Thoughts on catamaran style tenders?

NWcamper":2f72zhx9 said:
Anyone try using one of these on a 22 cruiser. Thoughts?

https://www.takacatamericas.com/lx-seri ... s/t260-lx/

It might be easier to step into than a regular RIB. Maybe? However, I'm not sure how an open bow is an advantage in most cases.

It looks like it would be really "wet" in any chop, and I'd worry about every little thing falling off since there is no "inside" to it.

I would be interested in seeing how it performed compared to regular RIBs, say, with the electric outboard shown. Sailing cats are quite efficient. My Hobie kayak with two amas is much more efficient than my Avon with the same motor.
 
Looks interesting. Not sure of the open transom though. A few plusses and minuses there. Apparently the price is "$1790 and up".
 
I have been intrigued by these and several similar boats from "Down Under". We have a great dinghy (which will go with "Thataway" if the buyer wishes. So I never really continued to investigate. The boats are not cheap--they begin at $1800 for the 260 XL (which is PVC--the Hypalon boats are much more expensive.). There is at least one report of a 2015 boat having its seams all go at about 3 years of age The warrantee is 2 to 3 years....the report was for a boat which had been stored inside, in climate controlled environment....

I see some advantages, and perhaps some disadvantages. My understanding is that the most recent boats have a number of improvements. It seems to me that the open bow could be very positive...but we often take dogs to the beach, so we are careful about getting onto the boat--usually a sit down as we wade out, on the pontoon, not jumping onto the floor..

Videos I have seen do show some wetness in real chop--but that would probably be true of any boat. My standard of comparison is always going to be a 12.5' RIB we owned. We ran it with a 15 or 25 hp--and with a good V bottom, it would handle chop very well. Problem was it weighed about 350# or more depending on motor, fuel etc...

I would love to try, or see one of the C Brats try one of these.

Saturn has a 12 foot inflatable Cat which is similar and costs much less but weight is in the 125# range--too much for us to deal with on a C Dory, although it could be hoisted w with a Garhaurer Davit. there is also a 9'6" version which weighs 90#.
 
I’ve watched that Auzzi do his YouTube solo and son trips on his and have been impressed but the three year delamination turned me off combined with the premium price. There is one sitting in my buddies marina and it looks sad and neglected but like anything if you have the right engine it should be a lot of fun.

I’ve been close to buying regular Achilles hypalon but have to repair my Alaskan and get the kicker running good before I can justify an upgrade.
 
Our Kaboat dingy will be on its 6th year this coming season & with its double lined bottom has been a really good dingy, but at 80 lbs, I agree with Tom, the Auzzie’s at 55 lbs is really tempting as a future replacement. The price compared to the Kaboat is my only hesitation.

Jay
 
We bought one this spring for our new-to-us Tomcat. We've been happy with it so far in Alaska. Water does come in when it is choppy or when the front is loaded (our dog always likes to be forward). Fortunately, the water just goes right back out due to the open transom. We opted for the beach wheels and they have come in handy on steep pebble beaches with 15-20' tides, and it is possible to launch and putter back and forth with them installed.

We really like the ease of access off the bow for toddlers, dogs and when schlepping gear ashore.

The Takacat is very stable laterally and easy for two (okay for one) of us to haul up and over the front railing on the Tomcat. It fits nicely between the factory roof rails.
 
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