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 Post subject: Kayak spending plans...
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:02 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 12:32 am
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Location: New Jersey, USA
I've had the boat roughly a month, and I don't see any immediate end to the spending to get it to where I want it to be... It is not that I didn't anticipate investing some time and money into it, but I guess I didn't expect it to become a "lifestyle".
I just ordered an Evolve v2, tramps, and some other goodies... None the less, for the price I purchased a nearly mint TI for, all these accessories added still have me far under what others have/would pay, so I can live slightly guilt free. :D

I'm looking forward to evaluating the motor. I actually have plans to be ahead of the curve here and intend to integrate the motor with GoalZero's line of solar/battery products. I figure the ability to daisy chain up to 3 solar panels and 3 power supplies together would allow me all the power I could need to operate some fishfinders and the motor... and they make some pretty efficient folding panels that could easily be laid across the tramps.

Along with the motor I just ordered, I ordered a set of tramps for the TI along with some other accessories to turn it into a serious fishing vessel. I'm a little worried about the quality of the tramps I just ordered, and despite the reviews I've read of their breakage, I went ahead and ordered them anyway.
I figure, if nothing else, great place to stow additional gear, but I'm not so sure about their ability to haul my weight if I want to hike out.
I'm mostly going into this purchase with the intent of using the tramps as a base to make my own, sturdier version, using nylon webbing and stainless cobra buckles in anticipation of failure.
I was curious if anyone has ventured to make anything similar?

I have some serious intentions in transforming my boat into a capable fishing vessel. An aside goal I've set for myself is to land a 200lb shark (and haul it)... though in my mind I know that is a little ways off and I will probably be pushing the fishfinder(s) until next season, as I'm looking to do a dual networked, down-imaging setup from Hummingbird that is a little out of my price range for the moment, seeing that they're not privy to giving out pro-deals.

Besides some other necessities, soon I will also likely be picking up a drysuit from Stohlquist, so that I can extend the season and get some extra use out of the boat.

All things aside, I've got lots of info & reviews on lots of goodies to share with you guys.. from tackle, fishing gear & yak accessories, to electronics and the new Contour GPS camera I picked up... all soon to come. ( Speaking of, anyone know of a decent free pic hosting service? )

So what are your guys plans for your own boats?

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- Fireseid

Running a 2010 Tandem Island transported on a modified Yakima Rack & Roll.

Modifications: Torqueedo Hobie eVolve v2; Furling line rigged to cleat from rear crossbar w/Spinlock cam cleats; Custom ACK anchor trolley system;


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:55 pm 
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Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
Fireseid:
Congrats you are the first TI owner to my knowledge on this forum with the Evolve. I think all of us have been watching the subject very closely. Actually Roadrunner did a pretty good study a while back on the power consumption of the old V1 Evolve on Outback and PA kayaks, see ( viewtopic.php?f=71&t=33281&hilit=evolve&start=0 ) and study his excellent graph. I am assuming you will be mounting into one of the Mirage pockets (if you have the new rudder installed, I don't think the new rudder is compatible with the Evolve). I have an interest to try and enter the Watertribe EC challenge hopefully next year with a class VI entry (experimental electric power). The EC challenge is a 300 mile race from Ft Desoto, FL (I live close by) to Key Largo FL (about 300 miles). It takes about 4-5 days for most people and no external support is allowed (can't stop to recharge). This means at an average of 4 mph I would need to plan for 75 hours of power. Of course with the mirage drives and sail power, the actual power requirement will be much less (but it's best to plan for the worst). The reason I am writing is, it's of great interest to me the actual power load to propel the TI at 4 mph (in standard conditions, ie.. light chop open water minimal wind), If it's 50 watts thats great, but if it's 100 watts or more my plans are doomed. My plan would be to install 2 batteries inside the hull, and switch back and forth between the two. I'm counting on the solar charging option will be available by then so I can recharge the batteries. I am hoping using a combination of the solar charger and the fuel cell power supply I'm developing will provide enough charging power. Good luck, I'm sure you are going to have fun, The TI is the most versatile boat out there today in my opinion.
Bob
We have the trampolines on our TI and use the heck out of them. We have never had any problems with the tramps. We have had as many as 4 scuba tanks plus BC's, dive bags, coolers, and the kitchen sink on our tramps and never had any problems. I've also put my BC and tank on and off while on the tramps many times with no issues (maybe we've just been lucky). You just have to be careful to distribute the weight properly and just be careful with them.
I went to the GoalZero website and looked at some of their stuff, most of it appears to be 12 volts, I believe the Evolve system is 24 volts, and you can't use the Evolve batteries to power other things (according to Matt).


