Concept

The GoCat is a practical, versatile and fun new concept in dinghy design. Consisting of two lightweight inflatable hulls with a platform in-between it can be sailed, rowed, motored, towed or even raced. It can be easily assembled or disassembled in less than 10 minutes, fitting neatly into the boot of a car.

Uses

The GoCat is a high speed twin planning hull catamaran design with a floor which sits clear of the water. Originally designed for racing in the surf, the GoCat has been refined to provide a more versatile and practical recreational sports dinghy. It is suitable for many applications due to its stability, light weight and portability. Its possible uses include; surf rescue, fishing, yacht tender, wakeboarding, racing, sailing, photography, white water rafting, diving, rowing or just generally having fun on the water.

The GoCat still retains its race pedigree and provides a very exciting ride. High speeds are easily attainable with one or two passengers by using a relatively small outboard motor (15hp). When cornering it tracks as though on rails allowing extremely tight maneuvering at high speed. Due to its light weight and extreme performance it makes an inexpensive and exciting one design power boat racing class.

Materials

The two main hulls are made from a tough, abrasion and UV resistant polyurethane (PU) coated high tenacity (HT) polyester (1000 denier) weave. This material is High Frequency (HF) welded to form a strong outer cover with 2 separate polyurethane inner bladders in each hull. Underneath each hull are the hijacker planing hulls each with a separate bladder and a strong PVC rubbing strip to prevent chafing and abrasion when pulling up the beach or over sharp objects.

This type of construction makes puncture repairs very easy, simply remove the leaking bladder, apply a self adhesive patch (supplied) to the puncture, reinsert the bladder and inflate. Polyurethane has been chosen in this application also for its environmentally friendly characteristics and recyclability.

The two hulls are held together by a strong epoxy/foam transom and a fiberglass nose cone. Both of which are held firmly in place by quick release buckles and UV resistant webbing.Torsional strength is obtained by a durable PVC floor. A rigid light weight non slip floor can then be placed between the hulls to give a water tight and very stable platform. When towing, the GoCat tracks extremely well, even in rough seas.

The entire boat weighs only 35kg and has been designed with quick release fittings so that it may be packed away in less than 10 minutes. The design has been rigorously tested and improved over a period of 3 years in all conditions ranging from calm, flat seas to high wind and waves. The GoCat has proved to be a safe, stable boat in most conditions.

The GoCat is available in three colours, white with orange, blue or grey trim and comes standard with pump, oars, seat, rigid floor, towing bridle and repair kit. Due to the fact that it can be quickly broken down into four major lightweight parts (port and starboard hulls, transom and nose cone), it can be easily stowed in a matter of minutes.

Accessories

The GoCat rows easily and can also be sailed by attaching the optional sailing kit which includes ropes, rudder assembly, sail, mast base and mast (a standard windsurfer rig can also be used). The GoCat is fun and easy to sail and makes an excellent training platform for beginners. There is no boom or hard surfaces on which to get hurt so is perfect for children to learn to sail.

Warranty

All materials used are of the highest quality and the warranty period reflects this, with three years on materials and two years on parts and labour. Unlike most other inflatable dinghies on the market where a failure in one component requires the entire dinghy to be replaced or at least returned to the manufacturer for repair, the GoCat is constructed of various separate interlocking parts all of which can be replaced or upgraded quickly and inexpensively when necessary.