Return to Hobie.com
Hobie Forums
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 4:46 pm

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 11:26 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:07 pm
Posts: 1041
Location: Ontario, Canada
We're considering getting the sail for our Oasis. Has anybody sailed the Oasis with the standard fins? How does it do?

I'll probably get a single set of Turbo's in the future, but if I'm granted just a single upgrade on the Oasis, I think I'd like to try the sail first.

Any opinions from someone with experience would be great!

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 4:11 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:16 pm
Posts: 150
Location: Belmont. NC
I found with two people on an Oasis, the sail will move you along, but because of weight, not as fast as just one, or if using the same sail in a single seat Hobie kayak. I wish Hobie would come out with a bigger sail for their Oasis and Outfitter. I'd also recommend some sort of stabilizer. I use spring creek's with mine.

Have seen on here about using 2 sails.

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=8346&hilit=two+sails+on+oasis

2 sets of turbo fins are faster then standard, but never tried 1 turbo and 1 standard.

If it was me, I'd go for the sail first.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 12:37 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:17 pm
Posts: 679
Location: Auckland NZ
The Oasis lacks a daggerboard and the fins provide some additional lateral resistance when sailing across and up wind. Clearly bigger fins are going to prove more resistance than smaller ones but even with the larger fins you should not expect your Oasis to perform like a "proper" dinghy or yacht ( i.e. one equipped with a daggerboard or keel) when sailing upwind - for example the Adventure with its daggerboard performs much better on this point of sail and better overall as a sailing boat due to its lighter weight and sleeker hull.

The previous poster is correct in that you should also not expect racing yacht performance from even a lightly loaded Oasis let alone one with 2 adults on board - the sails are only really usable in pretty light winds and the sails are small and set on bendy masts so the performance you can expect is slower than you would expect from pedalling.

BUT...

I recommend that you don't let these facts put you off: sailing these wee boats is very engaging and there is nothing quite like being propelled along, however slowly, both silently and without effort. If you find yourself bitten by the kayak sailing bug then the Oasis is a very good craft to start tweaking on e.g. By adding stays to the rig and/or more sail - it has enough ballast, beam and waterline length to cope with additional canvas (another mainsail making it into a schooner or a jib giving it a "normal" yacht sailplan and a real challenge to manage especially singlehanded) and extra rigging. If you find the sailing experience underwhelming then you could sell your sail or keep it and get yourself an Adventure for its better sailing performance.

If truth be told I guess that many if not most people would probably look to upgrading to Turbo fins as their first upgrade, though. But if you are already intrigued by the sailing potential then you may not want to take this route. Consider how often you get reasonably light winds in your playground - you need enough days of lightish winds to get the most out of your sail (N.B. flat calm is no good: you need a definitive breeze but just not too much of it!) otherwise the turbos may be a better bet. Also consider your crew (or is it your Captain?!)... If they are not into the pedalling thing then they may not be particularly impressed with bigger fins (faster yes, but also more effort)... If the crew likes taking it easy then they might really enjoy the sailing. But if you singlehand your Oasis a lot then you don't really have to consider a crew do you?!

Either way both are excellent upgrades... There, i said it.... "Both".

Enjoy 8)


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:21 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:07 pm
Posts: 1041
Location: Ontario, Canada
Thanks guys!

Yeah, I've got the Bravo if I want to sail in real wind. The idea of setting up the sail on the Oasis just kind of intrigues me, and if it lightens the load for my wife, or allows me to pedal and sail, while allowing her to relax, that sort of appeals too.

I used to have an AI, and I don't expect AI performance, but I also used to do camping trips from my AI, and I'm hoping to do some solo trips from the Oasis, and thought a sail might help with the less efficient boat.

I don't mind pedaling and sailing, I'm just looking to have some more fun while I'm kayaking, and if I can reduce the effort by 20 or 30 percent, that seems like a nice trade-off.

I'm shying away from two sets of turbos because I remember how often an inexperienced person would rub them against a rock, or the ground and damage them where the mast ended. (Had that happen with our old Revolution, and my AI when others went out in them)

We like the durability of the standard fins. I'm considering getting just one pair of turbos to allow me to power the boat from the back while my wife sits in the front seat with a toddler and no mirage drive, and also to be able to power the boat while solo.

We don't really have any complaints about the speed with standard fins, we generally just like to go out for a casual cruise, and my wife likes to take pictures. I'm just looking to have a bit of fun, and the sail seems like a good option, even if I do have to pedal while sailing.

So yeah... to summarize, I don't really need the turbo's for more speed, but I think the sail would be fun, and I'm hoping that it lightens the load a bit. I just don't remember hearing of many people, or anyone, who sails the Oasis without the Turbo fins.

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:12 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 10:34 am
Posts: 134
Location: Portland, Texas
Hi Augaug,
How are things up in the frigid North? I've been sailing my Oasis (a 2010) with the standard Hobie sail system since I purchased the boat a couple of years ago. At first I just used the standard fins. They will do the job but really limit how far up wind you can effectively sail. Even a beam reach is quite compromised. Being that I'm a bit of a cheapskate I then moved up to the ST's versus the Turbos. That made alot of difference and didn't require changing out the masts. I will probably break down and buy a set of turbos sooner or later but for now I'm happy with the ST's. The one thing I do when I'm alone in the boat is add some ballast to the front to increase the length of the hull at waterline as a means of gaining a little on the hull speed. This also makes the boat easier to handle in the wind by keeping the front end down. As far as the extra weight from the ballast that really doesn't make that much difference once you get the boat up to speed.
I find that by using the sail especially when I go solo, I can keep the boat near the speed I have when there are two pedelling. It's kind of like having a small version of a motor sailer. I've owned small sail boats and will tell you as truth that these kayaks aren't even close to that level of performance. On the other hand I've never had any sail boat as versatile as these multi-purpose kayaks.
Good Luck and have fun! 8)

_________________
Roger
2010 Oasis
Lucie Belle


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:41 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:07 pm
Posts: 1041
Location: Ontario, Canada
RPL wrote:
I find that by using the sail especially when I go solo, I can keep the boat near the speed I have when there are two pedelling.


That's what I was hoping. Just a little bit of assistance to help when soloing, and a little bit of fun when out together.

Thanks for your help.

Oh... and how are things in the frigid north? Frigid! :)

Spring is coming... spring is coming... :roll:

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
© Hobie Cat Company. All rights reserved.
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group