Looking at a Revo 11 or Sport (sailing and Fishing)

I had a 'paid for' 1986 Starwind 23' foot sailboat for six years. My wife like it as we could take out friends. However, the cost of the wet slip and the repairs averaged about $3 grand a year...not including the time I spent to maintain a boat in the water. Oh, one important note: my wife liked the sailboat...but never was around when it needed to be worked on. Anyway, two years ago I sold it and replace it with a 2012 Tandem Island on a Trailex 350 trailer which I keep in my garage. I love it and use it primarily for fishing (Tampa Bay and Gulf) and sailing. It is much easier to maintain, can take it anywhere behind my small car, and it fits in my garage. However, my wife does not like it as it is not conducive to taking out friends in a 'comfortable' (dry) manner. Therefore, I'm considering selling my TI and joining Freedom Boat Club (variety of power boats). However, I still want the ability to fish off a kayak and sail. So, I was looking at the Hobie Revo 11 or the new 2014 Sport. I'm 5'9" and 180 lbs. which I think is an important consideration for the Sport. Anyway, I will be car topping the kayak. I'm looking at acquiring the sail kit, roller furling, turbo fins, sail rudder, side-ama kit, and anchor trolley kit. I have a few questions for the group:

-I know the Revo 11 or Sport 2014 can't come close to the TI in sailing. However, what can I expect in sailing the Revo or Sport with the side ama kit? What kind of speeds can I attain? I had my TI doing 11.5 kts and typically average about 6 kts in a moderate wind. I know I won't achieve this...but what can I expect?

-Will the anchor trolley kit interfere with the roller furling? What about if I install a block on the rear pad eye and on the starboard side of the kayak to assist in mainsheet control?

-Can you store the side kick arms and floats inside the front hatch? Are they quickly attachable if I want more stability for fishing or for sailing?

-If I store a paddle on one side of the kayak and the sail on the other, would this interfere with the anchor trolley or anything else?

-Finally, would like to know what would be better for my intended purpose: the Revo 11 or Sport 2014?

Mike

Revo11 owner and previous Sport owner here.
Here are 2 vids of me sailing the Revo11, first without stabilizers and the second vid is with them:
http://youtu.be/NVRbX3T2NQA
http://youtu.be/5mUWJeADFrI

From that you can get an idea of speed (top speed maybe 4mph?), and no, its nowhere as fast as an adventure island, sorry.
I never sailed my Sport, so I can't comment on that one.

Spring Creek Stabilizers can be brought up against the kayak hull like adventure island amas, I do not think thats an option for Hobie Sidekicks, so not sure about the storage aspect.

A paddle on one side and a sail on the other MIGHT interfere with the typical placement of an anchor trolley. However, since I don't use one, take that with a grain of salt.

As for your intended purpose, you've told us fishing and sailing, but how much gear do you carry, how far do you travel in your kayak?
I have fished SE Florida in the Sport, Revo11, and Outback: the Outback is the best for carrying gear and offshore fishing, the Revo is fast and agile but a bit tippy in rough conditions, and the Sport is like a junior Outback (2 less rod holders, less capacity, but just as stable). Actually, I'm 5'8" and 210lbs and if I was your weight, I'd probably still be using the Sport for near-shore excursions and the Outback for offshore fishing. I do however, love sailing the revolution and will probably upgrade the 11 to a 13 next year.

sorry if I'm rambling, i don't think you can go wrong with either actually.

Thanks for the reply. I don't go that far when fishing...maybe a few miles and mostly in the flats or mangroves. I was thinking the Sport would be better for fishing and for putting it on top of the car given it is nearly two feet shorter (although about the same weight as the Revo 11...I think 4 lbs difference).

Just trying to way options and take all considerations in my comparisons. I'm still debating the downsizing of the TI...that thing is just awesome and fast! The TI can be a little heavy (190 lbs). But since it is on a trailer it is probably no more difficult to launch and load than a car-topped Sport or Revo....your thoughts?

Sport.
The 2014 Sport had a hull redesign so there is less hullslap than the old shape, is marginally faster, and it now has a molded in recess for a Lowrance transducer. The Sport also has more room on the gunnels for the occasional lure or pliers you might need to put down for a second.

That said, both are easy to car-top and load/unload. I car-topped mine with a Toyota Matrix and roof rack until I got my suv.

Also read these threads by Roadrunner regarding the Sport:
http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=49342
http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=49343

Especially the second one which has some sailing info.

Thanks guys. SPORT IT IS. will keep my TI as well

I had a 27' sailboat for many years and there were times when I wanted to take more people out on SF Bay and so I would rent a larger boat for the day. Sometimes it was a 34-38 footer and if I had good crew then I would go up to 54 feet.

With regard to your wife you should think about how many days during the year it will be possible, practical, and likely to be taking friends out on the water. I know in my own case there were many times of the year when taking people out on SF Bay was not the kind thing to do for most people.