Too much wind for tramps?

Ah, so that's why they're always hanging around in the bay near the sailing club. Thanks DC.I think that goes some way to answering your question.

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Last weekend I was out on Lake Erie when a sudden blow came in with long sustained gusts and big waves. It was actually quite a lot of fun until it got too much to control even with just a quarter of the sail out. Gusts were catching under the tramps and it got a bit too lifty, so I unbuckled all the but the farthest buckles and let the tramps drag in the water ( I couldn't reach the far buckle and I was NOT going to get out of the hull).

I love the tramps, but the truth is I don't use the outside half, so narrower half tramps like Mickey and Pirate's would serve my purposes just fine, and be far easier to deploy and take down while under weigh, and would let me paddle more.

Also, when deploying a tramp it can be quite hard to get a grip on the strap ends to tighten the tramp - especially when on the water and they are wet. They should have D rings on the ends, or loops you can fit a couple of fingers through.

Bluemark,

Sorry, while reading your post, all I could picture was you tightening the tramps with 2 fingers in a D-ring when that sudden blow started and skipping you across the water behind your AI at high speed like in a cartoon!

Tightening the tramps while on the water is hard. Anybody have any suggestions?

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

I think, if the tramp netting/fabric was a little less dense, windage would not be a problem - of course it would not protect from spray either. As for the question why to own a sailing kayak vs a sailboat, I am happy to share my buying decision:

I had a 42 foot sailboat boat and we usually sailed between 5.5 and 8 kts if winds permitted. From a pure sailing perspective, I have much more fun in the AI, and a lot less work too My biggest argument for the AI kayak vs a dinghy, say a Vanguard 15 or a Hobie Cat for that matter, is setup time. I live near the lake, have lovely neighbors on the water that let me park the hobie in their backyard, and I can get the whole thing ready in 10 mins. I go out for 1 hour or 90 mins and come back. The whole deal is less than 2 hours. I can easily fit this into my schedule, e.g. instead of going to the gym, and have a blast.

I also looked at the Windriders, they have a little more staying and speed power, but again the prep time is a whole diffferent story. My neighbors would not permit that size boat parked in their yard either

Finally, the mirage drive is just fabulous. It takes a lot of stress out of launching and returning, plus you can always paddle home, if the wind dies.

But all this will not prevent me from trying to get my AI going faster, if I can.