# hobie sail



## fishing mik (Dec 5, 2006)

Im thinking about getting a hobie sail for the summer months to take the kids out sailing just want to no if any one has got one and there thoughts on them 
are they easy to use ?

do they put the yak on much of a lean dont want the kids falling out to easy ?

what sort of speed can you get out of them in the typical 10nt summer noreaster ?

and what would be the least amount of wind do you need to get the yak moving ?

cheers mik


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

Yeah me too!

Though does anyone know if I can fit one to my OK?


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## ManjiMike (Jan 24, 2007)

This is not for Hobie, but a wealth of information -
http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-sys/cgiwr ... ing_A_Sail

and

http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Artic ... l/Sail.htm

cheers Mike


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

ManjiMike said:


> This is not for Hobie, but a wealth of information -
> http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-sys/cgiwr ... ing_A_Sail
> 
> and
> ...


great sites...heaps of ideas and info Mike....

looking at making one for my outback (will buy if $$$ situation improves) to see how effective they are

cheers

ps hope this one doesn't get locked....the last 3 locked threads all had "hobie" in the title......


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## wolfy (Apr 27, 2007)

Now I dunno too much about this, other than the dealer I bought my Outback off was very helpful, and a sailer as well as a paddler too. He reckoned that due to stability issues etc, if you are interested in the sail option on a Hobie, which I am, then the Outback was the only one to do it on. Hope this helps a little, I haven't got the sail gear yet.


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## deano (Nov 26, 2006)

I bought a sail with my Outfitter tandem - it works pretty good and is simple to rig. Don't expect great speed out of it - the most I can get out of it is about 3-4 knots with the occasional peddle to keep momentum. You do need a bit of a breeze to get my big girl moving, but the smaller kayaks might go better in low wind situations. I have never capsized the yak when sailing, but I do let out the sail whenever it gets a bit of a lean on it (maybe my cautiousness is the reason for my slower speeds). I don't push it because I usually troll a few lures while I go.

My opinion is that the Hobie sail is good, but overpriced for what it can deliver for you. If I had my time again I probably wouldn't buy the sail...


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWfXG4Q4AACTfgAAQUaWACiFg0Ao/7/+gMADFqIqfimh6Ub1TRvVNNlGIyemo0GpqbBRpqMmTQGgBo9Qap6EaZGhoAAAaC6sg2KCX+TD2LT3+BN2Ynd94vVKpCjEFNYotTpUBq+N9kX7PGzmo6JSIcMAwA40BqCZmw7yWHVzHA5kvpidplmWykY4Eby1Q0ZbK0+oGCYnHvZi6FAbSlOXosJhaqglUc7afI5VoWCCYTIJ45yiGTHSGUkhcQbQLpEBmblNdle94/eTZrmt0Nd1odRHWbiEiDMjCgnyobb64eFDZUfi7kinChIeuNwhw


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## fishing mik (Dec 5, 2006)

ManjiMike said:


> This is not for Hobie, but a wealth of information -
> http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-sys/cgiwr ... ing_A_Sail
> 
> and
> ...


Thanks for that mik plenty of info there if the missus had a sewing machine i would give one a crack ,geez some of those fellars have some big sails

mik

dean 
sounds like it will do what i want i dont rely want to go to fast i think or hope it will push my revo about the same or maybe a bit quicker and like you said you dont realy push because your fishing so i think if i push it it might do the job

cheers mik


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## DiveYak (Feb 5, 2007)

Try before you buy is my advice. Not quite what I hoped for. My kids won't even go in the yak if I use the sail.

Also very unstable - so much so that I bought the outriggers to assist in balance. I'm not a sailor though!

Having said that they are great downwind if you have long distances to go.


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## wolfy (Apr 27, 2007)

> Plus maybe the Adventure Island.  Fair enough, it'd probably be a mongrel to cast & retrieve from, with those outriggers.


Don't get me wrong, I would love an Adventure for offshore, but I reckon they would be an absolute B**** to sail!


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

If you want a sail to run downwind , the old beach umbrella does the job nicely and is easy to manage and store , i have had some amazing speeds out of the "mary poppins " as it is known at the kayak club , but only downwind , its a hoot , and when the winds so strong it turns the umbrella inside out , you just hang on tight till the hullspeed catshes up with the windspeed and the umbrella comes back the right way , aaahhhh dear , life is good


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## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

This is a good system I had in mind with no sewing, http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/grantgla ... tssail.htm only glue for the protos or untill you get it right.


