Inflatable Boat Advice Needed

[homer1958]

Look for a used two stroke... 15 does not weigh much... you put a 15 on a 3.5 meter and you will FLY

[lancelot9898]

I was on the takacat website and they say the seams are glued rather than welded. They claim the glue is superior to the welding since apparently the welds are more prone to problems when folding up. Could this be true? I thought welding was preferred over glue and held up to heat better.

[daveNZ]

I’ve had a 2.4M Takacat for 4 years, very common around Auckland. Row beautifully as they ‘carry’. Will plane with a 3.3 Mercury and one person. Light enough to heave up on to my launch cabin top by myself. They are not hypalon, but if cared for are great.

[homer1958]

Welds are hard to fix... if glue loosesens a bit... add glue. Simple.
The Cat is what it is.... perfect niche market... decide if it is for you. I will post some pictures

[homer1958]

You are right Dave. You can buy them in Hypalon. Why not take care of PVC by keeping a cover on it is my feel and uses 303

[lancelot9898]

I agree that a glued seam SHOULD BE easier to fix than a welded seam, but it still doesn't answer the question whether a welded seam is significantly better and less prone to need fixing.

[homer1958]

Here is why it is fast, row's good, is light is cool. They are the lightest, best rowing, most portable, fastest and coolest. They not be good for rocky coasts or people who dont take care of things.... Who needs a lot of weight... great dinghy and is available with both closed and open transom and front.... I cant believe they have not taken off faster... maybe cause New Zealand is a long way away. The are made in China but under strict quality guidelines.... very detailed construction too. TheY may be hard to get as Greg Snowden is not focuses on yA.. write him and he will write you back. I see no reason to buy a West Marine, Avon, Zodiac or any of these unless you want more weight, slow speeds and a rougher wetter ride. I see hard bottoms good for very rugged areas or people who beat the crap out of things.

[VBsail]

Saturn 2.9m catamarans are $500 shipped ($450 with the sitewide 10% on boatstogo)

https://www.boatstogo.com/inflatable...aran-nc290.asp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCxQ...ature=youtu.be

[homer1958]

Same concept, lower quality and design... not a bad buy, but Takacat or TrueKit much better

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by VBsail

Saturn 2.9m catamarans are $500 shipped ($450 with the sitewide 10% on boatstogo)

https://www.boatstogo.com/inflatable...aran-nc290.asp

I've owned several brands, including a SATURN. I really like the SATURN boats. I had zero trouble with mine. I found it to be well made, well designed, and more rugged/durable than the other brands I've owned. I won't hesitate to get another SATURN inflatable. And they are easy to get here on Lake Ontario:

http://saturninflatableboats.ca/satu...ble-boats.html

[homer1958]

They are good value, but they don;t quite have the design style or attention to detail but certainly a good buy. They are not Takacat of True kit, but get the job done..f bang for the buck... just MO

[homer1958]

Lancelot... you can get a Takacat itdn Hypalon... I just would rather have PVC and take care of it an not spend all the extra money.

Takacat
TrueKit
Saturn

The colors and design vary... Take a look at them all... Saturn is the least expensive but dont have the taper design of the others... the concept is great and dont weigh much.. the boats are faster and lighter. I know Taka and TrueKit fit into a small bag and look into all websites and decide.

Who needs the storage hassle of another boat.... I swear by this concept.

[VBsail]

Saturn is the least expensive but dont have the taper design of the others... the concept is great and dont weigh much..

Yeah, the 2.9m is about 50lbs, I can pull it up on the bow fairly easily by myself. I have an almost identical dimension 86lb hard dinghy that fits in the same spot on the bow, but is a struggle to load.

The sales website pictures are a bit behind. The last few years the saturns have taper front and rear. In 2015 the 2.9m model was 1.8m wide with round tubes, then went to tapered tubes, then narrowed the beam to 1.2m. The wider beam rowed like a cat, but would drag bridgedeck under the rear when motoring. The narrower beam still drags some 4-12mph, then the center pops free of the water surface and the speed jumps up.


This is the current 2.9m model.
[IMG]<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=24zd2pt" target="_blank"><img src="http://i66.tinypic.com/24zd2pt.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>[/IMG]


There are Bris labeled inflatable catamarans for about $850 available on amazon and elsewhere that are getting good reviews too. They look similar to the saturn 11'.



https://www.amazon.com/BRIS-Inflatab.../dp/B00J7I0OE8

[homer1958]

Good info. I still think Takacat andrTrueKit are better and better looking.
Bris is decent. Point is the Cat concept is a better way for 9 out of 10 people to go.. lighter, faster and i ncredibly stable... plus so portable.... unless you have a large yacht and want to hoist a high Caribe or somethig like that.. I see not the value.. SUP floors are the way to go and Takacat is the master of the process

[3Days_at_a_time]

I cant speak for the rest, but I have a newport vessels boat, I'm on my second, I had an 8ft dana first and it will fit your description mostly. the boat is 107lbs, had 18" tubes which make it seem much safer in rough water as it towers over the dinghy's with 15'' tubes, granted it probably makes it even worse to row. the quality is very good, and the customer service has been equally as good. Mine 8 footer would plane with two people with an 8hp tohatsu 4 stroke. it did 17mph. the boat costs $799 new and they ship same day. they also have a two year warranty.