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Old 24-07-2013, 12:20   #16
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Re: TAKACAT catamaran dinghy

where are you cruising....i'll be interested to see how the PVC holds up. Can't imagine buying a hyaplon with PVC floor. I'd go all pvc for cheaper first.
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Old 24-07-2013, 12:21   #17
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Re: TAKACAT catamaran dinghy

Nope, haven't got one yet. Would be my only choice if I decide on Torqeedo power for the dinghy. Would love to get rid of that gasoline and still be able to plane on electric propulsion.
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Old 24-07-2013, 12:30   #18
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Re: TAKACAT catamaran dinghy

I am in the Gulf Coast. In that I've heard that PVC doesn't hold up, I built covers for the hulls and the air-floor, here's a pic of the cover in process. I don't have pic of the completed covers but you get the idea

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Old 25-07-2013, 04:49   #19
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Re: TAKACAT catamaran dinghy

We used to have a DUX, which was basically the sport model by a different manufacturer.

In retrospect, we should have just swapped out the motor rather than selling the whole setup. The 40hp motor required 2 guys on land and 3-4 to get the motor off at dock.

On the water, it was awsome.
- Very stable at low speeds. At 300+ I could stand anywhere.
- Ride was very smooth, once you got on plane, you were riding on a cushion of air.
- We could go flat out in a 2' chop and you just skipped from wavetop to wavetop.
- You could make a 90degree turn at full throttle in about 2 boat lengths.
- We would run down jet skis and bass boats with it.
- Not intentionally but I've launched it 30' off a boat wake, landed and never came off plane.

Negatives:
- The 40hp was too big to put on davits. A 15hp would probably be a good compromise and still get you up around 30mph.
- Ours was the racing version and had an open transome so if you did take a wave over the bow, it would flow right out the back. The downside was if you didn't come off plane correctly, the wake would wash into the boat (you could get a version that had flaps and eliminated the issue.

I miss that boat.
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Old 25-07-2013, 04:57   #20
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Re: TAKACAT catamaran dinghy

I knew about DUX when I bought the TAKACAT. The Taka weights less and is cheaper, and i think is more intended as a tender
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Old 25-07-2013, 05:57   #21
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Re: TAKACAT catamaran dinghy

Spirited Designs in Australia have a little kit cat you can build yourself starting at 2 metres.

Spirited Designs - Home of the Spirited 380 by Craig Schionning
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Old 25-07-2013, 06:11   #22
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Re: TAKACAT catamaran dinghy

It says their 2m one is 25kg's. I assume you needed a bigger one.
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Old 25-07-2013, 11:41   #23
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Re: TAKACAT catamaran dinghy

Quote:
Originally Posted by tamicatana View Post
I knew about DUX when I bought the TAKACAT. The Taka weights less and is cheaper, and i think is more intended as a tender
DUX sold different size versions with a smaller tender version also. I assume, you sacrafice some of the performance. The sport version is actually used in racing, so it is fairly standardized from a handful of manufacturers.

If I had the davits to hold a RIB, I'd have an inflatable cat with 15-25hp outboard as it was just a lot of fun and served the practicle purpose of tender.
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Old 25-07-2013, 12:35   #24
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Re: Takacat Catamaran Dinghy

Given we are discussing multihulls in a multihull forum, I'm surprised that weight isn't given more consideration. It's certainly important for me
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Old 01-09-2013, 13:00   #25
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Re: Takacat Catamaran Dinghy

Stop! Don't buy one until you read my post that I promise in the next couple days. In a rush right now...
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Old 01-09-2013, 15:24   #26
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Re: Takacat Catamaran Dinghy

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Originally Posted by kalewa View Post
Stop! Don't buy one until you read my post that I promise in the next couple days. In a rush right now...
I really wish you hadn't posted that, I was getting ready to order one based on what the other posters have said. I mean REALLY, how much longer would it take to post even a little real info?

I have a 2 HP honda and a 6 HP evinrude and it sounds like either or both would be ideal for use with this dink.