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:32 am 
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Location: Täby, Sweden
"( Speaking of, anyone know of a decent free pic hosting service? )"

TinyPic, Flickr...

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- A noob with a red AI -11.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:43 am 
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Location: Central Florida
Joakim wrote:
"( Speaking of, anyone know of a decent free pic hosting service? )"

TinyPic, Flickr...

http://photobucket.com/

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:51 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 12:32 am
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Location: New Jersey, USA
fusioneng wrote:
I went to the GoalZero website and looked at some of their stuff, most of it appears to be 12 volts, I believe the Evolve system is 24 volts, and you can't use the Evolve batteries to power other things (according to Matt).

My plan was to run the accessories off of the GoalZero power supplies, and switch the eVolve drive over to using those same power supplies if need be.
GoalZero provides a converter/inverter/adapter in their kit that outputs 5v, 12v, and 110v/220v. I figured I could always run a 6-30v adapter to the eVolve directly from those power sources or run it like it is charging from them...
... and daisy chained together, 12 extra pounds of batteries gets you 360wh's more to play around with along with the added benefit of being able to daisy chain up to 4 solar panels together.
Maybe I've got my electrical engineering wrong, but I think it's definitely in the realm of possibility.

I just need to really think out the switching, wiring, etc... which is why I'll be running the eVolve stock for the time being, until I am ready to install my networked fishfinders and everything else. I really don't want to be drilling holes I'll regret later.

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- Fireseid

Running a 2010 Tandem Island transported on a modified Yakima Rack & Roll.

Modifications: Torqueedo Hobie eVolve v2; Furling line rigged to cleat from rear crossbar w/Spinlock cam cleats; Custom ACK anchor trolley system;


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 5:14 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
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Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
Fireseid:
Thats a good idea to run the Evolve stock for a while and get familiar with it (thats likely what I would do also). One thought would be to use the Evolve as is, but then add a goalzero with the inverter and goalzero solar charger, this way the goalzero could power all your auxilary stuff as well as power the 120vac evolve charger. Doing it this way everything is still native, and the goalzero can be suplimented by your solar rig (not voiding any warranties). Alternately two goalzero power units could be daisy chained together in series to supply 24 volts, but this will likely void the warranty on both the goalzero, and the Evolve. Also the gps included in the evolve system I believe is in the battery case so I doubt you can remove the evolve battery from the equation.
Actually the first option above would work very well because the evolve would be getting continous charge even if you loose the direct sun (clouds). I noticed in the Torqueedo literature that the charge time from the torqueedo solar panel (not available yet for evolve) is equal to the charge time from the ac adapter, and hopefully they both plug into the same port. With this setup you can have your cake and eat it too (power all the auxillary equipment you like).
Bob


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:30 am 
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Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 12:32 am
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Location: New Jersey, USA
Some of the new toys arrived...
eVolve, tramps, C-Tug kayak cart, anchor trolley, drift chute & other misc.
Image

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- Fireseid

Running a 2010 Tandem Island transported on a modified Yakima Rack & Roll.

Modifications: Torqueedo Hobie eVolve v2; Furling line rigged to cleat from rear crossbar w/Spinlock cam cleats; Custom ACK anchor trolley system;


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:07 am 
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Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:05 pm
Posts: 5
Location: Estero FL
Cool! Watching this one very close. Very interested in using the evolve2 in my AI or even upgrading to a TI. Good luck & enjoy!


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:08 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:37 pm
Posts: 543
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Re the Evolve and a Solar support system

I 'whispered' a few words into the ear of my dealer on Vancouver Island, Canada as he was about to fly down to Salt Lake City for the Trade show.

1) TELL TORQEDO TO PUT A !@#$$%%^ aux port on their batteries as nobody needs 2 batteries simply to motor and run a chartplotter/Sonar at the same time.

2) They are selling their SolarFilm at 200% of what it is worth. ENOUGH! You want to see yourself go out of biz?

I'm looking forward to the results when he gets back (big smiles)

Cheers

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:26 pm 
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Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Why am I smiling
I have tried in the last few years to turn 'green'.
That includes the idea of installing 100K$ worth of Helix Turbines on my property by the sea. All I got was (censored) and con artists.
There are very few ppl that actually can sit there on their calculators and give you a cost saving even based over 6 months (those turbines would have taken 25 years to pay for themselves).
The Federal standards for green energy SUCK! Why, because the oil companies don't have any real interest in it until gasoline is at $50 a gallon.

If you feel compelled to use green energy, I applaud you. Yet until I see any direct results (other than having to pay 2 to 300% for the concept), I recommend we wait and see.

