Tried climbing in your dinghy from the water?

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

deckofficer bob,

damn you, now I'm thinking about that takacat again...

on the subject, check these kids climbing on. There is something in it

Best inflatable tender - Takacat lite - YouTube

I know, I'm a bad influence. IMHO, a dinghy is a very important part of the cruising equation. I know the Takacats are pricey, but the (3) Lite models range in weight....

9' 2" 64 lbs $1404 USD
10' 5" 73 lbs $1571 USD
11' 8" 81 lbs $1903 USD

Because the floor is inflatable (doesn't need to be a RIB for speed, its a cat), is fast to set up, use on davits, tear down and store for passages. The problems of man handling an outboard large enough to plane a RIB don't exist. Instead of 15 hp @ 130 lbs for a RIB, I would prefer 3.5 hp 4 stroke @ 40 lbs. to plane out the Lite.

I guess it depends on how much you want to grunt, getting into your dink from the water, setting it up and getting the outboard and fuel tank in it, etc. I look at the choice of a Takacat Lite as making life a bit easier.

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

check these kids climbing on. There is something in it
Best inflatable tender - Takacat lite - YouTube

Yeah, perish the thought that kids should ever be required to expend (gasp) effort !

[deckofficer]

Andrew, do you have a burr in your nether region? It seems all your posts have a real grump factor to them.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

My dive certificate is PADI also, and yes, there was a swim (IIRC 2 lengths of an olympic pool) and tread water requirement. DOJ also suggested this might have been the case when he was certified, but he had managed to talk his way round it.

In my 42 years of steady diving the only time anyone really tried to die on me was on the surface after the dive.

[tamicatana]

Bob

you did notice that the Takacat is PVC, and I think that's a big minus.

BTW the prices I'm seeing are different: $1490, 1640, 1890. Not that much in it, and not sure why.

I found, yes, literally found, an old West Marine 310 which I think is actually Avon. Air floor. We used it on the F27 trimaran and I had no trouble managing that little boat around all by myself and it was sure nice that it deflated and rolled up. Of course, being found, it needed work but was easily patched and has worked well since. We named it the "Dingy Dinghy."

Oh yeah, almost forgot: We have a 1959 Elgin one-cylinder aircooled thing that we push the dinks around with. I don't care if the dink gets on a plane, as long as it gets. Actually before we got the Elgin we used an old AquaBug electric and it worked ok, both have pushed the Dingy Dinghy just fine.

The Catana came with a Walker Bay. It rows really well and is light. You can't stow it (like a rollup), it is sure unstable, doesn't carry weight well. (We named it "Nervine.") I don't think it's worth getting the tubes for it.

We bought from a friend an old Zodiac, I think it's PVC. Solid floor, needs lots of work/repairs. I thought it would end up being the dinghy for the Catana, but after these last months with the Walker Bay, I'm really sent on a dinghy I can make go away if I need to.

[deckofficer]

I converted NZ dollars to USD, which is .831. They offer at a price premium Hypalon, but I didn't see it on their constantly updated web site for the Lite this time, but still offered on the other models.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

I converted NZ dollars to USD, which is .831. They offer at a price premium Hypalon, but I didn't see it on their constantly updated web site for the Lite this time, but still offered on the other models.

Doing some hard sell on the Taka cat there Bob.

[tamicatana]

Bob, look again. Those prices I quoted are US dollar

[nimblemotors]

Anyone consider jetski as tender? They are heavy and wet, but fast and easy to climb onto I had an electric powered one under construction for a while, no noise or smoke!
JackB

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

Anyone consider jetski as tender? They are heavy and wet, but fast and easy to climb onto I had an electric powered one under construction for a while, no noise or smoke!
JackB

More info on your project. I'm an EV nut (case).

I push Takacat because I'm into minimum wetted surface boats and air entrapment hulls, they are very efficient and I plan on a Torqeedo for it.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

Anyone consider jetski as tender? They are heavy and wet, but fast and easy to climb onto I had an electric powered one under construction for a while, no noise or smoke!
JackB

No, a jetski would not fit on my davits.
It does not hold 4 people
It is heaver than 150 lbs.

[nimblemotors]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

More info on your project. I'm an EV nut (case).

not much more to say, got it pretty much together but never in the water, and other things got higher on the list, so never finished it. I used to say I had the fastest electric jetski in the world, because it was the only one, even if it never actually went anywhere.

Having recently dismantled and chopped up a jetski, I was amazing at how heavy they are, solid fiberglass, 1/4-1/2 thick.
I think one could build a version MUCH lighter that planes but isn't so fast.
Because outboards are so easy to steal and fence,
I wouldn't want one for a dink left on shore.
Those torquedo things are crazy overpriced.

JackB

[deckofficer]

The Torqeedo is almost the only game in town. They are the most efficient for converting store electrons into propulsion. They now have a 80 hp offering so they leap frogged past Aqua-Watt.
aquawatt green power electric outboard motors

[nimblemotors]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

The Torqeedo is almost the only game in town. They are the most efficient for converting store electrons into propulsion. They now have a 80 hp offering so they leap frogged past Aqua-Watt.
aquawatt green power electric outboard motors

getting off topic...but back when working on the e-jetski, I also built an electric outboard for my sailboat, and considered a business producing them, probably should have done it if I could sell them at torqeedo prices! I will likely build my own electric drives for my 38-maybe-now-50ft cat.
JackB

[deckofficer]

Considering a good MARS DC PM motor, 400 amp controller, custom motor cradle/mount, shaft couplers, cable and throttle pot can be bought at the local DIY Internet EV site for $1700, it does make you wonder about the best deal on all of the above packaged as a turn key system runs $5000. For your cat X 2.