Thursday, March 12, 2009

sail of the decade


I don't need a wife. My brother is busy spending money for me faster than any Mrs. Cotton (former or current) could.


He telephoned on Monday evening to ask me if I had seen the "new"
Hobie Mirage Island Adventure.


At first, I thought he was talking about a new Southern California theme park. The type of place where the designers claim to have designed the perfect roller coaster -- and it only costs $500 a ride.


But I was wrong. It is more like $3000 a ride. Or about that to purchase a 16-foot Hobie kayak with a sail. And no need to paddle. You get to pedal. Just like a bike.


I thought he was joking at first. For the past two years I have been doing my best to divest myself of possessions. The idea of moving to Mexico was to reduce my material load, not to increase it.


But he hit me in my weak point. I love to sail; I am just not very good at it. And I am not very fond of paddling kayaks. Pedaling sounds like a much better alternative. I love bikes.


The Adventure Island grabbed me where I was defenseless. Brother dearest painted aural pictures of fun days on the bay in front of the house in Melaque. And I could literally feel the briny breeze on my face.


Take a look at this, and you will understand.





Kewl, eh?


Drat him. Now, I am looking at purchasing one.


I may be saved by the logistics of beach life. The surf is rough enough that launching and recovering the kayak on the beach in front of the house would be very difficult.


And the kayak is heavy enough that I could not get it on and off the truck without spraining some new part of my aging body.


With the negatives in mind, I am going to drive up to Portland (maybe on Friday) to look one over.


Who knows? Maybe I can personally get the lead back in America's economic pencil.

19 comments:

Islagringo said...

One more thing to break. One more thing to get stolen. One more thing to kill yourself on. Why would you even consider this?! (plus it puts you right smack into shark territory!)

Anonymous said...

Steve,
$3,000 bucks for a vessal you can't fish from ?!?! That money would get you a small aluminum boat, a 10 hp motor and a trailer here in Mich. Especially in this economy.
Saludos,
Frank
Det. Mich.

Anonymous said...

WOW! That looks like fun. Especially on a hot day.
Be sure to have on plenty of sunblock.
Thanks for sharing the video.

Steve Cotton said...

Islagringo -- But couldn't the dsame ting be said about a car or refrigerator -- except the shark part? And getting closer to whales and sharks would be another reason to sail to the bay.

Frank -- Who says you cannot fish from a kayak? The power boat gang will probably chime in that it is missing a motor. But it is quite a piece of equipment.

Anonymous -- It looks like great fun. The video really hooked me.

Tom said...

Oh My Gosh that looks like so much fun! And you would also be adding to the economy of Melaque because you could pay a couple of muchachos a few pesos to haul it in and out of the water! Win Win all around!
Go for it!
a friend just passed these words of wisdom when discussing an upcoming cruise they have planned - "I can spend it faster than they can lose it!"
And yes, lots of sunscreen!
Debi

Anonymous said...

Steve

Think about this. A 16' hardshell is really heavy, especially with two outriggers. Then there's the expense of a roof rack that's secure enough to hold it. You won't want to leave it on the rack overnight. And it's going to take some real paddling to get out past the surf.

If you really want to do this, how about considering an inflatable sailboat. The better ones are really rugged, are light weight and stow easily. They're not a kid's toy. Google it and you'll see what I mean.

We have an 18' seagoing Aire Sea Tiger that is incredible. It was built for white water but meant to go in bigger water and is super rugged. It's a two person kayak, not a sailboat, that has a foot operated rudder and carries a lot of gear. Takes about three minutes to inflate with a 12 VDC air pump and is easy to handle when inflated. You'll probably want something with a sail, though.

Larry

GlorV1 said...

That looks like so much fun and unless you're going to be doing that often,maybe you should wait on buying it until you're certain you can first of all, pedal it and also put it on the truck and take it off. Some one suggested you can pay the muchacho's to load and unload, but after they get done loading it back in your truck, they may follow you and find a way to steal it. Hmmm, sounds negative but things happen. Take care.

