# Smartkat Inflatable Catamaran



## NateFL (Jul 10, 2013)

Has anyone ever owned or sailed a smartkat? They look great, but I'm curious how they sail and if they're worth $6k. Anyone know anything about Smartkats or minicats?


----------



## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

$6K will buy some really nice similar sized cats or tri's that won't leak when hauled over coral.


----------



## NateFL (Jul 10, 2013)

I was just going to use it at the beach and maybe the bay and not too worried about coral. The reason I was considering it was for ease of use. No dockage or trailering to worry about. The real question is whether the sailing is good enough to justify the price.


----------



## overbored (Oct 8, 2010)

it sails, but you can put a sail on almost anything that floats. will it sail well? i doubt it, it has a single rudder and dagger board in the center so as the hull lifts you get less steering when you need it the most. this has been tried on several other designs over the years and it has never worked very well. it looks like a fun toy for around the beach but that is about it.


----------



## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

I would stay away from any inflatable sailing craft, especially one costing 6 grand. They have generally poor sailing performance (high drag, shifting shape of the hulls) and are very susceptible to damage. For 6 grand you can find a lot of nice little fiberglass catamarans with a beach dolly.


----------



## CrazyRu (May 10, 2007)

I did Watertribe Ultimate Florida Challenge -1200 mi around Florida, including getting up St.Mary river and down Sawanee river on an inflatable catamaran. I sailed several Everglades Challenges - 300 mi. I sailed Tip of the MItt adventure race -300 mi from lake Huron to Lake Michigan. I cruised cost of Maine. I know people who sailed to Cape Horn or around a world on inflatable catamarans. Properly designed inflatable catamaran sails just alright.
I haven't sailed smarkcat and I have quite a few reservations about its abilities, judging by videos and pics. In my opinion, Ducky catamarans are better products
Ducky | Sailing inflatable catamarans / ??????? ????????? ?????????? / ???????? ???????? ??????????


----------



## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

For six grand you could buy a used, excellent condition, really fast, easy to sail Hobie Cat. Inflatables just don't make the grade sail or power. That's why they make RIBs. 

Gary


----------



## NateFL (Jul 10, 2013)

I appreciate the feedback. What appealed to me was that it was totally portable, but you're right that it makes more sense to spend that on a proper sailboat. I think I'm going to focus on trying to find someone local who is willing to give me access to their boat if I help them with expenses.


----------



## unimacs (Sep 6, 2013)

For what it's worth I have one. I bought it on Ebay for $2700 and have not been disappointed.

I have not done a lot of sailing on Cats so it's not easy for me to compare. I grew up sailing Lasers and a Flying Dutchman, then moved on to windsurfing. This summer I also joined a sailing club which primarily owns lake scows.

My only other experience with a cat was a Hobie 16 I sailed about 10 years ago on a day with fairly light wind. That's about all I remember about it other than it being more difficult to tack than the monohulls I was used to.

The SmartKat sails reasonably well and will hold together in a pretty good blow. It only takes a 10 to 15 mph wind to fly a hull with a single person on board. Performance drops significantly as you add weight, - such as an additional sailor.

Obviously its main benefit is portability and storage. I don't have a ton of free time but still ended up taking it to 6 different lakes this summer since I got it in June. 

The 20 minute set up time they advertise isn't very realistic. After some practice and if you move at a steady pace, a single person can go from car to on the water in about 40 minutes, - if you have an electric pump.

The portability has its impact on design. The main sheet is behind the tiller which is an arrangement that takes getting used to. I don't particularly like the way the tiller attaches to the rudder either but it works. I've never had any problem steering when the hulls come out of the water. It is however hard for me to tack in rough weather. 

Also the 4 adult capacity is kind of a joke. You can get 4 people on there but it's cramped and makes for difficult sailing. 

If you have a place to keep a boat, clearly there are better options and I don't know that I'd pay 6 grand for one, but for less than 3,000 I'm pretty happy. It also makes for a nice swim platform for the kids.

The whole reason I have it is that it's big enough that I can take somebody else sailing if I want, yet portable enough for me to take it someplace on my own without needing a trailer.


----------



## yachtwork (May 9, 2008)

We have a SmartKat and it's great. They pack down small enough to be put on a plane and taken on vacation, or tossed in a the back of a car. They don't need a trailor and they sail pretty good. Here is a youtube of sailing our SmartKat






All in all it's a great toy. I think they can be had new for about 4.5K if you shop around.

I almost forgot. They sell this in the 4 meter and the 5 meter. Its the same rig, but the 5 meter has longer bows. This is good if you are using the SmartKat off a boat as the extra length keeps the bowsprit off the big boats hull and that is nice. I seem to remember both boats were the same price.

We use these on charter boats and give them to guests and so far they have not broke them. They can also take a 3hp long shaft. I worry that the cat will flip and ruin the outboard, so we put the outboard on when the rig is not up and use the SmartKat as a floating platform that motors fast on 3hp.

I am not a dealer nor do we sell these things, just answering the post.


----------



## unimacs (Sep 6, 2013)

The 5 meter hulls are faster too. Wish I had we had set of those but all in all I'm pretty happy with our SmartKat. 

I believe the cheapest option doesn't include a jib and I'm not sure how well they sail without one. 

Having one or two available on a large charter yacht sounds like a great idea !


----------



## Smartkat USA (May 29, 2014)

Nate -

We are the North American distributor and service center for Smartkat of Austria. I see that you have questions about the boat. How can I help?

Patrick
703-560-6385


----------

