Takacat has addressed this problem with its latest TL220UL ultra-lightweight model, which, despite being 2.2m long and capable of accommodating two adults, can still be rolled up into a large backpack-style storage bag. Weighing just 14kg, it is easy for one person to carry or pull over the railing of a boat. Equally, once back ashore, the dinghy can be deflated and packed away in a vehicle without taking up the entire boot.
We had a chance to try out the new Takacat recently when taking our boat for her annual maintenance haul-out. We wanted a dinghy available at the other end, but our usual rigid-bottomed model was too heavy to pull aboard, and we didn’t want to tow it all that way. Instead, we borrowed the Takacat backpack model, complete with an ePropulsion 500W electric outboard.
Assembly and inflation took exactly 12 minutes and would have been even faster if I had chosen to bring the electric pump rather than the manual version. Fitting the all-in-one battery-powered outboard took another couple of minutes, and it was less than 20 minutes from taking the bag out of the car to being on the water and heading towards our moored boat.
Pulling the dinghy aboard was easy, thanks to its light weight and flat bottom. I kept it inflated in case it was needed during the trip, but could equally have rolled it up again and stowed it away. Getting ashore later was just as simple. I tied the painter to a cleat, pushed the dinghy back out over the stern and climbed aboard.
Despite its diminutive size, the 500W motor has a reasonable amount of grunt and easily pushed me along at more than 5 knots. There are also oars, securely held by rowlocks and Velcro strips, in case the motor has any issues.
At the end of the trip, I deflated the dinghy and packed it back into its durable, breathable bag in about 10 minutes.
This is a convenient and compact little tender that is nevertheless extremely capable. It fills a niche for boaties who want the convenience of a dinghy without having to deal with the weight or bulk of a conventional model.
