Hobie Cat Forums

OK guys I have a 2013 Mirage Oasis and I want to install the sidekick amas on it. Where do you all think I should install them?
I was thinking just forward of the sail right behind the front seat what do you think?
I don't want to drill holes in a spot that will interferer with the ruder up and down lines or the ruder control lines so I need to know how far inboard I should mount them or don't I need to worry about that?
Help!!!!!!
Thanks!
Jason

I just got my sail kit and side kicks today, been wondering the same thing.

Hobie recommended behind the back seat when I called and spoke to, I beleave his name was Brendon.
I think right in front of the mast is the best place to gain the best stability. The problem with mounting it right in front of the mast is the Ama center tube is not long enough to reach out to the flat section of the hull. So I am going to have to (1) buy longer bolts. (2) design a spacer to fit in the rounded channel section of the hull so the mounting brackets will sit flat and be high enough to clear the rest of the hull.
And here I thought this would be a simple bolt on addition silly me! HA
If any one has a better idea PLEASE chime in.
Thanks
Jason

Off Topic, but when I first read this, I thought you were Tom Kirkman responding. I was about to say "Nobody has a better idea than Tom Kirkman!"

If my stuff is the best anybody can come up with, then we're all screwed.

Kirkman. After much to do, I ended up mounting mine behind the rear seat. Nothing else made sense. you?

I have started on a spacer to mount them in front of the mast. I will post pics when I get it finished. Probably late in the week it is poring here and I have to work out side.

Anywhere you can mount some YakAttack GearTracs, you can mount the Sidekicks with the Track Bracket kit:

In your case, you would likely attach the brackets to the arms and not the center pole.
I have not done it on the Oasis yet but you can see how it attaches here:



With this set up, you can move the Sidekicks anywhere and even use on anther kayak.
You don't have to be concerned about whether the bracket is on the center bar or the arms as you can remove the whole setup in one piece by loosening the Track Brackets. The only downside to having the brackets on the arms is that it is not as easy to stow away the arms while on the water.

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Mike

@Wndrfl,

I'd be interested to see how well that set-up holds up on the water.

There's a heck of a lot of force exerted by the sidekicks on the
crossbar mounts when the boat leans over.

Cheers,

Mike.

I have been using this product for 8-9 months and using it for sailing since March. I have put some major stresses on it and it has held up like a champ.

I feel comfortable using this product under the stresses that the sail kit and my excessive mass place on it.

If you have doubts, contact Luther at YakAttack and he will present a good argument for why you should use this product.

Personally, I believe the Hobie pontoons will break off before the YakAttack bracket gives in.

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Mike

BTW: The winds I have sailed in, to this date, have been 5-15mph. I have been out when the gusts were up to 25mph but that was not even fun with the sail completely furled. From my perspective, strong winds are a fun challenge for the Revo but gusts are not fun.

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Mike

That looks great Jason. I took mine out for the first time with the Kicks mounted behind rear Seat. It did quite well too.