Hobie sail

[Metalman]

I got a sail for my outback and tried it out yesterday, it made the return trip after peddling down the Magothy employable,

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[RavensDfense]

Nice looking set up!

[Steve6902]

How hard is it to use the sail kit?? Steering, deployment, storage, etc

[Metalman]

How hard is it to use the sail kit?? Steering, deployment, storage, etc

It is not hard to use the sail kit at all very easy to install. It is a little hard to roll up the sail when you're ready to fish so I went on the internet and they have something called a sail Furler. There are also plans to make your own do it yourself sail Furler

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[baitball]

Nice rig!

I've often wondered if a sail would work with the kind of fishing we do in our waters.

Q: Do you think trolling and using the sail would be feasible?
Q: How fast were you able to go?
Q: Did you feel like the kayak leaned too far over when using the sail?
Q: Even with the sail furled, the line running from the sail to the stern remains in place, correct? Was that an annoyance?

[yakscientist]

I also have the same questions that baitball does, and I'm happy to see someone posting their sailing experience in a hobie! That's actually the main reason why hobie stands out for me beyond the other pedal kayak options, it already comes with a sail mount.

[silasvirus82]

I had some interest in the sail kit a while ago too and after reading many online reports and asking a few members here about it, I came to the conclusion it was not for me. Most said as a standalone sailing platform it performed ok, but in conjunction with trying to fish it was cumbersome. I can totally see the sailing kit being a ton of fun with a bare kayak for beginning sailors, but I only use my Outback for fishing and all the extra gear and lines sound like a recipe for trouble. For special trips where you plan to travel several miles back and forth to a fishing spot maybe it's worth it, but for my average trip the mirage drive does just fine. Now the much more expensive and larger AI or TI is a different vessel all together and is definitely suited to both activities in tandem. In fact I saw several at JBay a week ago and those boats could fly! They also have much better sail management features to furl the sail in quickly and keep everything out of the way while fishing. If I lived near open ocean there is no doubt I'd own one of those boats. For me, I decided to save the money and if I decide I want to go sailing I'll go rent a small Sunfish or Lazer for the afternoon. Performance wise they are much better than a kayak, plus I can take a guest.

I'd love to hear more about actual personal experience though. The kits are not expensive and I would still consider one.

[Metalman]

Nice rig!

I've often wondered if a sail would work with the kind of fishing we do in our waters.

Q: Do you think trolling and using the sail would be feasible?
Q: How fast were you able to go?
Q: Did you feel like the kayak leaned too far over when using the sail?
Q: Even with the sail furled, the line running from the sail to the stern remains in place, correct? Was that an annoyance?

I used the sail for the first time yesterday so I don't have a lot of experience with it the winds were only four to eight miles per hour my cruising speed was around 3 miles per hour I imagine with stronger winds it would go very fast say maybe 10 miles an hour but then you run the risk of tipping he possibly could be used for trolling. When you get to your fishing area you can furl the sail to get it out of the way and reroute the cord. Yesterday I fished down towards the mouth of the Magothy and then use the sail to get myself home which was very nice. I am going to do some modifications with the Furler and rerouting of some chords I will take some pictures and post them.

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[harlanbud]

Thanks for the info- very cool.

[Metalman]

Nice rig!

I've often wondered if a sail would work with the kind of fishing we do in our waters.

Q: Do you think trolling and using the sail would be feasible?
Q: How fast were you able to go?
Q: Did you feel like the kayak leaned too far over when using the sail?
Q: Even with the sail furled, the line running from the sail to the stern remains in place, correct? Was that an annoyance?

When the sail was furled I routed the line around my fish finder and it was completely out of the way for fishing

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[silasvirus82]

When the sail was furled I routed the line around my fish finder and it was completely out of the way for fishing

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There is still the biggest issue of the mast which prohibits swinging a rod from side to side. With rods behind me I felt I would be boxed in. Trust me, I'm not trying to point out all the negatives, just contributing to the conversation.

The speed sounds promising though. I know the TI/AI tops out around 10-12 knots, but has maybe triple the sail area, large retractable daggerboard and amas on each side. I think your speed will be limited not by the sail or wind, but stability.

I hope we get some more feedback from other users...

[Metalman]

There is still the biggest issue of the mast which prohibits swinging a rod from side to side. With rods behind me I felt I would be boxed in. Trust me, I'm not trying to point out all the negatives, just contributing to the conversation.

The speed sounds promising though. I know the TI/AI tops out around 10-12 knots, but has maybe triple the sail area, large retractable daggerboard and amas on each side. I think your speed will be limited not by the sail or wind, but stability.

I hope we get some more feedback from other users...

I agree that the stability is the limiting factor,of your speed. I am mainly interested in the sail to expand my range fishing so it's not too difficult to return back to the launch point.

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