I got my 2011 Oasis last summer mid June and love the thing. Always went tandem with the wife, but now with a work schedule change, solo fishing wll be the majority of the time which presents new challenges. Roadrunner and other Oasis owner's have discovered that due to it's size and weight, the Oasis presents some challenges, that they have addressed successfully. I appreciate the ballast solutions proposed here for idea's also. For transporting my Kayak I bought a
Thule Hullavator to lift the yak on my Ford Explorer, and I also got a rack system for my VW GTI so I can use the Hullavator on it too so it's a breeze to lift with one person. Heres a You Tube link showing the product
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MUU7BZfAuE .
The handle spacing is a challenge because the spacing is so far apart so I'll be mounting grip handles as suggested by others here on the Hobie forum. Thanks for sharing those ideas also.
As far as a ballast solution, I've read the plug cassette lead fill and the pvs pipe lead fill. I think, at least for me, an ideal solution exists per suggestion of some forum members. I went to my local kayak outfitter and found dry bags made in the USA by an American company called Seal Line.
My wife had been my ballast at 125 lbs. and the yak tracked fine and I'm 270 lbs. Without the wife in solo mode I need a solution to keep the bow from going too high out of the water.
Seal Line makes dry bags of various capacities measured in litres. I went online, and apparently
one litre of water weights about 2.2 lbs, so I need a bag to approximate the wifes weight to know that the bow will be oriented properly on the water to track properly. When the wife is on the yak, we have the dry bag for anything we need to bring with us.
Seal Line makes a 70 Litre dry bag called the Tie Down Bag. 70 litres of water weighs about 158 lbs, and a bit lessthan full at around 125-130 lbs. the perfect weight should be dialed in. I think that it should contour pretty well to the hull and it can be filled at the water and emptied. it also has straps so it can secured.
Here's a link as another option for Oasis owners that are considering soloing this versatile and very capable kayak. I hope that some of you find this helpful.
http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?pr ... 3663094#sf