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Old 15-07-2016, 07:06   #1
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On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

Buy a cheap one of these on craigslist for $400:

Sea Eagle 14 SailCat Review ? Fall in Love with Sailing

Buy the sail for this for $200-$300 and rig it for the above:

Bravo : Rotomolded Sailboats : Hobie Cat

I'm not trying to build a performance cat here, just something I can bring another person and dog on and still move in light wind.

Let's assume the entire rig needs to go in/ on top of a sedan.

If anyone has any better DIY ideas for a decent inflatable sailboat under $100 please let me know!

I welcome your feedback.
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Old 15-07-2016, 12:23   #2
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

The only way to get a decent inflatable under a $100 is steal it or have someone take pity and give a good one to you. There are/were inflatable sailing dinghies but they were not cheap and didn't sail all that well IIRC. Something like the TIWAL looks to be a good inflatable sailing dinghy but not cheap. You might find a deal on a Walker Bay roto molded dinghy with sail kit or some other hard dinghy but doubt it would be much under $500. I was given a 7' sailing dinghy with a large section of the bottom ripped out. Did a half assed glass job to seal up the bottom and it worked but that was a serendipitous find from it flying off a roof rack.
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Old 15-07-2016, 12:34   #3
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

The all-time most popular training dinghy, the Optimist class pram, might be your answer. It's eight feet, and has a bunch more interior space (the dog) than anything else small that I can think of. Most sailboats down that small (the Walker Bay being an exception) are more or less surf boards with sails, from the Sunfish to the Laser. Optimist prams have been around since the late 1940s when Clark Mills designed them for the Optimist Club as a flat-land Florida answer to the Soapbox Derby. There are bunches of them around, and you might find one cheap - kids outgrow them as soon as they start smelling fumes (as in gasoline and perfume).
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Old 15-07-2016, 12:50   #4
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

Quote:
Originally Posted by roverhi View Post
The only way to get a decent inflatable under a $100 is steal it or have someone take pity and give a good one to you. There are/were inflatable sailing dinghies but they were not cheap and didn't sail all that well IIRC. Something like the TIWAL looks to be a good inflatable sailing dinghy but not cheap. You might find a deal on a Walker Bay roto molded dinghy with sail kit or some other hard dinghy but doubt it would be much under $500. I was given a 7' sailing dinghy with a large section of the bottom ripped out. Did a half assed glass job to seal up the bottom and it worked but that was a serendipitous find from it flying off a roof rack.
Damn I meant $1000 and am not sure how to edit on this forum...

I'm also considering a rotomolded Escape Rumba in my area but the seller is asking $1k for it. Might go look this weekend.

I really like the idea of having the extra space of the catamaran for general comfort plus the ease of transport. Also I will be doing a lot of lake sailing with low winds so need something as light as possible.
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Old 16-07-2016, 08:00   #5
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

Is a 10 the most stupid or the least stupid on your scale?
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Old 16-07-2016, 08:16   #6
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

Stupidity level 0*.

*Lower numbers are better.

A concept proven to work. Not stupid at all.

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Old 16-07-2016, 08:21   #7
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

My suggestion is to have a look at the site of Kayaksailer to the design of that easy sailing system which also can be used for other boats!

Regards,

Maver
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Old 16-07-2016, 08:49   #8
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

ELEVEN
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Old 16-07-2016, 09:54   #9
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

Bought my almost unused fiberglass Montgomery 8 footer complete for a $1,000.

Have seen a Tinker, think that's what they were called, inflatable sailing dinghy on Ebay or Craig's List a while back for around $1,000. They are out there but you might die before another one comes on the market. Sticking a wanted ad on Craig's List might rustle one out of someone's garage.

New ones that will last longer than a couple of sails will cost you considerably more than a boat unit.

Kayak sails are strictly for downwind. Kayaks are too unstable to sail to weather unless you rig an outrigger. Kind of bulky and long but have seen Hobie Adventure Islands for a little over $2,000. That's the solo version but you could put kids on the trampolines. They are car toppable and launchable by a single person of more than average strength.



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Damn I meant $1000 and am not sure how to edit on this forum...

I'm also considering a rotomolded Escape Rumba in my area but the seller is asking $1k for it. Might go look this weekend.

I really like the idea of having the extra space of the catamaran for general comfort plus the ease of transport. Also I will be doing a lot of lake sailing with low winds so need something as light as possible.
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Old 16-07-2016, 10:56   #10
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

If you are looking for something cheap and practical, go for a rigid dinghy with a rig.
At the bottom of the garden I still have a 12ft Glass sailing dinghy that we used as a tender. It wasn't any recognised class that I know of and was quite lightly built. That's why it was pensioned off ;-))
But I have roof racked it on an Audi 100/A6, it was just about on the limit.

Sailing inflatables do exist, the Tinker Tramp at 10ft and the Traveller at 12ft. They are idiosyncratic/wierd compared to the run of the mill rubbadub and the bracing for the rig is not the best. Metzeler also made a rig for one of their inflatables. They haven't made the tinker for 15 (?) years now, so they are getting long in the tooth.

There is also a beast called a Catapult, which is a catamaran with an alli frame and inflatable hulls and a single sail with a wishbone boom. They are fast, wet and make sure you keep your swimming in practice so perhaps not the best for a dog. They do break down and are easy to car top.

Yes try and find yourself a light rigid dinghy as big as you can handle to get it on the roof.
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Old 16-07-2016, 12:35   #11
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluebeard View Post
If you are looking for something cheap and practical, go for a rigid dinghy with a rig.
At the bottom of the garden I still have a 12ft Glass sailing dinghy that we used as a tender. It wasn't any recognised class that I know of and was quite lightly built. That's why it was pensioned off ;-))
But I have roof racked it on an Audi 100/A6, it was just about on the limit.

Sailing inflatables do exist, the Tinker Tramp at 10ft and the Traveller at 12ft. They are idiosyncratic/wierd compared to the run of the mill rubbadub and the bracing for the rig is not the best. Metzeler also made a rig for one of their inflatables. They haven't made the tinker for 15 (?) years now, so they are getting long in the tooth.

There is also a beast called a Catapult, which is a catamaran with an alli frame and inflatable hulls and a single sail with a wishbone boom. They are fast, wet and make sure you keep your swimming in practice so perhaps not the best for a dog. They do break down and are easy to car top.

Yes try and find yourself a light rigid dinghy as big as you can handle to get it on the roof.
The Tinkers were great. I had two, and still have one.
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Old 16-07-2016, 18:22   #12
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Re: On a scale of 1-10 how stupid is this inflatable sailboat idea?

There are a lot of inflatable catamarans in Europe and Australia. Here is a list of most of them - inflatable sail catamarans - Links. Some of these are very high performance and sail great. However, they are not cheap. I bought a boat show model Happy Cat on ebay for $5,000. It sails great and can be stored in 3 bags of less than 6' long. I live/cruise on a 43' catamaran and am able to deflate it and store it inside. Then when I want to play I pull it out and assemble it. It does take more effort/time to assemble than I had hoped (about 1.5 hr). Still it is nice to have a sailing play toy for those times when you don't want to move the big boat.
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