takacat or true kit inflatable catamaran tenders

[mckenzie.keith]

Does anyone have any experiences with the takacat or true kit inflatable catamaran tenders? My initial thought is that they seem a little hokey, but I thought I would check to see if anyone has experience with them. My fear would be that the inflatable floor does not give them enough structural integrity and they will want to fold up while underway.

https://truekit.net/products/true-kit-discovery

https://www.takacatamericas.com/lx-series-boats/

 

[Dogscout]

I rode on a friends Takacat and I liked it.  To me its best feature was stepping from the open bow/deck onto the open stern of by boat.  It was easier then stepping down into my tender.  As I recall the floor inflated to just as hard as a SUP.

 

[IStream]

I looked at a Taka Cat early in the pandemic and run into a few owners that I've cornered an interrogated. The early adopters I've talked to seem to love them, but early adopters generally love whatever they're adopting. I wouldn't worry so much about floor collapse as whether the design's strengths and weaknesses fit your use case.

They seem to work great with small motors and light loads. They're light and they store easily. They're easy to board and great for dogs, just keep those nails trimmed! I hear that they can be wet in choppy water and/or at high speed. Like any air floor dinghy, you can't abuse it. 

FWIW.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

I had a first-gen Takacat for 3 years. We.loved.that.boat. Unfortunately, it was PVC and even though it was covered, the hulls began to peel off the transom and since we were staging for the Bahamas we got the first light boat we could and so now have a Walker Bay SLR. Don’t like it nearly as much (it is an effin’ wet boat) but it doesn’t seem inclined to die.

I have been eyeballing the TrueKit. One is in the harbor here. The TK is more like the 1st gen Takas with a solid transom and I would go with a TK if the WB dies. The TrueKit seems a little better quality than my Taka was.

The Taka carried weight, it was dry, and would plane with an 8hp. The WB can’t get out of it’s own way with the same OB and it is far, far wetter. My wife detests the WB but we just can’t justify the expense

 

[chester]

I have no experience. I really wanted a taka cat a few years ago not the least because, at the time, they seemed to a lot cheaper that some other inflatables.  But then when i went to buy an inflatable i couldn't find them on the net.  ended up buying a cheap pvc one from costco,  its too big really, heavy, a pain in the ass to assemble/disassemble, the painted ply transom is delaminating and the glue on pieces are peeling off (note to self: order a can of adhesive from sailrite)...other than that it's been great  <_< .

now there is takacat, TrueKit and the takka cat distributor in ontario is advertising another brand https://www.ezcraftinflatables.com/zcraft-portable.

 I like the approach to the transom on the takka cat but would worry about what might wash out the back?  I see one pic that looks like it has a mesh back there but i don't see it as an accessory.  Also i'm not sure i like that all seating is on the tubes.  there seems to be no thwart/seating offered....they say an "inflatable seat" is included but i can't see what that is.  Takka Cat is cheaper, price in CDN is similar But the Takka cat ships from BC to me for free, True Kit is going to cost $600.00 to ship from NZ to me.

 

[Marcjsmith]

Got to ride In a takacat from bert jabins to the boat show, and back  total 3 miles or so using  a torquedo or similar e propulsion

sat on the floor, back against one pontoon legs propped on the other,  comfy , ass got a little damp neat little craft

 

[Recidivist]

I think it was a Takakat that Frank Pong's Jelik was using at Kings Cup some years ago.  I commented to the boat captain that the catamaran was fast, and a good load carrier for ferrying the 20+ crew out to the anchorage.  He agreed with those points but said he wasn't happy with the quality of the construction - the tube bows were beginning to fall apart and the dinghy was quite new.

 

[Roam]

I own a Takacat . While the tubes and floor seem to be well made the mount for for the motor is cheap wood and not well sealed. Also the nut that holds on one of the oars corroded to the point it couldn’t be removed in about a month of cruising. 

