a nice feel to it and very easy to stand up in it. After getting the drives in I set out myself. I have used a hardshell kayak for many months and sitting on this will take some time to get used to and I guess I have many muscles I have not used in a long time.

The speed picks up very fast and it just glides along. I am 6' tall but I have longer legs then I should have for my body size so I needed to mount the seat back some. Because of that the rudder control is really hard for me to grab onto. I wish there was a pick up handle on the left side to help when I reach forward to grab the rudder control. I know my body is unusual size so these have to be built for standard people. I may try to move the seat up some but change the mirage drive to 5 to see if that will work. Another problem I had was the seat back kept riding down my back. Caused me some serious back pains last night and this morning. I did some searching and saw people with the hard mirage kayaks where they changed seats but I wonder if that is an option for us with the i-boats? I will try to keep changing the adjustments to see if I can get it to work good with me first and it might be I am just using muscles that laid dormant for decades... :mrgreen:

So I got the bad out of the way. The good is this boat flies when I want it to. I might even tip another kayak over with the wake if I tried! :lol: I am a photographer and wanted a boat to take pictures from of the birds and other wildlife I may find at lakes or just the scnis beauty from the water. In San Diego right now it is slow with birds but i found a few to sneak up on and I got within a few feet of them moving really slow. That will do wonders and I won't need to spend $8k on a 500mm lens using this boat. I can fit my tripod right over my lap and it will be perfect.

I don't know how far I went but I stopped behind Sea World and ate my lunch as I watched one of the shows. I was out for about 2 hours. Overall it really handles well and the rudder does not take much to get it moving in the right direction. I used the hand paddles at times and I wonder over time if the paddle mounts will remain tight and keep those paddles mounted even in ocean swells and waves.

After I was done I pulled it out of the water and wheeled it to my car. I brought 5 gallons of water to rinse if off in the parking lot. Some ramps have fresh water rinse off but many do not so I thought I'd see if I can clean it all up with this water and I did so I did not need to unpack it when I got home. After the rinse down I allowed it to dry for about 20 minutes in the sun and it was ready to go home. Packing it up was no issue as I watched the video and it was easy. I even got it as small as when I bought it and it fit in my trunk this time without having to lower my back seats. So I am happy except for the sore back.

It was a fun maiden voyage and I look forward to many more.

Nobby


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:39 pm 
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sounds like you had a good time.
I've found that setting the seat forward and the pedals on 7 is most comfortable for me. It keeps the height of my legs lower, but it's one of those things where you need to experiment. My wife prefers a different setting. You also will need to fiddle with the angle of the seat back.


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 12:47 pm 
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Thanks for the tips Jim. I can't wait for Thursday when I can get out again. I was thinking I should move my seats up so I will do that and try it on 7. The angle of the seat I will also play with. Back is still sore but I think I will be fine by Thursday to try again...


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 5:14 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:25 am
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Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The i14T is a lot of fun. I've taken it out almost daily for months. You will probably find that with time you will find the right position and your back won't feel so sore or tired. After about 2 hours I sometimes feel some sciatic nerve-type pain in my bum and down a leg but with a bit of stretching and a little break, I'm usually good to keep going for a while longer.
In terms of the paddle mounts, my experience is that they do remain tight but do not always keep the paddles mounted when there are ocean swells and waves. I have purchased 2 paddle leashes for those high wind/wave days.

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Donna
Hobie i14T,
Innova Sunny,
Feathercraft Big Kahuna


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 7:19 am 
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I have taken it out 3 more times this weekend and I did move the seats up a little and placed the drives in #7 notch and my back is fine. I went with my friend for almost 3 hours of constant pedaling and no issues.

Lots of people stop to ask about the i14t and sometimes I can't get out of there when I bring the boat in. One guy in a motor boat pulled up next to us and called us The Flintstones! :lol:

In San Diego Bay we went by a HUGE jellyfish that was all black. I never saw anything like it and the tentacles were almost as long as the yak. All my years on the bay I have never seen anything like it so I looked it up. Come to find out they say the giant black jellyfish has invaded San Diego Bay and I guess it is a rare occurrence.

Fun fun fun yak that's for sure... Also took my camera out for the first time in a waterproof bag of course and took out the camera only when needed. We tried to get close to the shore and really shallow waters and those fins still propel the boat enough to sneak up on birds and wildlife with just a 2 inch movement on the pedals. That is what I bought his for things like that and with almost 500 lbs on it we still went through some very shallow areas.. Love it!

Nobby


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 9:16 pm 
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This forum actually inspired me to get one, and I (and the family) love it. We'd love an Adventure Island Tandem, but don't want to buy something big enough to tow it or try to store the beastie.

We are a mini cooper family :wink: So yes, your i14t tandem PLUS sail, pedals, seat, pump, paddles, and lifejackets can fit in the back of a Mini Cooper Clubman. People stare at the clown car with it's huge magic boat.

If I have the kid with us, the i14t is light enough to put on an aftermarket roof rack and all 3 can go. Love this thing!

Paddles fast, peddles super fast, and the sail probably doesn't add nearly as much speed but it keeps you going during resting and is fun to play with. We paced the motorboats in the no wake zone, and blew the standard kayaks away. The peddles pop in and out very quickly for when you're going over seaweed or beaching to switch spots.

Honestly, it is so fast we are thinking of pulling the 3rd person behind us on an inner tube (or our cheap Coleman inflatable... glorified pool toy, but hey)

To new buyers - yes get at least one turbo fin set and the sailing rudder. You will still occasionaly get some wind pulling you around but it now rarely an issue.


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 2:26 pm 
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Hey r41, those mini coopers can fit a lot back there as my friend has one so I am not surprised it all fits back there.

You are right in the i14t being fast. When me and my friend goes out we really can get it going. We joke that are wake will knock other kayakers over... :lol:

I was also thinking of buying one turbo fin now to see for myself the difference. After spending so much money on this I am not sure I wanted to get the sailing rudder as well but I have had quite a bit of problems with the wind so I may have to do it. I also need to buy the paddle straps as I hot the wake of another boat and my paddles come off every time water comes up over them. I had to go back and get them a few times.

Nobby


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 4:08 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:25 am
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Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
A sailing rudder is the BEST $22.95 that you will ever invest in the boat. It makes a huge difference to steering in all conditions. It is harder to "twist & stow" but you can adjust the tension easily which solves that problem.

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Donna
Hobie i14T,
Innova Sunny,
Feathercraft Big Kahuna


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