To the best of my knowledge, I'm the only active member on the forum to have made the switch from an Adventure Island to a Bravo.
I'm glad I switched!
Will you be? Well that depends on a LOT of things.
I switched because I was sailing my AI a lot, and we had just started a family, so my wife wasn't coming out kayaking on her Revolution all that much, meaning I wasn't kayaking with her on the Adventure.
We decided to one day get an Oasis, so that we could kayak together, and my plan was to one day get a Wave or Getaway. I saw a Bravo for CHEAP, and I'm REALLY glad that I bought it at this stage in my life.
The ease of rigging is incredible. People are shocked that you can have this at the water's edge and be sailing in 2 minutes. The AI wasn't difficult to rig, but having the tramps, and all the pieces and parts took a little bit of time. I realize that most boats take a lot longer, but you really notice the lack of rigging time, even moving from the AI to the Bravo.
As far as it being drier, it is. You're higher off the water, and you get raised away from it when you sail. Even without flying a hull, you're up considerably higher than an AI, or even other competitive boats like Laser.
It's much more stable than I had imagined it would be. I suppose that compared to an H16, it's not, but compared to anything in its class, it's surprisingly stable. Very safe feeling, just like the AI was. I moved from the AI because I wanted a boat that was a little more able to tip, something with more speed, and a higher risk/reward sailing experience. Something that was simple, but still required some skill. I'm LOVING the Bravo for that. It's a lot of fun to fly a hull, but easy to keep level if you need to. Even when you push it too far and tip, you don't get thrown from the boat, you can almost always just casually hang on to the boat, and keep from falling in. With the rudder being in the centre, you can feel when it leaves the water. If it does, you're going over, but you've got a split second where you notice that, and you'll have time to hang on. Having said that, once you get used to it, you know where the point of no return is, and the boat is amazingly forgiving, you can bring it right to the brink, and bring it back again, without too much trouble. I only tip it when I'm really trying to ride that edge. And I find that to be fun. That's something that I couldn't do on the AI... there was no "edge"
Things I miss?
The versatility. That mirage drive is wonderful! Being 200 metres from shore, running out of wind in the evening, having to tack against the wind to get there, you really forget how easily that would have been done in the AI. Having said that, the Bravo moves in just a BREATH of wind. That's the one thing that surprised me. You need nothing to actually move. Getting stuck out on a lake is just so unlikely to happen. I don't often carry a paddle, but one nice thing to do is to semi raise the rudder, and swing it back and forth like a flipper. The boat is light enough, that when you run out of wind, that can move you the short distance that you may need to go.
I did overnight camping trips on the AI, and I'm considering it on the Bravo, but obviously the AI is a far superior boat to take into the wilderness and go unsupported.
One thing that you should be prepared for though, (and I love this about the boat) is that sailing the Bravo is a much more athletic thing to do that sailing the AI. You'll need to hike out and use your body to sail. The AI made you feel like a passenger, this will make you feel like a sailor! It's great. But you're not going to do 9 hour trips on the Bravo the way some do on the AI.
Finally, I think the Bravo is one of the most underrated boats in the Hobie lineup. You don't see it talked about here very much because it's just so reliable. People don't spend time fixing it, there aren't questions about rigging, or options, you just sail it. For me, that's perfect.
One day, I'll move up to a Wave or a Getaway (when my kids are old enough to come with me, and my wife will be able to come more often) but for now, the Bravo is a great solo sailing boat, with the capability to take two people.
I love there performance, I love the simplicity, and the durability.
As far as fitting it in a pickup. I think it "could" be done. It's 12 feet long, so you'll be hanging it out the end. I trailer it behind my 4 cylinder car, and it's no problem. I've never had to think about moving it into a pick up, but it's light and easy to lift, and it's actually less awkward to lift because of the placement of the handles (don't forget the molded in handles just under the front of the boat by the hatch!)
I get better mileage towing the Bravo, than I did by putting the AI on the roof. Wind resistance is obviously a factor, more than weight.
If you have ANY questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you. I'll keep an eye on this thread.
I have a few videos which I can link to this thread if you want. (I've posted them in the Bravo section before, so you may have seen them before)