Kayaking the Columbia

Hello everyone,
I am looking at getting into a Rev 16. My primary purpose is to camp/ fish/ explore, but I am also very interested in the sail kit. My main body of water is the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington (I live within 5 minutes of it, just north of Portland) and am looking to explore/ potentially do a few days up and down the river.

My question: for a river as large as the Columbia, is the Rev. 16 adequate? The AI also looks tempting, but I am not sure I need that kind of setup... yet.

To answer the question that is coming: yes I have demoed the 16 and love it, but I have not tried sailing it (dealer did not have the sail kit available for demo).

Follow up question: If I went with a new AI and decided I just wanted to use it in kayak mode, would it essentially function the same as the rev 16?

As a side question, anybody have any great Kayak camping spots in the Pacific NW, Columbia River or otherwise?

Thanks! I will be making the purchase within the week!

Suggest posting your request on this link http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php

There are several members who can chime in with all sorts of good stuff!

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Yup the AI in kayak mode will work pretty much the same as the Revo 16 but there is one main difference and that is the mast base for sailing.

I am basing my answer on my experience of the previous model of AI/Adventure not the new AI which I understand has been redesigned quite a bit - but as I understand it the new features help it perform better as a sailing trimaran (e.g. redesigned bow and amas) and should not really affect the performance in "kayak" mode.

The main point of difference between the AI and the Revo 16 hulls will be the mastbase - on the AI the mast is much bigger diameter (it is basically a windsurfer mast) whereas on the kayaks (Revo 16 included) the mast is a simple aluminium pole of a much smaller diameter. As a result the mastbase on the AI hull will be much bigger than that on the Revo. So to use the AI hull as a sailing kayak with the small Hobie sail you need to make an adapter to allow the kayak mast to fit into the trimaran mast base (don't even think about using the AI mast & sail on the kayak hull without the outriggers - you will be over in the first gust... and I know how windy the Columbia can get having windsurfed the Gorge in my younger days).

The good news is that it ain't a difficult thing to fabricate - you need an old windsurfer mast, a few parts that you can get from Hobie's parts catalogue at a reasonable cost, a bit of epoxy and a saw. Dig around on this and the kayak sailing forum and you should be able to find my previous posts on how to do it.

Once you have the required adapter you can change down from the AI to the Revo and still sail, plus you get the benefit of Hobie's built in roller reefing solution and cleats... and it is not a silly thing to want to do: the sailing experience on the trimaran is much faster, wetter, flatter, complicated and 'stressful' (i.e. in a good wind you can really feel the sail driving the boat not to mention feel th salt spray in your face... and eyes... and hair...); by comparison the kayak sailing experience is gentler, drier (unless you capsize!), tippier, more intimate and altogether simpler - and in the conditions I play in I rather prefer it, plus you can revert to being a pedal kayak any time you like just by taking the sail down!

Hope this helps and enjoy!

Until you fit a boom. My AI was almost uncontrollable downwind without one, but the boom transformed its behaviour. If you get the new model AI, however, then in my opinion you'd have to ditch the seat as you sit a lot higher than you do in the old one. The new one is wider though as far as I recall, and has a bigger centreboard giving greater stability



The kayak sail is just too small for the AI as a monohul or thr revo 16, in my opinion. After all, you can always reef the big sail if it starts to blow. It's ok in a chop with the big sail and without the outriggers, but if it gets really bumpy you want a good wind to help stabilise it. At least with a bigger sail you can use even a light wind to help stabilise it, an option you don't have with the puny kayak sail

I'm sure there will be conditions when you you don't want to be out on the Colombo river with that big mast, but then I suspect you wouldn't want to be out anyway in such conditions in a mirage drive hobie (edit: e.g. these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbf9qX_M94w). I never found the AI that great in really rough choppy conditions - less so without a sail, but in any case a "proper" kayak is a far better tool for really rough condition than a Revo 16!

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Simon

there's clearly next to no wind on that lake! Good balancing act though

Now, now, be nice....( edit: sorry I misinterpreted you! )

Not a lake but a narrow channel between the headland and a small island here lat 40 79, lon 14.09 with no fetch so yes very calm. 6.9 knots showed on the Garmin wrist GPS after that brief sprint. Winds gusting around 12- 14 knots at a guess due to the funneling effect of a dip in the headland. Check out the wake behind the boat. Couldn't hold that position for long as don't have the strength in my thighs.

