From what I understand, Hobie itself is presently working on the design of commercially available outriggers for at least some of their kayaks. It will be very interesting to see what the professionals come up with, compared to some of our own "home-made" rigs.
They are taking their time in developing these obviously, since they want to get it right the first time. I know which way I would go, based on my own experience with my Outback outriggers, but they will probably have to come up with a design that will work on more than just one model of their kayaks, and possibly one (or maybe a separate design for this) that can be retrofitted to some of their earlier model yaks as well.
My own recs would be for a design that makes the outriggers very easy to install and remove, easy to transport and store when off the boat, and easy to adjust prior to shoving off, as well as while on the water, should the need arise to do that. They should also be reasonably light in weight, and very streamlined to cut down on drag while sailing.
With regard to ease of storage and transport of outriggers on an Outback, here is what I finally came up with to save space in my garage: my kayak fishing “stack.” Note that this design and use of the stack is mainly for storage purposes in a garage, porch, house, or apartment. The whole West Marine cart, crate, ice chest, and outriggers, will fit neatly into a corner, or along a wall (maybe with a flower pot on top!).
At the bottom of my stack is a West Marine dock cart in which I store my live bait tank, flats boots, cutting board/knife/pliers, and rod leashes. I can wheel this whole thing out to my truck for loading stuff prior to a trip. West Marine now has a model with much larger wheels, and that would definitely be a better way to go than this model that is designed to be wheeled on a wooden dock or other hard surface, not over the ground.
Next in line, up from the bottom, is my Wal-Mart crate with the usual rod-holders on the forward part of the crate. What is unique about this crate design are the outrigger holders on the after side of the crate. These consist of two foot-long pieces of 2-inch diameter PVC that have been cut out to receive the RAM mount adjusting handles. Note that I posted earlier on how to install these RAM ball mounts on an OB. Unfortunately, the RAM ball mounts won't work on a Sport due to the lack of sufficient in-hull access for attaching the hardware, as well as the different design and molding characteristics of the gunwales. The white ice chest at the top of the stack is the Igloo 25 quart marine cooler with SS hardware that fits nicely in either the OB or Sport (especially the latter). When on the water, these 2” PVC pipes also work well for holding a trolling or boat rod. The 2” PVC pipe is also great for carrying a light mounted on a smaller PVC pipe for fishing or traveling at night, since it provides excellent, elevated 360-degree visibility.
This pic shows my cutting device, a Handee (Dremel-type) tool with a miniature saw blade. The cutout portion goes nearly to the bottom of the PVC pipe in order to mount the outriggers properly on the crate. The backside of the 2-inch PVC pipes are drilled and mounted on the crate with cable ties.
Finally, here is the crate on my Outback showing the outriggers mounted upright in their PVC holders. When loading my truck I remove the outriggers from the crate and just lay them flat, or propped up against the rear seat, or side of the cargo area. They are very lightweight and fairly non-bulky, so they are easy to transport in a vehicle. Although I probably could carry the outriggers on the water this way, I think the OB's low center of gravity might be affected, so I don't normally do that. When I get to a launch site, I attach the outriggers to the RAM ball mounts with the single adjusting handle, and am ready to rumble in about 2-3 minutes or so.
Anyone else have suggestions or ideas on what they would like to see Hobie do in terms of outrigger design? Personally, I can't wait to see what the Hobie engineers and designers come up with, especially for the Sport, and perhaps some of the others that can't use the RAM ball mounts, due to limited in-hull access and gunnel space. My guess is that Hobie might have to come up with more than one design, or at least more than one mounting option, due to the diversity of yaks currently available.
P.S. Almost forgot--there are a couple of other alternatives to springing for a dock cart, since they can be pretty pricey, unless you get one on sale, as I did. In putting together your "stack", you can also use an ordinary hand truck that you can get at Sears or Lowes or HD. Put your stuff in a second crate to go on the bottom (or even a sturdy box), and then pile on top of that.
Another option that I also like, is to use a collapsible hand truck or luggage cart. You can then load this in your vehicle, along with your gear, and then use it to unload, and get your yak rigged at the launch site. This is especially handy if, for example, you have to traverse a humongous parking lot to get to the water or beach. I forgot where I got mine, but you can get one at Wal-Mart. They are also fairly pricey, but of course can be used for lots of other stuff and store very easily, whereas a dock cart might be of limited general use. However, the crate on the dock cart is also collapsible and the handle retractable, so storage is not much of a problem with these either if you want to break your stack down, say to store in a closet, under the stairs, or whereever.