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

I bought a golfing umbrella the other day. Not nearly so bright and gay as Baz's, but then that's probably a good thing. :lol:

Also considered a bit of a PVC extension to go in the flush mount rod holders so it can do its thing in the blazing noon day sun. Paid under 40 bucks for it and it's all plastic and epoxy so it aint gonna rust either.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

varp said:


> I bought a golfing umbrella the other day. Not nearly so bright and gay as Baz's, but then that's probably a good thing. :lol:
> 
> Also considered a bit of a PVC extension to go in the flush mount rod holders so it can do its thing in the blazing noon day sun. Paid under 40 bucks for it and it's all plastic and epoxy so it aint gonna rust either.


give it a run mate , the umbrella i use is a beach rustable umbrella bought from a $2.00 shop for $3.60 , so i bought 4 of em and when i really get serious i put an extension on the handle and can hold it out the front of the boat and get a bit of a close reach , yeeehaaa :lol: :lol:


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## Flump (Apr 17, 2006)

If you want to have a go at making your own sail it's not too difficult. As a kayak sail shouldn't get too stressed, the easiest way would be to get some blue polytarp and some good quality double sided carpet sticky tape. This will prevent fraying and gives a bit of stiffness at the edges. If you are careful you can use a corner of the tarp and you will have two ready formed edges if you make a standard triangle  . Get yourself a shape you are happy with from a piccy of a boat (google and there's loads out there) and just scale it down. Put some rings into it, add a vertical rod holder to the front of the yak, some broom stick, a bit of rope and voila.

Probably a sail area of around 1 to 2 square metres will be more than enough. Don't expect much upwind capability from it though, probably best sailing down or across wind. I'll be setting something like this up some time this summer......cheap and cheerful  :lol: :shock:


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## ManjiMike (Jan 24, 2007)

Here are some of my bookmarks that might also help -

http://hometown.aol.com/polysail/

http://members.fortunecity.com/duckwork ... /Index.htm

http://www.simplicityboats.com/simplicitysailrig.html

cheers Mike


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## Redro (Sep 5, 2005)

This looks like quite a versatile craft from New Zealand - can also be sailed - http://www.switchsports.co.nz/home.htm


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## fishing mik (Dec 5, 2006)

thanks for all the info guys im going to the yak shop tomorrow to have a look at the hobie sail and see if they can give me a demo and if all goes well and im happy with it i will just pay the 300 and get it i havent realy got the time to make one and if i did i would probally bugger it up and it would end up costing me the same

cheers mik


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## kpenergy (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi, I'm new to this forum, and Kyaking so I hope you don't mind the input. I had a chance to try the Hobie Sail with my Revolution. It was quite a blowy day and I had a hell of a time launching as the sail had no means of easily furling and unfurling like you can on a Hobie trinaran, so the sail was flapping everywhere, which would be a nightmare if you were trolling and hooked on to something that you dad to concerntrate on. I also found it quite unstable and had to dump the sail a few times as the rudder wasn't responding and I didn't want to end up in the drink. Perhaps if Hobie or one of their distributors could come up with some sort of mechanism such as the one the trimaran has for furling and unfurling the sail, and you opted for a larger rudder blade, I would get one...but until then, its peddle or paddle for me.


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## Sunhobie (Jun 22, 2006)

Gentlemen, there is much more to sailing than putting up an umbrella and being blown along! If the craft has some kind of centreboard and a rudder system, a properly made sail will allow the boat to sail with ,across and at an angle towards the wind. 
No kayak without outriggers will be a great performer in light wind and still be controllable in strong wind. Kayak sails are not designed for strong wind. 
A properly made sail has three dimensional shape. It is not just a flat piece of cloth.
A H*bie Adventure will sail at 6-7kts in a breeze less than15kts. It is quite pleasant to sail. Sure you can roll it over! Your success depends on your skill. Practice makes perfect. An Outback is more stable but not as fast. A double, with twice the weight and same sail area is slower still. 
I would never push a beginner out for his first sail in 15kts of wind.


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

Sunhobie said:


> I would never push a beginner out for his first sail in 15kts of wind.


what and miss all the fun......

cheers


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

For the record, If and when I fit a simple little sail it would be for the odd occasion that I wanted to make the most of the breeze behind me so I could trawl and enjoy my beer and the moment, I could find a few better vessels to sail on, those multi sail yaks look a bit nervous for my liking! :lol:


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

This what you got in mind Sunhobie?


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## Sunhobie (Jun 22, 2006)

Thats a serious contender for the kayak small ships regatta!
Actually Varp I do have something in plastic that looks like that - a H+bie Island.


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## Sunhobie (Jun 22, 2006)

Fisherdan, how do you hang on to the umbrella and steer and hold the rod and have a beer at once? I reckon you would need a paddle leash on the brolly and beercooler in case you have to dump them when you get a strike


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

Sunhobie said:


> Fisherdan, how do you hang on to the umbrella and steer and hold the rod and have a beer at once? I reckon you would need a paddle leash on the brolly and beercooler in case you have to dump them when you get a strike


FYI it's a Parasol, not an umbrella, and everything goes over the side when the big one hits... if and when...

Cheer's


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## paddlepop (May 12, 2007)

the cost of the hobie sail is well worth it when I have moments like these with my sort fish model - but when i fish on a large lake i'll usually take my brolley instead!

pete


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