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PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 12:39 pm 
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Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:21 am
Posts: 9
I just picked up the cradle set for my Adventure Island. I'm planning to bolt them to my Trailex trailer.

Does anyone know the recommended spacing between the cradles? Also, which way is forward (the cradles seem to have a lip on one side). Finally, how do you know exactly where to position the boat on the cradles?

I searched the site for instructions, but didn't find them.

Thanks for any help!

-Greg


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 Post subject: AI cradles
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 12:32 pm 
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Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:00 am
Posts: 66
Location: Jupiter Florida
I installed my cradles last week. Matt provided me with the following information:

The engineer has returned a few specs for mounting cradles.

(5) 3/8-16 x 3â€


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:44 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:10 pm
Posts: 58
Location: Rio Vista, CA
I just installed them, twice.

If you follow those measurements the amas of the two boats will rub together.

I moved the rear cradles as far out on the rear bar as they would go, about 3/4" from the end for the outer hole. For the front cradles drill the outer holes 8" from the ends of the front bar. This leaves about 1/2" gap between the amas of the two boats.

The boats are not exactly parallel on centerline this way but they do not rub. Also this leaves just enough room on the rear for the tower kit (if Hobie has one now to ship). I had a local welder make my tower.

Important note: The rear cradles are not symetrical so you must use the pre-drilled holes as a template. The difference between the spacing of the rear cradle holes is about 5/8".

Hope this helps and you end up with fewer holes in your trailer than mine has.

Dan


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 Post subject: Cradle Mount
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 2:09 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:00 am
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Location: Jupiter Florida
Dan, I'll probably change my cradle to your specs. However, I sent post to Matt and he's referring it to the engineers. I'm sure I'm going to make the change because you right, it's going to be too cumbersome to try to sit two AI's on the trailer with the current configuration. Especially when they finally send the tower.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 7:21 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:10 pm
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Location: Rio Vista, CA
I just re-read your opening post, Greg g1r2e3g4.

I don't think I addressed your question, sorry.

If you are mounting only one boat on a trailer then all you need is the crossbar spacing (that's the 67") and get'em on the same centerline.

The "lip" you refer to goes to the rear for both cradles. I position our boats so the front cradle just touches the front of the drivewell opening. Or, the rear cradle sits just under the rubber handles on the amas.

For all my griping about Hobie, the cradles are really great (even if they are asymetrical). They make launching and pulling out a breeze. With the new trailer, tower and box, set-up or break-down takes us on average about ten minutes for both boats. And that's with us working at a leasurely pace. It means that if we want to go out in the evening for an hour or so we can and it's no big hassle.


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 Post subject: Hobie Trailer
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:09 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:00 am
Posts: 66
Location: Jupiter Florida
Do you have the tower? I was told it is not built yet.........even though I have already paid for it. I don't care about that but if its available, I want mine. I also love the new Hobie trailer.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 7:06 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:10 pm
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Location: Rio Vista, CA
I talked with Todd C. at Inland Sailing yesterday and he said the towers wont be shipping from Hobie for at least another month.

I had a local welder build one for my trailer out of 2"x3" thinwall galvanized, the same stuff the rest of the trailer is made of. It took him one day and cost $300.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:27 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 21, 2005 11:32 am
Posts: 218
Location: Portland, OR
I'm trying to determine how to configure my trailer for the new cradles. I understand that the optimal placement of the cradles is 67" apart (about 5' 1/2). How much leeway is there on either side (i.e. can I space them 5' and be OK, how about 6'?)

I figure that the aft cradle placement is the most important because of the three hulls. So what the optimal placement of the kayak over this cradle? Should the cradle be about a foot behind the aft aka (my guess from the pictures in the catalog)?

Other question: the trailer I have now is narrow 4' between tires so that I can put one Island with amas attached. However I have 2 Islands. Looking at the pictures it seems that Hobie's trailer is also a narrow base and they use cross-bars to place both kayaks side by side. My concern is that when I want to go sailing by myself, I'm not going to want to take both kayaks and leave one in the parking lot! So I would end up with a single kayak way off center on the trailer. Wouldn't that destabilize the trailer? Has anybody tried that? I think that such a light trailer with a heavy load on one side is going to flip if I take a corner too fast.

I think I may be better off keeping the kayak centered and rigging a rack above it for the second one.

Thoughts?
Xavier


Last edited by xavier on Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:54 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:10 pm
Posts: 58
Location: Rio Vista, CA
I just measured the spacing between the fore and aft cradles on my trailer, about 65" on center. I think if you had to you could go as close as 60" and as far as 70" without a problem.

My boats seem to fit best when the rear cradle sits directly under the rubber ama handles, this is about 10" aft of the rear crossbar.

I wouldn't stack them. It makes loading and unloading more difficult. With them side-by-side we rig both boats on the trailer and plop them in at the same time. I'm on and off the launch ramp in two minutes.

Don't worry about having the trailer unbalanced with only one boat on there. The center of gravity is so low, and the 100 lbs. of boat weight is negligible. Your trailer will never know the difference. If you are worried about leaving one boat in the parking lot unguarded while you sail the other just run a bicycle cable and lock through the drive well and around the trailer.

The biggest problem I see with the side-by-side is the taillights. If you don't have a tower to mount them to above the boats then cars behind you can't see your brake lights under the sterns of the boats. Hobie should have had all their ducks in a row before they started offering those trailers for sale with a picture of the unobtainable tower structure.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 12:07 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 21, 2005 11:32 am
Posts: 218
Location: Portland, OR
Does anyone have a template of the cradle shapes? I don't have the money for a new trailer so I'm reconfiguring the one I have, but I'll need to build a wooden cross brace to support both kayaks side by side.

As long as I need do this, I might as well cut the hull shapes out in these cross braces instead of bolting expensive fiberglass cradles on top.


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