Rich
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Old 01-09-2013, 17:28   #27
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Re: Takacat Catamaran Dinghy

Rich,

That makes two of us. I think the Takacat would be a good choice for a Torqeedo electric outboard.
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Old 01-09-2013, 23:25   #28
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Re: Takacat Catamaran Dinghy

I just spent an hour writing up a response...and the forum dumped it all! You think I would have learned to cut and paste by now! Uhgg!
Alright: You guys will be happy if you use small motors. I currently am running it with a Torqueedo. If you are near San Francisco You can buy mine for a deal. Its only been used as couple hours (340 Sport). Send your phone number on private message.
If you are planning to use more than 8hp, you have a problem....and don't expect them to volunteer to take it back.
I will post the my entire conversation with Taka (again) when I recover from this effort.
Below, for the moment, are the two emails I sent them listing problems as I see them:

Hi Greg,
Thanks for the reply. I am running two different motors and got to test both yesterday on the boat. The Torqueedo works very well with the boat and seems to push it a 1/2-1knt faster than it pushes a similar sized regular inflatable from West Marine. 400watts equals just barely 4knots vs 3.5knots on my other dingy.The Taka steers far better than the other dingy. Basically going right where you point immediately. Stability is of course much better also. So the boat is a big winner with the electric motor. I really like the extra inboard attachment rings as they will really help with the davits. Rowing and the hardware for such is great by inflatable standards. I do, however wish that the rubstrips on the bottom of the tubes was twice as wide.

My other motor is a 15hp 2stroke mercury. There are some issues with the bigger motor. First, I don't think you should advertise it as capable of even taking up to 15hp....unless you strengthen/stiffen the transom which flexes quite a bit with this motor. Until then you should say 8hp max. I am inclined to stiffen the transom myself but wonder if that would lead to the glue failing at the transom to tube joint. For this motor (short shaft) it would have been better if the transom was 50cm taller as it sprays water like crazy and shoves it up into the motor cowling wetting everything inside the motor. So to make this work it seems like I would need to modify the transom one of two ways: Raise the motor height which is problematic and would increase the torque from the motor a little or create a deflector on the bottom of the transom with some bent aluminum. This deflector will almost certainly slow the boat with the smaller motor.
Another problem which you must be aware of is that the floor does not stay in place at the transom when the boat is at planing speed. The wave and water force it upwards and out of position. More air pressure may help slightly, but really there needs to be a block/shelf running across the transom to prevent this. (I had about 6psi in the floor and 2psi in the tube)
I happen to be a boat builder (see my cats at holoholocharters.com) so I can modify the transom as described and possibly fix the 15hp problem, but that will involve drilling holes in the transom. If I can't use the 15hp with the boat it doesn't work for me. So I need to decide between sending it back or modifying it. This is frustrating because these issues must already have come up for you folks. I don't want to modify the transom if you will not except a return in the event the mods don't do the job.

Overall, the basic idea, design, and build of this boat is great. But it has some significant issues that should have been taken care of in the prototype stage, all of which are associated with the transom area.
Please give me your thoughts on where to go from here.

Cheers, Kevin

Hi Greg,
I have tested the boat again with the 15hp (raised 1.5") and concluded it is simply not suitable for such. There are several small but significant refinements that would make it a good dingy. They are all things that could and should have been caught in the testing and prototyping.
Things like:
The transom is far too weak to support the engine rating and does not channel the water around the motor as it should.
The handles near the stern are in the perfect location to catch each passing wave and douse the engine and driver.
The grab rope is perfectly located to knock the oars out of their socket every time you grab it and it always is in the sockets when you go to ship the oars.
The oars seem of good quality for the type but the storage clips are useless.
The floor at the stern pops up out of position when you drive at planing speed.
The inflatable seat blocks the tube valve so you must deflate the seat to inflate the tube.
The dingy sent to me has some significant air loss over 2 days and would need daily pumping to run at recommended psi.

What you have at this point are all good parts that could make a good dingy, and in fact works fine with a small motor (1-5 hp would be my rating now) but all need better thought on location and actual use. The only exception being the oar clips. However, it does not work as advertised with the bigger motor so we need to come to some arrangement. Please advise.
Thanks, Kevin
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Old 02-09-2013, 04:24   #29
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Thank you. An extremely useful write up!
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Old 02-09-2013, 16:50   #30
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Re: Takacat Catamaran Dinghy

Alot of things that look good in theory then get hyped on the internet... then suddenly someone actually tries one. Great informational post Kalewa. Thanks.
There is always a reason when you discover that a high percentage of people do something in a particular way. It's always tempting to "break new ground " with you own decision. When it comes to boats that can often be an expensive or dangerous way to go. With all things "boat" I like to see it used for a decade or two before I invest! :>)
"Time wounds all heels.." or something like that!
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