There's a 3/8" hole in the bottom of the Xbars. Why?

Good points, RR. The shiny aluminum hole is already sealed in front. I threaded the back xbar hole and put in one of my pencil zinc anodes--so it is also closed. Since corrosion also requires air (oxygen), I'm not too worried about corrosion inside the bars--not much air. I have added an interesting zinc anode to the front bar--it attaches via a stainless steel screw. It makes sense since the stainless screw will make good contact between the Al and Zn. The Zn anode itself is "flying saucer" shape and is attached near the hinge on the underside of the xbar.

None of these changes should make the corrosion worse. Hopefully, considering the corrosion I've had, they will improve things. I will know 10 months from now.

My Mirage drive is beautiful.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Howdy!

I went to my local hardware store and bought large bungee hooks, which I then threaded onto thin nylon webbing (those blue NRS straps with a clamp). Two hooks per each webbing, facing each other. The webbing is long, perhaps 12 feet.

The bungee hooks can be slid along the right distance apart to securely seat in the holes. This gives at least two ultra-secure points to lash stuff down (ie dry bags, roller table, chairs, even cooler) for camping jaunts. The long webbing lets you reach back and around other points (for bulky loads, the AI's bungee straps need to be augmented.

We've sailed in nasty stuff and never had a problem with this system loosening. Give it a try; you'll be happy

The holes may not have been designed for this purpose, but for me they've come to be an easy, secure way to tie down our stuff.

Happy Trails!

Chris

_________________
And in the end,
the love you take,
is equal to the love,
you make...
--The Beatles

Pic's?

Kayaking Bob

Yes, Chris, pictures would help. If you are using one hole in the front xbar and one in the back, sounds like you are tying stuff down in the cockpit area???

I have replaced all shockcord and cleats around the well behind the seat. Instead of the cleats, I have padeyes which allow me to attach bungees for my cooler, et al, back there.

It is hard to visualize how you are using a strap connected to the front and back xbars to tie things down. Pictures, please.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Hey gang! Howdy from Wyoming!

Sorry, no pics available right now. Our AI's are on a trailer in the back yard covered by a tarp. I've been shoveling off snow through the winter to keep it's weight from breaking/distorting them. As a result, the edges of the tarp are frozen down and covered by a LOT of snow. I won't be getting to the boats until spring, months off.

My memory failed me on the original post of where I attach the straps! My correction is in bold type below.

To reiterate and clarify what I'd written:
*Get a the longest length of flat blue NRS nylon strapping, the stuff with a clamp on one end, 1" width.
*Go to a hardware store and get two large bungee hooks. They should be commonly available.
*You'll find it easy to thread the strapping thru the the holes at the base of the bungee hooks. I'm "nearly certain" I put the hooks so that that they are facing each other.
*MY MEMORY WAS WRONG! SORRY! The hooks don't go into the holes of the xbar behind the seat. The hooks go into the holes of the upright "V"'s supporting the xbar up and away from the deck.
*My load is behind the seat, in the recessed storage area covered by Hobie's bungee cords. These bungee cords are pushed aside and away from the load. Please note: Only the rear xbar is used.
*You'll now find it easy to slide the hooks back and forth so that the strapping between the hooks is fairly taught.
*I then make an "X" over the load running the ends of the strap through whatever Hobie elastic cords and loops make the most sense. I also run these straps through the ice box handle/straps on my dry bag, etc for extra security. You can adjust the NRS strap to place the clamp anywhere you want it to go.
*Unfortunately, this rear attachment isn't as solid as the front xbar, but you've done the best you can.
*You'll find you have extra NRS stapping left over after you cinch it tight. Great! You can pull up the Hobie's black elastic cords as best you can and tie them together with a couple of half hitches. This gives a back up that might save your trip if something else fails.
*Once you get a system down, it's easily replicated through your multi-day journey.

The AI's black elastic cords behind the seat aren't made to hold much. A big load makes it damned easy for the elastic cord to slide off the undersized, rounded cleats.

We've sailed luxurious amounts of camping gear through very knarley conditions and never had things loosen up. The important safeguard to remember is to have stuff tied down 2 or 3 different ways. I wouldn't consider using Hobie's black elastic straps as the only way to attach stuff.

Again, sorry I can't provide pics until spring. Perhaps another soul in warmer climes can try out my system, and report back with pics (starting a new topic as we've strayed here).

I'm typing this post drinking IPA at the Snake River Brew Pub, which has won the GABF's "Best Small Brewery in America" twice: http://www.snakeriverbrewing.com/video1.html

If any list members make it thru Jackson Hole, I be happy to share some brews and high altitude lake sailing!

Happy Trails!

Chris




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_________________
And in the end,
the love you take,
is equal to the love,
you make...
--The Beatles

This is my setup in the AI rear well:


As I mentioned earlier, I have removed all cleats around the well and replaced them with padeyes. I use 2 orange, 40-inch bungee cords running through the handles and the length of the cooler. They attach to a loop attached to the corner padeyes. The cooler never moves.

Then, using 2 more padeyes on each side of the cooler, I run 34-inch bungee cords (green, but the color is not critical unless you are Irish) across the cooler. These green cords hold down the chair, my sandals, and the cooler. Nothing moves. Nothing is metal, so no corrosion.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

That is a great set-up Keith. I am going to measure up and get an extreme cooler for future trips. Any tips would be appreciated. Also wondering if your fishing rods interfere with the main sheet setup coming from the stern when you are sailing?..Pirate

Pirate,

I just got back from a trip. The short answer to your question about whether the fishing rods interfere w/ the mainsail lines is "No."

The above picture of my cooler/rod setup is not up to date. However, I am going to move this conversion over to my "expedition" thread which is more appropriate.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Can someone post pictures of the best place to attach the zinc anodes? One of my forward akas is showing blistering so I want to address this problem soon.

Do you have a zinc anode attached to each aka and each crossbrace?

My akas stay attached 24-7, even on the trailer. I wash and wax (coin operated car wash style) after every trip so there should not be much saltwater although the air here is salty as well but the yak is under a cover when stored.

Advice much appreciated.

Ted

I have had my lure foul the mainsheet and it was a bi***h to free up. The reason I got myself into this woeful mess was that I foolishly had the lures on the rod BEFORE unfurling the main. In other words I peddled away with everything set up. Dont do this, get underway first then set/attach your lure/leaders to the line. Now I have my rods boomed 45 degrees its not a problem, but I still think its unwise to have your rod rigged until your well away from the beach, kids, swimmers etc. I know this is all basic common sense.....but the hooks on a lure are darned sharp

Ted, I'm not sure about the number of zinc anodes needed. After initially putting a pencil zinc anode on each aka, I decided those were too fragile. I now have a single "flying saucer" attached to each aka/Xbar (4 total).

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

It would be interesting to see what one of those zinc anodes looked like after the same period exposed to salt water, but not as part of a galvanic cell.

_________________

Keith, now that over a year has gone by, anything to report on your anode experiment?

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

If you want to do something you can go to the bikeshop and buy a can of "Framesaver" just squirt it in the whole.

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Fair Skies, Max.

just saw this corrosion thread and thought i might like to add that the other day while cleaning my AI, i noticed a washer under the mast release that was very badly rusted, my boat is barely 3 months old and gets a washdown after each use. I suspect this is not an aluminium washer and needs to be replaced with one?

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