Suspending a Mirage & Outback with a Hoist....

Hello,

My wife, and kids, and I have recently discovered the Hobie Mirage line of kayaks. We purchased an Outback and a Sport. We also purchased a Sports Hoist System from REI that has a weight capacity of 200 lbs. This weekend we installed the hoist system on our dock. The straps supplied with the hoist don't work well around the hull of the kayaks. What DOES work well, is atached the hoist hooks to the carrying handle on the front and rear of the kayaks. Is this point strong enough to hold the kayaks ? If not, has anyone mounted an attaching point suitable for a hoist ? and hpw would you recommend doing it ? Any and all input is appreciated.

Thanks

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Hobie Mirage Sport (Red)
Hobie Mirage Outback (Red)
....Can't wait to get a Hobie Cat Wave

The hoist idea on your dock sounds like a convenient system. From your post, I don't really have a good picture of what you are doing. Are you suspending the boat by the handles long term?

Reading from the owner's manual and listening to my dealer's suggestions, I gathered that storage of the boats would be best on the side or upside down. According to the manual, the gunwales offer the best support for the hull. I put a overhead hoist in the garage and used some straps to attach the boat to the hoist. It was not a simple task at all and I have elected to just stand the boat on its side.

I don't think I would store any boat hull long term with all the weight suspended from bow or stern handle. That could cause the middle of the boat to sag. The handles are fine for lifting the boat onto a dock etc.

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Keith
Outback

I guess I need to define "long term". If it was starting to get cold, and I was putting them up for the season, I would pull them off of the dock and lay them on their side in the basement or garage. This is more for 1 to 7 days at a time. We use them on the weekends and some weeknights. I'm not really thinking of leaving the handles as the attached point. I was actually hoping to drill and bolt a new attached point. I just didn't know if this has been explored before. My salesman said the worst thing is to leave them flat on the ground or on 2x4s as a shelf.

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Hobie Mirage Sport (Red)
Hobie Mirage Outback (Red)
....Can't wait to get a Hobie Cat Wave