The floor of the takacat is very stiff and has no chance of folding. On the larger models the floor can be used as a paddle board. I think it’s a good design overall. I got it because it can fit in bags for easy storage on passages as I don’t have the deck space for a 10’ dinghy.

Besides fitting in bags the best thing about the takacat is you don’t have to bail it out.

The inflatable ‘seat’ that comes with the takacat is basically an inflatable fender and pretty useless as a seat.

-Hugh

 

[Se7en]

We have a 3m truekit.

Pretty dry in moderate chop. Except that you get a lot of spray up off the outboard leg. Planning on fairing it when I get around to it. Also seems to cavitate a bit quicker than our previous air floor dinghy due to lifting up at speed and there being no hull in front of the leg.

Goes well enough with a tohatsu 9.8 to tow my 50 kilo son on a tube with me and my 30 kilo daughter in the boat. No chance that it will fold up if you have inflated it correctly. Great to swim / dive off, kids use it without an outboard as a play platform sometimes.

I've used it helping out the local kids dinghy school a few time, bow is handy to be able to help the kids / boats out.

Only downside is that we have put a couple of holes in it - one from a folded corner poking out of the transport bag and getting rubbed. Pretty easy to patch of course.

 

[mckenzie.keith]

We have a 3m truekit.

Pretty dry in moderate chop. Except that you get a lot of spray up off the outboard leg. Planning on fairing it when I get around to it. Also seems to cavitate a bit quicker than our previous air floor dinghy due to lifting up at speed and there being no hull in front of the leg.

Do you have one of those doel-fins (or similar) installed on the motor? If not do you think that would help?

 

[Se7en]

No I don't, and yes it should help.

It's somewhere on the todo list below building a new house and bringing up 2 kids.

 

[Wright Way]

I had a small takacat, the round full front full transom model, still very much a catamaran with ends filled in.

Very stable, carried plenty rowed brilliantly for an inflatable, could just get it to plane with 3.3hp, kids did it easy and it ran true.

Needed cav plate on outboard, transom seemed too high, very lightly built, the trukits look heavier.

When towed it sucked the bow down and filled with water at about 10 knots, have seen them towed backwards, up to 9 - 10 it towed very well. I found out surfing down a wave with the spinnaker up, not good timing.

Better than your average inflatable performance wise and value for money, not sure on longevity as it went with last boat.

 

[IStream]

No I don't, and yes it should help.

It's somewhere on the todo list below building a new house and bringing up 2 kids.

Well there's your problem. You need more kids.

 

[steele]

A friend that single hands a Dana 24 got the small Truekit after trying 4 other inflatables. He mostly rows and uses a small electric Epcary outboard and found it worked better for that use than the other small options. He notes it tracks much better and he can lift and store it alone with less hassle. It is only a year or two old so durability is not yet known.

 

[Roam]

Just wanted to add that the floor of my takacat started leaking at the seems after only 3  months. Can't recommend them on quality.

 

[Startracker]

Whelp.  Looks like I'm in the market for a new dinghy, so looking forward to the reviews here between the two.  Some dickhead just stole my Avon and mint 6hp 2 stroke.  Fuckers. I'm torn between one of the above dinghys and a tinker tramp, as much as I like RIBs over soft bottom, I plan to do long passages eventually, was going to keep the RIB then sell it when I'm ready to go.  Assuming I don't lose everything in the next month of course, off work because of an accident, should be working again by next spring fingers crossed, assuming nothing goes wrong.  The auto insurance company here is doing what they are renowned for and dragging out covering my wages.  

 

[Jim in Halifax]

Bastards! Both of 'em: the tea leaf and the insurance pricks. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

 dickhead just stole my Avon and mint 6hp 2 stroke.  

Are you sure? Consider that you may have been shaved by Hanlon's Razor. Don't take offense, it's just that maybe....

 

[Ajax]

These are intriguing, especially to small cruisers where space is at a premium.

My only concern is that the open bow/stern design will allow water through in sporty conditions while you might be transporting goods that you need to keep dry, such as provisions. What's the cure for that?