tonystott wrote:
A pity that my comments have been re-interpreted to suggest that I want a new AI to be slower... but I maintain that Hobie shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the real market appeal of the Island is its versatility, and any wholesale increase in performance could require compromise in other areas
I didn't interpret your comment as you wanting a slower boat. My point was just that performance needs to be on the table in any redesign.
I completely agree that the market appeal of the boat is it's versatility. All I'm suggesting is that the boat is versatile enough as is. If the boat were to undergo a true complete redesign, it should
maintain it's tremendous versatility, but gain performance. I'm not sure that most users need "more utility" I think most users, like you and I are quite happy with the level of versatility that the AI has. So if there is going to be a redesign, it
absolutely has to maintain it's versatility, but more performance should be required as well.
mickeymouse wrote:
If I wanted a faster boat there are plenty of better choices than the Ai/TI. But none of them offer the versatility that these boats do.
Agreed, but why not add performance to the versatility of the AI. That's all I'm suggesting. A great way to broaden the market appeal of this boat is to get the guys who want a higher performing boat, and introduce them to the versatility that the AI provides. That seems to be a solution that makes sense for everyone.
If they don't add versatility, or don't increase performance, than there's no point redesigning the boat, just tweak it to evolve from what's already there. My suggestions are only relevant to a complete redesign of the AI.