I finally got out on a breezy day on my "new" AI (2008 Demo boat) for a real sail. I've been sailing small boats since I was 5, with lots of hours in 420's, Lasers, and Sunfish. I took my AI out to a nice 500 acre lake here in CT, and with the sun and fall colors out and whitecaps on the water, it looked to be a great day for sailing. Winds were about 20 kts, and I started out with the sail reefed a few turns. Man, does this boat sail move! I thought there would be some compromises in performance from the design, but it accelerates and runs like a sports car. I was amazed at the stability- in conditions where I'd be fighting to keep a Sunfish from capsizing, the AI is incredibly stable. I had zero concerns with capsizing, and sitting in a padded chair with fingertip control while flying a hull is a completely novel experience. When I hit a few waves and had huge amounts of spray flying in my face, I couldn't stop laughing!! It doesn't tack as well as a Laser (what does?
but points pretty high. It could definitely benefit from a whisker pole for sailing downwind, but that would add to the complexity and hassle when jibing. When you add in the ease of car-topping and the overall versatility, I'm simply blown away... great job Hobie!
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