Trailering AI: Remove Seat ?

When you trailer your AI, do you remove the seat and carry it separately ?

Somewhere I think I read an admonition to always remove it - but I can't figure out why, given that it can be folded down and held in place by the rear hull tiedown strap...

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I car top mine but always with the seat in but held down using the mirage drive bungee. No problems in 3 years so far.

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Greg

2016 AI - Spinn & Jib

“Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.”
– Charles G. Davis

I've always removed my TI's seats while trailering. Just worried about losing them.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

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2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

I was told by two different dealers (one for the outback and a different one for the TI) to remove them. I do not, I use the mirage bungee to hold them down and have yet to have any trouble or see so much as a wiggle out of the seat...

if I cartopped I might remove them for the piece of mind (since you cant see them) but on my trailer I can see both seats while going down the road...

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2015 Outback- dune with sail kit
2015 TI- dune- sold
2015 AI2- Hibiscus- should probably sell...
2018 AI2- Dune

I trailer my TI back and forth from Fairfax, Virginia, to Ocracoke, NC (about 360 miles) at least twice a year. I always leave the seats in and never have had a problem. Having said that, I also usually try to strap my paddles down in such a way that they also cover the seats and hold them down too.

For any real distance I put my cover on, so I guess the cover would keep the seats in place.

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2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

I also just fold the seat down and use the mirage drive bungee to secure. I trailer my TI about 60 miles round trip each outing, no issues so far...

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-- Chad | 2014 TI

I tried folding them down but the curved backs stick up fairly far and get in the way. I lay the sail down the center of the hull and can't do that with the seats in.

One very humid morning I took my Outback somewhere a few hours away. When I arrived it was PLASTERED with bug guts! So VERY glad I didn't leave the seat in then!

I usually don't remove them when transporting and hold them down with the sail/mast on top. Less stuff to setup when getting to the launch spot.

That's my own agenda: trying to get launch/retrieval down to the fewest possible minutes.

Just got a set of cradles and I can see they are going to go a long way towards cutting down the current 28-30 minutes trailer-to-sailing-ready that I am getting carrying it taken apart and upside-down on the trailer.

I made it in under 10 minutes once on my H-16...and I think that time might be in the cards now for the AI.

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

For efficiency at the ramp you could add a sail holder to your trailer (this idea was originally from Sun e Sailor around 2011). Having a sail holder means you can leave your seat snapped in and you won't need to bag or unbag your sail any longer. It will save time launching.

You need to find 5" PVC pipe which is quite hard to source. And you'll need to melt it with a heat gun to squeeze it between the crossbars (not too difficult). I also fabricated a strong bracket for the front of the trailer to support the pipe. Everything I used besides the PVC was from hardware I had in the garage. Since Sun e Sailor's pictures are no longer active, here's pics of my version.

I can't recommend the trailex trailer enough. So easy to work with and reconfigure.

Nice work, Jim!

Keith

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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

Very nice!

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

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2015 Hobie Tandem Island Hibiscus
"Third Normal Form"

• Trampolines
• Hobie cover
• Davis Spar Fly
• Kayakbob's Sprayskirts
• Spine Board Hakas

Having fitted a skipper seat to my MY12 TI, I needed to make a raised support near the stern, so that I could carry the mast lying along the deck. (Photo shows initial travelling position of mast, which was too vulnerable to damage from road schrapnel...)

In addition, I preferred to have a separate lightboard (thought process assisted by some b^stard cracking one of the original trailer taillights...)

So I solved both problems by building a small pyramid-shaped structure from marine ply and broomstick. This and the lightboard are held in place by the standard bungees in the rear cargo area. When I lay the mast along the deck, it goes under those crossed bungees, through the gap under the folded seat back, and then secured at the bow using the forward hatch bungee. All touching surfaces are protected by wetsuit material.(Tip#1: you can often pick up gratis torn wetsuits from local diveshops...)




Tip#2. Hi vis rudder cover made from $10 safety vest (can make two from each vest)

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

I have been carrying the sail laying on top of the beach wheels and along the top of the hull.

A little needlework in the sail bag so there are snap connectors holding it to the beach wheels and to the bow - plus a belt-and-suspenders extra safety line at the bow.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1081497986 ... 1569294370

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]