Sorry for the delay in this report. We took our Takacat 300 LX and ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 short shaft out for a full test yesterday. Great boat and motor combo for point A to point B stuff, although very close quarters work with a 2 year old hanging over the bow with a net trying to sample marine invertebrates and algae was a good challenge. The ability to poke in and out of tight spaces silently and with only a twist of the tiller for forward and reverse was worth gold to this kid with her grandmother’s death grip on the pfd.
A couple of pertinent observations. First the dingy. 1) the Takacat is a breeze to launch from the flybridge because it weighs so little. We have the smallest crane/davit Helmsman puts on, I believe, and it was a piece of cake to launch and retrieve. I built my own sling out of four NRS cam straps, ss quick release buckles, and a heavy ring. 2) The best selling point about this dingy is its stability. You can literally stand on one tube without tipping it over. Great for getting people in and out. 3) While the LX is definitely dog friendly for landings, in retrospect I think the 300S is a better choice. It is drier and has a well-defined forward compartment. I have no regrets about choosing the LX—better for dogs—but would lean toward the S. 4) it took me 15 minutes (using a 12v blower) to set the dinghy up. It took me about half an hour to take it down and get it into its bags. You really have to get all the air out of the tubes to successfully put “the toothpaste back in the tube” with this challenge to the second law of thermodynamics. But I did put it all away and it is neatly stacked on the flybridge and will go under the canvas covers shortly.
The ePropulsion observations. 1) I got the short shaft. Looking at the ePropulsion documentation, I wonder if the extra short shaft might not be the better option. Please check this carefully. I think my shaft is too long (no snarky comments even though you are all thinking them). 2) this is a step up from the Torqeedo. It is much quieter, faster, and goes farther. It is not as solid a build as the Torqeedo (things seem cheaper in build and design), and it does not track your SOG, but overall I am very pleased with the choice. Easy to set up and take down and zips around just fine. I got the bags for the ePropulsion shaft and battery, but have come to the conclusion that if you are storing it on your boat, these are not necessary and may even be problematic because they add a lot of bulk. Great if you plan on carrying the motor lots of places. Otherwise, not so great.
That is my report. Apologies for the length. The Takacat/ePropulsion combo is not for everyone. It does a great job of poking around marinas and going to shore while at anchor. Not great for long trips in rough water.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff.
I purchased the T300LX. And the ePropulsion 1.0 Spirit. I got the short shaft, because I wasn’t sure the extra short shaft would absolutely work. Yep, jokes could abound, I guess.
Anyway, I appreciate the report back, and it seems that the dinghy will serve our purposes well.
Our primary concern with a dinghy, was that we did not want to store up top, because we will use that area to entertain and hang out.
We use our dinghy for ship to shore, and won’t explore a lot, though we will use it for that when we want to.
The dinghy will be on the stern, and with the 5’2” width, will just fit with the davit system we already have. The weight of the dinghy and motor will allow for manual deployment and stowing, precluding a motorized winch, while allowing us older folks to deploy easily. The pontoons make the switch to electric a little easier, in that the dinghy will have sufficient speed for us. And we won’t have to store gas on board, or have to remember to fill that tank.
Our boat will have a dual use. We plan to do the loop, so for coastal and ICW travel it should work well, in a rather benign cruising ground. We do plan a Bahamas trip (or two) in the next couple of years. The second use will be our home port on the Tennessee River, which we will spend more time at after the loop. When we do have it more full time on the Tennessee, the ease of being able to stow the dinghy for weeks at a time in its bag, will be an added benefit to us, as we find we didn’t use the dinghy too often on day trips on our other boat.
Two issues I have tripped across with these dinghies is that the PVC version will not last as long as the Hypalon version. The Hypalon is about double the cost of the PVC version per the dealer I spoke with. The flip side is that you can replace sections of the boat if they fail. Both the Hypalon and the PVC have glued seams as opposed to welded seams. The reasoning for this is that the welded seams harden and tend to break in storage. The downside to the glue is that it is sensitive to heat. So, a cover is important to lower the direct sunlight on the dinghy. Chaps were also suggested, but that seems like overkill. Defender has the dinghy on sale through today for about $300 off.
