How to Choose Which True Kit Model to Buy

Our range of True Kit inflatable catamarans has been developed over many years.  Having day to day interaction with our customers has given us an unfair advantage to create the boats that really match the needs of our boating community.  

Everyone uses their boats in a way that is unique to them.  So what is important to you?  Is it having a dinghy so light that you can pull it up onto the roof of your sedan powerboat?  Is it having a boat that can be packed away in the tiniest corner of your caravan?  Or maybe the boat will be used for fishing and diving trips and easy access back onto the boat after a swim or a dive is the priority.

So lets discuss some important criteria:

Weight

- or probably more importantly, the lack of weight.  It goes without saying that the larger the dinghy, the more it will weigh.  All our dinghies have very high volume for the size so you may find you can go a size smaller in a particular model.  Or you may decide that because even our biggest model is still a very lightweight boat, that bigger is better for you.

Payload

- otherwise coming known as carrying capacity.  Each boat will have a maximum number of persons recommended to be onboard and also a maximum onboard weight.  The maximum weight includes things like the engine and gear.  

Space

- the larger models not only have a higher carrying capacity, they also have more on board space.  This can be important if you have large bags and coolers to carry, and also if you have multiple people fishing out of the boat at the same time.  You certainly don't want to be hitting each other with your fishing rods!

Engine Capacity

- as you go up in size, the boats can handle a bigger engine.  This means more speed and ability to get through some rougher conditions.  Each boat has a maximum engine size.

Portability

- We have designed 2 of our models with a very high priority on being able to pack them away into a small space - The Stowaway and The Tactician.  The Stowaway achieves this through eliminating the space-consuming transom making it a rowing only tender.  The Tactician achieves this through it's super efficient narrow beam design.  Both are particularly popular both as tenders for small boats and space-deficient caravans/motorhomes.

Stability

- those who have got used to the tippy feeling climbing in and out of most small tenders are blown away when they first climb into one of our Navigators.  The catamaran platform combined with the generous tube size and beam makes for a very safe boarding experience.  When you are regularly loading people, gear and a small outboard engine onto your tender, this stability becomes crucial.  The tube around the bow of the Navigator means you can even stand on or over the bow tube when boarding.

Easy Access from the water

- this might be something many people don't thing about until the first time they go to climb into their dinghy from the water.  The landing craft bow on our Discoverys makes this easy.  Not only for the humans either, the dogs love climbing up over the Discovery bow (with a little help from their human friends).  The landing craft bow is also exceptional for landing fish over or other activities like laying out nets.  It is also great when used as a safety boat for supporting other water activities like ocean swimming or sailing - performing a rescue of a person from the water over the bow beats all other models of inflatable boat. 

Rough Conditions

- if you plan to take your dinghy out in some more extreme conditions the Discovery is going to be the boat of choice for you.  The FastDrain grate scupper system can exit a boat full of water in seconds.  Check out this video