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Simon

I was being nice....

Actually, though, I am dead impressed really that you can stay upright at all with all that weight aloft - of course posting this photo is effectively throwing down the gauntlet which means I am going to have to give it a go myself on a light wind day - I hope there will be no white pointers around when I do

Thanks Stobbo. Go for it, there are plenty of days on the Hauraki gulf when you'd have a blast!

I think the sheer weight of the boat helps to dampen the roll a bit, but you really do need that boom! The one time I tried it without one, the almost uncontrollable rolling downwind was mildly terrifying And a simple boom is ridiculously easy to set up with no tools.

Apart from the plethora of Prusik knots, the bridle for the mainsheet as far back as possible and the carefully selected uncut assortment of 5m and 6m fibreglass fishing rod sections for the boom (epoxied together), the 2 key parts are some kind of sleeve around the mast base to stop the boom sliding down to the deck (I use multiple windings of very thick shock-cord) and self adhesive tape around the mast to stop the boom rubbing directly sgainst it when the boom is on the windward side. Fitting hiking straps just means you can ease the mainsheet a bit later

You'll also want to fit plumbers tape to the mast joint and silicone sealant to the head and foot so that if you do can it, it'll have enough flotation so that the boat won't turn turtle (I tested this and it works).

I ditched the rear crossbar early on to shed weight from the wrong place - it also made it easier for me to slide my bum back onto the rear deck and/or lie back to keep my weight low when I need to.

I think the square topped Hobie sail plays a huge role in make this set up possible. The way that top section spills gusts is remarkable. With it fitted, I haven't been knocked down once. I use a 2 to 1 reduction on the mainsheet, which I run from the rear bridle up to a Prusik-knot-mounted block at the back of the boom, then along the boom to another Prusik-knot-mounted block near the mast, then down around a block mounted on a traveller that goes around/through the front cross bar, before the mainsheet comes back to my hand. The clew of the sail is also attached to the boom with a Prusik knot
Thanks Stobbo. Go for it, there are plenty of days on the Hauraki gulf when you'd have a blast!

I think the sheer weight of the boat helps to dampen the roll a bit, but you really do need that boom! The one time I tried it without one, the almost uncontrollable rolling downwind was mildly terrifying And a simple boom is ridiculously easy to set up with no tools.

Apart from the plethora of Prusik knots, the bridle for the mainsheet as far back as possible and the carefully selected uncut assortment of 5m and 6m fibreglass fishing rod sections for the boom (epoxied together), the 2 key parts are some kind of sleeve around the mast base to stop the boom sliding down to the deck (I use multiple windings of very thick shock-cord) and self adhesive tape around the mast to stop the boom rubbing directly sgainst it when the boom is on the windward side. Fitting hiking straps just means you can ease the mainsheet a bit later

You'll also want to fit plumbers tape to the mast joint and silicone sealant to the head and foot so that if you do can it, it'll have enough flotation so that the boat won't turn turtle (I tested this and it works).

I ditched the rear crossbar early on to shed weight from the wrong place - it also made it easier for me to slide my bum back onto the rear deck and/or lie back to keep my weight low when I need to.

I think the square topped Hobie sail plays a huge role in make this set up possible. The way that top section spills gusts is remarkable. With it fitted, I haven't been knocked down once. I use a 2 to 1 reduction on the mainsheet, which I run from the rear bridle up to a Prusik-knot-mounted block at the back of the boom, then along the boom to another Prusik-knot-mounted block near the mast, then down around a block mounted on a traveller that goes around/through the front cross bar, before the mainsheet comes back to my hand. The clew of the sail is also attached to the boom with a Prusik knot


Before fitting the big Hobie sail, I tried a 35 sq ft bermuda with a light alloy mast boom and vang, but it was too sensitive to gusts and kept knocking me down in the same windy gap as in the photo above. The Hobie set up's Achilles heel is when theres lot's of boat chop but no wind on the sail to stabilise the roll. That when you have to move your weight about most to stabilise it, but the centreboard of course helps here too.

Before fitting the big Hobie sail, I tried a 35 sq ft bermuda with a light alloy mast boom and vang, but it was too sensitive to gusts and kept knocking me down in the same windy gap as in the photo above. The Hobie set up's Achilles heel is when theres lot's of boat chop but no wind on the sail to stabilise the roll. That when you have to move your weight about most to stabilise it, but the centreboard of course helps here too.

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Simon