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 Post subject: Anchor Trolley on i12s
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 7:54 pm 
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Location: Columbia, MD
Has anyone installed an anchor trolley on a Hobie inflatable?

I'm brainstorming how to add a removable anchor trolley to my i12s. After a few mock-ups the problems I've encountered are:

1. The bow and stern handles seem to be likely attachment points, but... The bow handle is too high relative to the top of the gunnels & results in the line spanning in midair from the bow hatch bulkhead to about the handle. The stern handle is too far inboard from the gunnels & the line interferes with the bungee eyes & cleats.

2. The relatively (to plastic yaks) sharp angles from the gunnels to both bow & stern result in the trolley line naturally falling inboard of the gunnels rather than draping naturally outside them. The round gunnels also contribute to this.

3. The middle rear bungee cleats are lower on the sides than the other bungee cleats & interfere with the natural location for the trolley line.

4. There isn't an obvious location where an anchor line cleat can be added & the glue-on accessory cleats aren't big enough for anything over about 1/8".

I'm thinking of adding two glue-on tri eyes fore & aft just above the waterline as the trolley attachment points. The biggest question is where? The sharp bow and stern angles concern me. If I mount too far to the middle, the boat won't sit straight in the current. If I mount too far forward, the trolley line will want to creep over the top of the gunnel. The rule of thumb of 12" from bow & stern doesn't seem to necessarily make sense with the i12s.

Anybody solve this riddle before I start gluing on a bunch of expensive accessories?

Thanks!


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:03 am 
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Gas Yakker. How did your anchor trolly work out on your Hobie i12?? Let me know how it went, I will be putting a anchor trolly on my Hobie i12 when I get it mid April, will let you know how it works, alot fo videos on YouTube about it. Take care----Frank


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:03 pm 
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Frank,

I ended up doing what many SINK guys do and split the trolley into fore and aft sections. Fore runs from bow handle to side handle, aft from side handle to stern handle. This (mostly) keeps the trolley lines from getting inside the cockpit when they're tight. Saw this on YouTube somewhere, but can't find the video now. If my boat weren't folded away for the winter I'd post pics. Sorry.

The whole thing is removable. Each section consists of a pulley-attached-to-a-clip-attached-to-a-short bungee at one end, a 2" ring, and a clip at the other end. I attach the pulley ends to the fore/aft handles & the clip ends to the middle handle. The bungees act as small shock absorbers, but you could probably do without.

A few tricks:

1. I used 2" stainless or nylon rings as attachment points. After tying the line to one side of the ring & looping it around the pulley (or whatever) at one end, run the line BACK THROUGH the ring before looping it around the pulley at the other end and tying it to the other side of the ring. This keeps the loop neat & controlled & keeps line out of the cockpit when it's tensioned.

2. Keep enough slack in the lines to keep the attachment rings just above the waterline. Heavier rings also help to keep the lines out of the cockpit.

3. I use a large Nite Ize Figure 9 Carabiner/rope tightener to attach the anchor line. I clip it to the side handle. Double the anchor line through the trolley ring & attach to the carabiner. Then if you need to quickly release the rope you can just release it from the carabiner and it will run free through the ring. This may not be clear, but again you can see examples of this on YouTube.

4. The whole thing is quickly attachable/detachable, which I find essential for inflatables. You can also just attach the fore or aft sections if you want.

5. Austin Canoe & Kayak sells an anchor trolley system with 2 nice microblock pulleys for $33 that you can get most of the material from. That's cheaper than the pulleys themselves.

If you're still reading, hope this helps!


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 3:22 pm 
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Thanks Gas Yakker for the help, I like the way you think, and exlpain the details, very easy to understand, great job. How did the spike anchor hold the Hobie i12 in the current?? How do you like pedling the Mirage Drive?? I will have my new Hobie i12 kayak shipped to Fort Myers Beach Florida about mid April, plan to fish Estero Bay in FMB. Take care---Frank


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:07 pm 
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Location: Columbia, MD
Frank,

I envy you. I live in Maryland and we used to vacation on Sanibel Island every year when I was a kid in the 70's. Spent a lot of time in Ft. Myers too. Wish I could fish the causeway for snook & tarpon whenever I wanted!

I've really only used it with a stakeout pole & it works great in shallow water. I mostly use the fore section since I'm casting up-current 90% of the time. I find that I can fold the boat with the trolleys on just fine too.


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:43 am 
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Gas Yakker, Whitch side of he i12 did you you install the trolly anchor on??. I was thinking about putting mine on the paddle side so I could use he Paddle and clips to store the anchor spike when not in use. Take car-------Frank


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:03 pm 
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I installed it on the port/non-paddle side. The paddle & clips interfere with the trolley otherwise.


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:12 am 
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Thanks Gasyakker, Thats what I thought. How do you store your anchor spike when not in use?? Take care----Frank


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:31 am 
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Location: Columbia, MD
The simple answer is: wherever it fits. As long as it's not longer than 6' or so you can stow it next to the paddle, lay it in the cockpit next to the seat, lay it in the back, etc.

I made a collapsable one from (3) sections of 2' long PVC pipe. It has bungee cord inside similar to collapsable canes & folds to 2' to stow behind the seat. Probably over-designed since once I unfold it it stays that way until I'm ready to go home.


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