Steve Cotton said...

Larry -- Your points are well-taken. As much as I like this model, my circumstances in Melaque may preclude a purchase right now. And I really do not want to hire a crew to launch and recover a one-man craft.

Gloria -- The kayak would be my morning exercise, and I suspect I could easily stick with it. The bay has enough variety to be interesting. The problem is whether the launch and recovery would be too difficult.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure you can rent some kayak-like thing in Melaque whenever you want. I would agree with Islagringo on all points except perhaps the shark part. I've never known sharks to kayak. But perhaps Mexican sharks are sharper than their Gringo cousins.

Cheers,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we (Gasp!) started to swim regularly in the bay last summer, tempting both sharks and fate. And getting into great shape in the process.

Anonymous said...

Steve - Dreams are a good thing and not something to give up so easily just because they may not seem to be practical. Especially now.

If you like to sail, find a way to do it. I noticed that there's a marina just to the south of you that might have something to rent. And if you do take something with you it would be a good place to launch and avoid the surf.

As my lady says on her blog, "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sidways, chocolate in one hand, latte in the other, totally worn out and screaming WOOO HOOO WHAT A RIDE!!"

Larry

Frankly Ronda said...

Wow. A surprising path to consider ... interested to see what you think after a real test drive ...

Steve Cotton said...

Kim -- Worry not. I will proceed with this "puchase" with adequate caution. After all, I will not always be living in Melaque. That kayak would look awfully awkward in Durango.

Larry -- Good suggestion about the marina in Barra. I understand a new company is renting Hobies in Melaque this year. I will take a look at what they have to offer.

AMM -- It turns out that the Portland store does not have one available. I can check the other two dealerships in Oregon during the next few weeks. But there is always time to look at a new and practical toy.

Anonymous said...

Steve, once you get started, are you going to have some way to post during and about your progress - or will this be like when the astronauts go around the back side of the moon - no contact until you arrive in Melaque????

Mic

Steve Cotton said...

Mic -- I am taking a laptop with me. As long as I find a WiFi connection, I will be in contact with "daily" posts.

Anonymous said...

Steve,
I was kidding about not being able to fish from the kayak...but seriously...I didn't see a single beer holder, or space for a 54 quart cooler!
Frank in Mich, where boat launch day is only 3 weeks away!

Anonymous said...

I have an AI, frequently go to Mexico and absolutely lone the boat. I don't fish from it but many many people do. Go to the Hobie website to the forum's section and look up the AI in the kayak section. You will learn all you would ever want to know about owning one and others experiences.

I have three ocean kayaks and they are rarely used anymore.

Jonna said...

I think it looks fantastic! That video makes me want one too. No, I won't buy one but I do still want a small kayak.

Debi had a good idea, you don't realize how easy it is to get casual help. There will be kids in the neighborhood, big kids, who will load and unload it for you whenever you want. They would also probably pull you out through the surf, coming back in would be a thrill ride.

Wayne sees sharks everywhere, don't listen. No shark down here is so hungry they have to go after weird sounding and looking things like that. They are all out there waiting for Wayne to stick a foot in the water ;)

Steve Cotton said...

Frank -- I knew you were kidding -- as was I. But I hate fish. That is about to change as a result of my last physical examination. More to come.

Bob -- I would be interested in hearing more about your AI. Where do you use it? Any problems launching in surf? I will venture over to the forum. Great! Another place for me to spend time.

Jonna -- I may wait until I can get a better look at what is a good mix between kayaks and the Melaque surf. The beach there is not gradual like the beach in front of your condo. It drops off fast, and the waves hit hard. But it is hard to get the image of the video out of my mind. I want it. And I want it NOW!

Anonymous said...

I fashioned one of these with 2 old fishing rods.

http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/prodimg/S0590002.jpg

I have also used an umbrella. Doesn't take much of a sail or wind to get a good break from paddling.

I also have a fishing rod holder on my kayak. Go with a poly boat.