Saturn Inflatable Boats

Thanks for the feedback, Joe. I have been unable to find much online, save what's on the manufacturer's website. But I think you're likely right about the noise and it not liking low RPMs.

The fact that the web is not overflowing with rave reviews is telling in itself. And a 30-pound Suzuki 2.5 hp is only $300 more (what was most attractive to me was the low weight) so that's probably what I'll go with.

Andy Ryan
 
We just bought a red 14ft Kaboat to use as a dinghy on our 19 yesterday. I know it is only a few feet shorter than the mother ship and may look ridiculous but remember, we had a yellow lifeboat on the roof of our 25 so we are used to that.

We designed our stainless roof rack to be 8x3 ft and it will support this boat just fine. We will be adding a bit more windage and I will post here how it all works out.

We plan to use it with our Torqeedo 1003 motor and picked this model for having room for us with 3 seats (one for each of us), being light at 58 pounds, and for being cheap enough to change our minds on (699). Being narrow and long, it is easily pushed with a small outboard or quickly pushed with a 5-8hp unit.

We wanted to keep the weight low and most of the decent traditional wider inflatables get surprisingly heavy beyond the 7-8ft lengths and we felt those were a little small for three active exploring folk. We felt like we were all sitting with our legs in a bucket together.

I will post a pic on the roof soon.

Greg
 
Hey it fits pretty well and the rack is going to work out nicely. Wish it came in blue but red will be much more visible so its not all bad.

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And I forgot to mention where I got it. Alpine Boats in Everett seems to be the only Saturn dealer in the state and has a good selection and prices. They are located at the Everett marina complex and were willing to meet us well after hours to pickup the boat which was great.

Greg
 
First test run with Torqeedo 1003 motor also posted in the Torqeedo thread...

"We had a chance to put the 1003 on our new 14ft Kaboat dinghy and take it out in the harbor for the evening.

With the three of us on board, and the motor at 97% charge, it was able to push the boat to a top speed of 5.6mph and cruise at 5 mph for an estimated range of 4.5 miles. Throttling down to 3mph increased the range to over 17 miles. We ran all over Gig Harbor and outside the harbor a bit to get some rougher water and it felt really good to us. I dropped the girls off on the beach and throttled it up to 7.2 mph with just me in the boat. It was actually planning at that speed and it seemed like the prop is really the limiting factor in that situation and not the "power" of the motor. They climbed back in and we cruised back toward the launch at full throttle and various speeds between 3 and 5mph followed by some more solo running back near the launch dock. We ended the day with 46 percent charge remaining having traveled just under 5 miles and were really happy with the way it powered the Kaboat. Success and not much noise. Being able to charge it onboard from 12v or shore power means it will provide the range we need easily to explore bays and anchorages. Solar panel shopping now."

Greg
 
We have our 14 foot Kaboat for sale now after testing a new 12 footer today in Gig Harbor. Cindie has been wanting to get an inflatable tandem kayak to use with Aven when I am out playing elsewhere and the less weight/length of the 12 allows Cindie to load it on the car with Aven's help. The 12 will also allow me to suffer less loading it on Ari. Still otherwise works just like the 14 but seats us just a little tighter. Blue matches the boat better too!

Change is fun..........

Ask for the C-Brat Discount if you are interested,

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/boa/5228708278.html

Greg
 
Seeing all these posts about dinghys and roof mounting; since I have a roof mounted radar, I'm wondering if the radar would shoot thru a inflatable turned upside down over it. Colby
 
50% off is a great deal. I like the 13' model with the 16" tubes - the 12' is cheaper but i will bet you get a wet bottom for sure most days. for the 13' they list 10hp max and that means 100 lbs of motor. I would look at one of the new Minn Kota electric motors, I know you have a battery but a smaller AGM does not weigh much more than a fuel tank. The Tohatsu 6 hp runs about 55 lbs dry and has a built in tank - plenty for short trips and it has an external connection also for a remote tank. Good hunting on this one, I was tempted to buy a dink for the boat I do not have so I can buy a motor to go with the dink.
Bob Jarrard
 
Large metal surfaces are the problem so if your dinghy is the typical blend of wood paint, and plastic, your RADAR will see right through it.

Greg
 
Colby, we had to raise our radar up. It would not shoot through the aluminum motor mount on the transom. Our unit is mounted on a short arch, so we had no choice due to the layout.
 
Bob, we have used the 14ft model with smaller tube size for the last 1.5 years and it has never been a wet ride for us. We use it for relatively calm waters of course but even in some chop we have encountered it worked very well. We downsized to the 12ft model and after testing it with 2.5 passengers, we feel it is basically as capable. If I were planning to use a kaboat with a larger motor for higher speeds and rough conditions, I too would go for the 13 or 15ft xl model. For carrying on the roof of our boat, the weight of those models is simply not an option.

Greg
 
Bob, we have used the 14ft model with smaller tube size for the last 1.5 years and it has never been a wet ride for us. We use it for relatively calm waters of course but even in some chop we have encountered it worked very well. We downsized to the 12ft model and after testing it with 2.5 passengers, we feel it is basically as capable. If I were planning to use a kaboat with a larger motor for higher speeds and rough conditions, I too would go for the 13 or 15ft xl model. For carrying on the roof of our boat, the weight of those models is simply not an option.

Greg
 
Greg,

Do you think the 12ft would paddle, Canoe style, or kayak paddle OK. Seems like it might be awkward to row, looking at the placement of the seats.

I know you are good at both so you would have a good perspective on that.

Thanks,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Hi Harvey,

The 12ft, 14ft, or 15ft standard models (same height/width) would all paddle well enough with kayak paddle for most uses. You need a paddle at least 220cm long a preferably a bit longer to easily reach out over the tubes. Using such a long paddle from the added height of the standard seats also limits the power you can get down to the water so I would recommend kayak paddle power for gentle (typical) conditions only. If one needed the most power, a person on the included oar set or an outboard would be more effective. I think canoe paddles could work but would be best with two paddlers due to the width and need to paddle further off the centerline of the boat.

The seat/oar setup on the smaller tube (13in) models is not as bad as it looks but it does require the paddler to straighten their legs to lower them for clearance because the short oarset is mounted on those relatively low tubes. That stretched leg space limits the use of that space for cargo or the legs of a rear passenger facing forward so there are those factors. I would not recommend the boat ergonomically for daily fitness paddling but covering shorter distances from boat to shore regularly is not a problem and we have used ours at least half the time without a motor. The narrow width allows for a good glide and it tracks pretty well too with the four fins on the bottom plus the tube profile.

They are capable craft for the weight.

Greg
 
Thanks Greg,

I'm really liking what I see there. Will try and link up with the Alpine Boats in Everett. There posted hours (5P to 8:30 P) seem a bit odd for a full time business.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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When I ordered recently, I called first, and they said they no longer have a "store" and simply use a warehousing company in Everett to store product for online sales. They are currently looking for local re-sellers and hope to have a local partner or two in the near future that will have a showroom option to see these boats in person.

We simply ordered our 12 footer online through the Alpine boats site and it arrived at home the next day.

Greg
 
We have a Mercury dinghy. it is 7'8" and has inflatable floor and keel. It is rated for close to 600 pounds capacity. it fits in front of our low radar arch and is mounted upside down. Our radar goes right through the dinghy and is unaffected. I think we paid around $500. We use it to row to shore and back and it gets the job done.
 
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