Hobie Tandem Island clone for $3k...

There is an interesting discussion on the Hobie forum about a cheap Chinese clone of the Hobie Tandem Island:

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=70294

I find it kind of amusing that they call it a "U-boat":

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/U-Boat-18ft-trimaran-fin-drive_60806485491.html

The American distributor sells them for $4350:

https://www.marinenow.com/marinenow-tandem-sailing-pedal-kayak-2-person/

And, here's a video (in Italian) of the boat in action. Surprisingly, it looks like it actually works reasonably well:

   No Doubt,   
   
   Deleted the rant I almost posted... about sending more jobs to China.   Let me just say,,    #^*^&$% 

   Sink the U Boats
       
 

Had no idea alibaba offered these boats.  why bother buying used hobie off secondary market ever again, esp since the mirage drive is off patent?!

OMG they even have modular boat design.  This thing is a transformer!!  Practically giddy about this revelation

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Wholesale-sea-angler-detachable-fishing-kayak_1600262566684.html?spm=a2700.details.0.0.6a934e69SJFj32

I bet it performs just like a U-boat. Looks like they've knocked off more than just the TI. Knock off and improve is their motto. Any lurker thinking about buying one of these, please don't support these thieves. I am so sick of these ripoff retards.

Wow. Thanks for sharing!  I wonder what market they’re after. I belong to the group that looks for service, reliability, and peace of mind that comes with a well known brand. I wouldn’t buy it even if it was $1000

I bet it performs just like a U-boat. Looks like they've knocked off more than just the TI. Knock off and improve is their motto. Any lurker thinking about buying one of these, please don't support these thieves. I am so sick of these ripoff retards.

Agree with this 100%.

Hobie has a great reputation. Durable products and excellent service & warranty. Stick with Hobie and you will be happier.

Jeez, tough crowd!

I'm glad to see this on the market -- very rarely is competition bad for the consumer. I don't think this particular example will do much in terms of providing competition, but it's still nice to see.

If they remake the AI I might consider it since Hobie no longer produces them.

If they remake the AI I might consider it since Hobie no longer produces them.

Yep, if they did a Revo 16 it'd have to have some serious issues (design or cost) for me to not buy one.

Competition is great. I don’t particularly like the monopoly that Hobbies is enjoying. And their pricing is getting out of hand. That doesn’t make copying their product okay. Maybe if people start knocking off a product that you own on the market you would understand. By supporting these copycats, you’re basically saying that intellectual theft is ok.


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Competition is great. I don’t particularly like the monopoly that Hobbies is enjoying. And their pricing is getting out of hand. That doesn’t make copying their product okay. Maybe if people start knocking off a product that you own on the market you would understand. By supporting these copycats, you’re basically saying that intellectual theft is ok.

Sounds like you probably shouldn't buy boats made by this company!! As for me, I guess my world is not so black and white.

Competition is great. I don’t particularly like the monopoly that Hobbies is enjoying. And their pricing is getting out of hand. That doesn’t make copying their product okay. Maybe if people start knocking off a product that you own on the market you would understand. By supporting these copycats, you’re basically saying that intellectual theft is ok.

If you mean me, I'm saying those products seem OK because its prolly not theft if there is no registered or secured IP behind the "copied" design.  Theft (ip or otherwise) is not OK, of course I don't condone it.

Apparently, Hobie no longer has a monopoly on the mirage drive, as their core patent(s) expired?  Anyway, the purpose of a patent is to actually promote innovation through incentive, i.e., "by securing for limited time to authors and inventors the exclusive rights to their respective writings and discoveries."  pretty sure, i read that somewhere, like, oh IDK, the US Constitution, Art. I, Clause 8, maybe?  Hobie has benefited from its monopoly, all the way to the top of the price range and market for the 20 yrs I've been kayakfishing.  So, good return for them and the system worked as it should for the limited applicable time frame to the massive gain of the patentee.

    It's not so much about challenging competition.

     By far the worst part of buying product made in China is THAT is supporting a Communist Regime. A rapidly expanding military that now is aligned with Russia.  Supporting Russia in it's war in Ukraine.  Today they are conducting military exercises with Russia in preparation for.... ?    WW3 ?   Invasion of Taiwan ?  Defense of N.Korea...   
     
     In 30-40 years, every American made product has shifted production to China. 
  It's disgusting how America is willing to support an adversary to save a buck.
   
   We've become   " The Great Mall of China "   

 It's about supporting US Labor / Jobs / Democracy /  Human rights.   What America has defended for so long. No way are we going to compete with the  .67 cent/ hour labor that China has.   

yall talking about the same company that got bought out by a private equity firm and is now offshoring a lot of its manufacturing to south of the border?  interesting.