TrueKit vs Takacat Dinghy - Do you own one - would you buy again?

[mvweebles]

I am looking for a small, easily inflated dinghy to go from anchorage to shore. I have a 310AB AL with 20hp Tohatsu for exploring but it's cumbersome to launch and heavy to drag up onto beaches. So I'm looking for a small inflatable and durable dinghy. I already have a Mercury 3.3hp 2-stroke OB which would be perfect for a small tender.

I'm looking at the TrueKit 2.50 (HERE) and also the Takacat 2.60 (HERE) Wondering if anyone has feedback on these style boats, and general comments on durability and ease of inflation from a crowded foredeck. They are roughy 53-lbs but is some sort of coated PVC vs Hypalon.

Thanks in advance -

[DragonflyBob]

We have the Takacat 340 and love it. Unflated, we carry it (two storage bags) in one of the floats of our Dragonfly 32 tri but on our last trip with the boat, we inflated the dinghy and secured it to our port trampoline. We could still walk around it and it did not interfere with the sail handling of the boat. We use a Torqeedo electric motor with it.

We got ours 18 months ago and we got the model with a full bow. It seems like they are only offering the models with the open bows now.

5 stars in our Takacat experience.

[fxykty]

We have a True Kit 3.3m Discovery (open bow), so bigger and different from what you’re looking at. The True Kits are made from Valmex PVC with welded seams - just as UV-resistant as good hypalon fabric. Our dinghy is now 7 years old with no main tube problems (tropics and equatorial waters). All major seams as welded and hold up well. Some secondary seams (not air sealing) are glued and those are coming apart in the heat. We are buying a new high pressure floor as that is failing along the main seam (glued, darn it). We definitely will buy the same dinghy again once the hull tubes or transom start coming apart, but don’t expect that to happen for at least a few more years.

We hang it on davits when coastal cruising and deflate it for ocean passages. It stores in one big bag which fits under our cockpit table. The high pressure floor is a separate, smaller bag. If you want to store it inflated on deck or trampolines it is low profile as there is no deep-v hull nor any keel.

[SailingHarmonie]

As you have discovered, no single dinghy is perfect for everything. But I am not at all sure that having TWO dinghies will simplify your life.

Maybe what you need to do is dump the big, heavy, over powered, dinghy, and get ONE that comes close to meeting all your needs. Granted it will not be perfect at everything, but having ONE is a lot simpler than having TWO.

If you drop down to an AB 2.8 or 3.0 in the lightweight AL hull, and use a 8 or 9.9 HP engine you might find you can easily haul it up the beach, AND take it for a long ride when needed. Yes, you will have to go slow if you have more than 2 people on board, or a full load of provisions, but is that worth having another boat to maintain?

What you need for a successful beach landing is VERY different depending on where you are. If you are landing on a beach in the bay, it doesn't matter. But if you are on remote islands or the west coast of MX you WILL occasionally be launching or landing in surf. A 3HP engine (or any electric) is very unlikely to be confidence inspiring in those conditions.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by SailingHarmonie

As you have discovered, no single dinghy is perfect for everything. But I am not at all sure that having TWO dinghies will simplify your life.

Maybe what you need to do is dump the big, heavy, over powered, dinghy, and get ONE that comes close to meeting all your needs. Granted it will not be perfect at everything, but having ONE is a lot simpler than having TWO.

If you drop down to an AB 2.8 or 3.0 in the lightweight AL hull, and use a 8 or 9.9 HP engine you might find you can easily haul it up the beach, AND take it for a long ride when needed. Yes, you will have to go slow if you have more than 2 people on board, or a full load of provisions, but is that worth having another boat to maintain?

What you need for a successful beach landing is VERY different depending on where you are. If you are landing on a beach in the bay, it doesn't matter. But if you are on remote islands or the west coast of MX you WILL occasionally be launching or landing in surf. A 3HP engine (or any electric) is very unlikely to be confidence inspiring in those conditions.

All good points. My current dinghy is an AB AL 310 at about 120 lbs, so fairly light. My boat is a sedan trawler (picture attached) with the dinghy on the boat deck. I've owned her for over 25 years - originally had an Achilles with 9.9hp which was okay but it aged-out. For several years, I also had an 8-foot West Marine PVC with roll-up floor which ended up being pretty useful which is what gave me the idea of going with a secondary dinghy.

We are in Chiapas MX, just north of Guatemala on the Pacific side. Honestly, I avoid beach landings anyway even with our AB 310 w/20hp. I had a bad experience several years ago and frankly just avoid them when I can. Hopefully most of the beach landings are behind us as we meander towards Panama and the nearby islands (Las Perlas, Bocas, San Blas).

But there is one more reason I'd like a small dink - theft target. We already have the 3.3hp and it's just not nearly as attractive a target as our 20hp. We have a chain and heavy lock for our AB but still, a guy could make a living with a 20hp outboard on their panga.

[UFO]

I have the True kit 3.3 Discovery and absolutely love it - It is very light even with a 20HP 4 Stroke on the back and I can pull it long distances on the beach by myself - I no longer bother to anchor it, but just pull it up the beach, even in big tidal areas.


They are also super fun in choppy conditions and it absolutely flies when calm - I have had 25Kts out of it at 3/4 throttle, although at that speed it was very skittish and and a spare pare of underwear may be required by some


I highly recommended and would definitely buy again, although at 3 years old, its still looking pretty new, so hopefully that is a long, long way away.