phillyg: We have a lot of kayak sailing experience on Hobie kayaks, I used to sail our Oasis all the time out in the gulf. I found out a couple things that really help kayak sailing in heavier conditions. First there have been many threads showing how to make a simple rotofurler out of PVC pipe in this forum, I recommend making one, in heavier winds it better to furl the sail some so you can maintain control of the boat. Also the more ballast you have the better, When sailing solo on an Oasis, alot of us put extra weight in the boat, it helps. For my Oasis, and Revo I made up lead filled pipes from 2 inch PVC tubing, I think 2inch tubing 3 ft long filled with lead would be around 40 lbs, which is enough for an AI or my Tandem Island, so I'm guessing 25 -30 lbs would be more than sufficient for an Oasis. What I did is go to a scuba diving shop and buy the little sacks of weight belt lead beads (about $3.00 to $4.00 per lb), then pour them into the PVC pipe, then glue the caps on each end. I would then wrap Spectra string (rudder line string (I think it's like 300 lbs test)) around each end then tie into a cinch knot. I would then run the spectra up through the mirage drive openings, one in front and one in the back mirage hole, so the weight suspends about a foot below the boat. This makes the Oasis completely impossible to tip over (like a mono hull sailboat). I don't worry about the weight dragging the bottom when beaching, it gets out of the way, and is actually pretty durable. The only concern is when you are in sea grass it tends to gather just like it does around the rudder and mirage drives.
On our old style Oasis Hobie we had the optional bigger sailing rudder that you could add to the boat for sailing, check with your dealer. Bottom line in 15 mph winds and wave, you will flip from time to time, make sure you are practiced at righting in rough conditions, dress accordingly (wet suit, drysuit,etc), and never go out alone in those conditions (just common sense). I've seen quite a few people adding the Hobie inflatable AMA's to their kayaks, and hear they work quite well for sailing if you don't want to add the keel weights. Oh one more thing, one set of your mirage pedals pointed straight down is your daggerboard (the rear pedals down seem to work best for steering). I tend to pedal lightly 100% of the time when sailing (even on my Tandem Island), gives you better control. Hope this helps Bob
Last edited by fusioneng on Mon Mar 04, 2013 2:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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