Yah, you can simply wait for a panel to charge your battery or haul it inside and plug it in.
Let's be real, folks, we don't own trans oceanic yachts - these are 16-18 foot daysailers that would be far cheaper to simply charge up with a batt, charger.

If you live in the tropics you have a decent chance for efficiency. If you live near the 49th, you are truly wasting your time, IMMHO.

Trinomite

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:42 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:37 pm
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Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
How can Torqeedo survive?

Good question. Their prices are way over the top. They are also produced in Germany.
The German Gov is heavily influenced by the 'Green Party'.
(ie: if you play green footsies with the Gov, you get grants)
Any business has to survive on their own ability to mass produce a product at a fair market price. If you sell more product you drop the price to get a better handle on the market share for electric outboard motors.
Yet their prices have stayed stuck. So either their green message is not getting across or other issues plague them.
For one, their higher powered motors have a serious noise problem.

The other problem is that if you need serious horsepower, you have to buy a gas or diesel engine anyway...

Fred

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 2:04 am 
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Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 12:32 am
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Location: New Jersey, USA
Anyway... back on topic:

I installed the motor and the tramps Friday morning just before heading out.

I've got a bunch more goodies to throw into the mix as well.
I picked up a handful of Hobie leashes for the drives and my fishing rods and such. Very handy. I recommend them highly. I purchased the rod leashes to leash the drives as I did not require the mounting hardware. Saved me a total of $5 for as many leashes.

In the first pic, that is the eVolve V2 motor hanging off the tongue of my trailer. Of other note in that pic is the lock on the coupler as well as the cable lock in the last pic. These locks are made by Strattec and they code to your car's ignition key. Really practical idea if you're only going to be using one vehicle with your trailer. I picked up their locking hitch pins too.

As mentioned above, I did pick up a anchor trolley and a drift chute, however, I've not gotten around to the install yet. The trolley kit I got was the ACK trolley from Austin Kayak, which is worth it if not for the Harken blocks alone.
The main problem is, the TI being 18.5' long, keeping a trolley line taught along the side of the boat proves difficult without the line slipping one way or the other.
The solution was to pick up a third pulley to keep the trolley routed properly at the side of the boat... the I realized I needed a small cleat for the trolley line and one for the anchor. So until further notice, the trolley install is on delay.

While picking up a new block, something did catch my eye which got me started thinking about the sail rigging. I did pick up some new fairleads, as one of them was chewing up my line.

Lastly... the tramps. They are a game changer. A huge part of what attracted me to my boat purchase in the first place was being able to add tramps. Now that I've got 'em, my boat is nearly everything I wanted it to be. The tramps really do add real estate and useability to the boat. Having a place to throw your tackle bag, unused/unplugged mirage drive, etc. is quite handy. They made the last expedition quite a bit easier than those previous.
That said, for the money you pay for them you should be getting more. It is not that I didn't go into the purchase not knowing exactly what I was getting.. so really, I'm not surprised or disappointed.
The tramps themselves are of decent design; It is the components that are lacking.
Undoubtedly, the fastex buckles are the weakest point of the design. These should be replaced with stainless steel, marine grade, MIL-SPEC Cobra buckles threaded through nylon webbing that extends the full length of the trampoline (which I will get around to doing myself now that I've a basic template to work from).

Using the boat as a clothesline to dry everything after rinsing off the saltwater...
Image

Image

Image

Image

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- Fireseid

Running a 2010 Tandem Island transported on a modified Yakima Rack & Roll.

Modifications: Torqueedo Hobie eVolve v2; Furling line rigged to cleat from rear crossbar w/Spinlock cam cleats; Custom ACK anchor trolley system;


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 11:16 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 12:32 am
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Location: New Jersey, USA
Despite today's rain, managed to install the anchor trolley along with some rigging to sail from the rear.

It still needs a cleat or two to suspend the movement of the trolley itself, but I've not yet received them.

The system so far:
Image

Image

Image

Image

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- Fireseid

Running a 2010 Tandem Island transported on a modified Yakima Rack & Roll.

Modifications: Torqueedo Hobie eVolve v2; Furling line rigged to cleat from rear crossbar w/Spinlock cam cleats; Custom ACK anchor trolley system;


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 4:15 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:14 pm
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Location: Jupiter, Florida
You sound like a "brother with another mother". I have been transforming my TI into a serious fishing vessel for the last 8 months. I have purchased the evolve2 motor but have not yet received it. Have a Lorance HDS5 fish finder, which I highly recommend. Live well. Tramps, which are the best thing since slice bread. Modified rocket launchers. Go Pro camera setup for when I pull in that big sailfish. The list goes on, but having had a big power boat the cost are so less that I have a hard time feeling guilty! I fish off of coast of Jupiter Florida. Where are you?

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Steve


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